Evelyn Miller (Courtesy WCF Courier)

Evelyn Miller (Courtesy WCF Courier)

Evelyn Celeste Miller

Homicide — SOLVED

Casey Frederiksen Found GUILTY, Sentenced to Two Life Sentences

Evelyn Celeste Miller
5 YOA
1781 Quarry Road, Apt. #4
Floyd, Iowa
Floyd County
July 1, 2005

 

 

 

 

* Editor’s Note: The information in this case summary contains graphic information that may offend or disturb some readers.

UPDATE

Casey Frederiksen Sentenced to Two Consecutive Life Sentences for Sexually Abusing, Killing 5-year-old Evelyn Miller

Casey FrederiksenCourtesy photo KCRG Channel 9
Casey Frederiksen

On Monday, May 11, 2015, Judge Gregg Rosenbladt sentenced Casey Frederiksen to two life sentences for sexually abusing and killing 5-year-old Evelyn Miller in July 2005. First, though, Frederiksen must complete his previous federal prison sentence for possession of child pornography.

On Tuesday, March 10, 2015, a Hamilton County jury convicted Frederiksen of first-degree murder in Evelyn Miller’s death. Jurors also found Frederiksen guilty of first-degree sexual abuse.

Frederiksen, 35, is currently serving a 14-year sentence in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography, but will now spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

Case Summary compiled by Jody Ewing

Five-year-old Evelyn Miller was reported missing in the early morning hours of July 1, 2005, from a Floyd, Iowa, apartment where she lived with her mother, Noel Miller, two brothers, and her mother’s fiancé, Casey Frederiksen.

Frederiksen was at the apartment — located a few miles north of Charles City at 1781 Quarry Road, Apt. #4 — with the three children while Miller worked a night shift but said he was sleeping when the girl disappeared. Miller returned home around 6 a.m. and reported her daughter missing.

During the first several days following Evelyn’s disappearance, more than 1,500 Iowans conducted an intensive search.

Five days after she went missing, a recreational kayaker found Evelyn’s body in the Cedar River about 2 miles from her home.

Officials ruled her death a homicide, but wouldn’t initially release any information regarding how the child died or the condition of her body when found. The omission of those details proved crucial in helping officials later make an arrest in the case.

WHO-TV’s Aaron Brilbeck reports on the 5-year anniversary of 5-year-old Evelyn Miller’s unsolved murder. July 1, 2010

Frederiksen Indicted on Drug and Child Pornography Charges

On June 3, 2009, Casey Frederiksen was indicted and charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty to possessing pseudo ephedrine for use in drug manufacturing after admitting he had been selling drugs in the months before Evelyn Miller disappeared.

During the investigation, police seized Frederiksen’s home computer and discovered more than 1,600 visual depictions of minors engaged in sexual acts. The images had been downloaded as recently as July 2005, the same month Evelyn disappeared.

Frederiksen received a 14-year sentence on a federal conviction for possessing child pornography, and was housed at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Ill. His projected release date is November 5, 2026.

Noel Miller served two days in jail in 2007 on a charge of going armed with intent. She also lost her bid to get custody of the two young sons she had with Frederiksen, who were put in foster care shortly after Evelyn’s murder.

Two others investigated for involvement in case

Randy Patrie and Danny Slick — two men who visited the Floyd apartment in the early morning hours of July 1, 2005 — were among those who last saw Evelyn alive and also were investigated in connection with her death.

randy-lee-patrie-wcfcourierCourtesy photo Globe Gazette
Randy Patrie, 41, was charged as an Armed Career Criminal. On June 19, 2014, a federal court sentenced him to life in prison. 

Patrie and Slick told law enforcement officials they had seen Evelyn about 2 a.m. the morning of her disappearance. Both men said Evelyn had answered the door when they arrived, but that she was fine when they left.

Danny Slick was sentenced in February 2007 to one year and one day in prison for lying to FBI agents investigating Evelyn’s disappearance.

On July 4, 2013, Patrie, of Charles City, was arrested and charged with third-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools, two counts of possession of stolen property, possession of a firearm as a felon and possession of drug paraphernalia.

On July 9, 2013, Charles City authorities filed additional charges against Patrie following the Iowa DCI’s investigation into a series of residential and commercial burglaries.

According to a Globe Gazette article published July 10, 2013, the additional charges against Patrie included two counts of unauthorized possession of an offensive weapon, a Class D felony; and second-degree burglary, a Class C felony. A press release from the Charles City Police Department said Patrie was arrested Tuesday night, July 9, 2013, and taken to the Floyd County Jail.

Ken Gallmeyer

Kenneth Gallmeyer

On January 15, 2014, The Chickasaw County sheriff confirmed that authorities were investigating Patrie in connection with the 2012 slaying of retired grocer Carl “Kenneth” Gallmeyer.

On Thursday, June 19, 2014, Patrie, 41, pleaded guilty to federal charges of possession of firearms by a felon as an Armed Career Criminal, and possession of sawed-off shotguns after guns were stolen from several north Iowa locations. Prosecutors also determined evidence showed Patrie was responsible for Gallmeyer’s death.

At his June 19, 2014 sentencing hearing in federal court, Patrie received a sentence of life in prison. He has not yet been officially charged in Gallmeyer’s murder, but federal charges of being an Armed Career Criminal carry a mandatory 15 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Evelyn’s case featured on Nancy Grace’s COLD CASES

On the four-year anniversary of Evelyn Miller’s disappearance and murder, the cable news networkCNN featured Evelyn’s story as part of Nancy Grace’s Cold Cases.

Nancy Grace Producer Alexis Weed provided an update on the details known thus far.

Officials had zeroed in on three particular suspects, and a $5,000 reward had been offered for information in Evelyn’s murder.

Frederiksen Charged with Murder

On Thursday, September 27, 2012, Casey Frederiksen was charged with first-degree murder and sexual abuse in Evelyn’s death. Officials said he is the only person they plan to charge in connection with the murder. Read the Criminal Complaint.

Frederiksen, who already was serving a 14-year sentence at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Ill. on a federal conviction for possessing child pornography, was transferred back to Iowa after murder charges were filed in the child’s death.

He was held in the Bremer County Jail in Waverly under a $2 million bond.

On Monday, November 19, 2012, Frederiksen waived his right to a speedy trial.

In February 2013, a judge ruled in favor of a motion to change the venue due to extensive pretrial publicity. The trial was moved out of Floyd County and scheduled to begin Oct. 28, 2013 in Hamilton County District Court in Webster City.

In July 2013, Judge Gregg Rosenbladt granted a continuance to give the parties extra time to prepare, and scheduled the trial for May 6, 2014.

In March 2014, the trial was moved back again and scheduled to begin Sept. 15, 2014.

According to an Aug. 7, 2014 report by the Globe Gazette, autopsy results showed Evelyn died because of sharp-force injuries, which included wounds on her neck. Though found fully clothed, there was also evidence of sexual assault.

Read Dennis Magee’s Globe Gazette article, “Court documents reveal details in Evelyn Miller murder case.”

On Monday, September 15, 2014 — the same day Casey Frederiksen’s murder trial was scheduled to begin — authorities announced that a new hearing had been set and that they expected a judge to set yet another trial date.

The hearing, held Tuesday, September 16, 2014, was on a defense motion to limit information to jurors about Frederiksen’s child pornography collection. Chris Callaway of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation testified about the thousands of child porn images and videos found on Frederiksen’s computer. He also said Frederiksen told investigators he was attracted to Evelyn while changing her diaper.

Frederiksen had one folder on his computer titled “!!DadsLittleGirl04,” Callaway told prosecutors, and other folders “more descriptive than that.”

District Court Judge Gregg Rosenbladt rescheduled Frederiksen’s trial to begin March 2, 2015 in Webster City.

On Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014, Rosenbladt ruled that prosecutors would be permitted to tell jurors about Frederiksen’s child pornography collection.

Rosenbladt scheduled Frederiksen’s trial to begin March 2, 2015.

Trial paves way to justice

Frederiksen’s trial for first-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault began March 2, 2015 in Hamilton County, Iowa, with Judge Rosenbladt presiding.

Assistant Attorneys General Scott Brown and Douglas Hammerand prosecuted the case. Frederiksen’s criminal defense attorneys included Aaron Hawbaker and Dustin Lies.

Prosecutors alleged Frederiksen, 35, sexually abused and then stabbed Evelyn on July 1, 2005 before dumping the child’s body in the Cedar River to hide his crime.

According to recent court documents, Evelyn suffered “sexual abuse to the point a significant and noticeable injury was sustained,” the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reported on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015. After the sexual assault, the little girl was then “stabbed numerous times.”

Frederiksen went to federal prison in 2006 following three counts of receipt and possession of child pornography.

After Evelyn disappeared, Frederiksen gave the hard drive from his computer to a neighbor, and a month after Evelyn’s murder, the neighbor gave the device to police.

On Aug. 7, 2014, The Courier said that according to court documents, “hundreds of images and videos depicting violent rapes and sexual assaults of infants and children under the age of 7 were contained on the hard drive.” Investigators also determined Frederiksen’s computer was on and connected to the Internet the night Evelyn went missing.

At long last — Justice

On Tuesday, March 10, 2015, a Hamilton County jury convicted Frederiksen of first-degree murder in Evelyn’s 2005 death. Jurors also found Frederiksen guilty of first-degree sexual abuse.

evelyn-miller-statue-wcf-courier-2012Courtesy photo Dennis Magee / WCF Courier
Friends and family placed this statue in the city park in Floyd after Evelyn Miller’s death in 2005.

Frederiksen, 35, is currently serving a 14-year sentence in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography, but will now spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

On Monday, May 11, 2015, Judge Gregg Rosenbladt sentenced Casey Frederiksen to two life sentences for sexually abusing and killing the 5-year-old. First, though, Frederiksen must complete his previous federal prison sentence for possession of child pornography.

About Evelyn Miller

Evelyn Miller was born August 22, 1999, the daughter of Noel Miller and Andy Christie.

She was murdered July 1, 2005.

Her mother’s fiancé, Casey Frederiksen, was convicted of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual abuse nearly 10 years after Evelyn’s death.

Funeral services for Evelyn were held at 11 a.m. July 14, 2005 at the Congregational Church, 502 N. Jackson St. in Charles City.

Her cremated remains were given to family members and friends.

In December 2005, an 8-foot statue celebrating the 5-year-old’s life was unveiled at the Floyd Community Center, which served as the command post for authorities during their search for her the previous summer.

Evelyn’s paternal grandparents have devoted a blog to their granddaughter’s memory at evelynmillermemories.blogspot.com. The site contains many photos and a YouTube slide show video of the young girl’s early years.

Sources and Related Articles:

 

11 Responses to Evelyn Miller

  1. CA says:

    The brothers have grown to be the finest young men I know. I am extremely proud of both of them.

  2. Shawn Starry says:

    I am so glad the step father was convicted of this crime. I was one of the 1500 people searching for this little girl for two days. I cried all day when I learned of her discovery and deceased. I was also very angry, and felt powerless. This case lead me to working in the field of security since then in Illinois. I work primarily selling security cameras to residential properties. In hopes to prevent and deter assholes like this guy from thinking about commiting another crime like this. Only if more people would speak up more often to the police we can deter serious crimes like this from happening. Lets all work together to keep our children and familes safe! http://www.homesecurityconsultantllc.com.

  3. Diana Johnson says:

    the dates on the blogs are not matching up it is only march 4, 2015 and these blogs say differently.. this is disturbing.. but beside that God bless this little girl in the arms ofJesus now and may her family find grace and comfort.. ( blogs are saying march 13, 2015, and march 10, 2015.. )

  4. Mike says:

    I’m so glad that there has been a conviction in this case.Maybe now this family can find some kind of closure.As a parent that has buried a child I can feel this families pain.My son was an adult when he died and he wasn’t murdered,but I still feel the pain of the families of any child that dies,no matter what the reason.Parents are not supposed to bury their children,It goes against nature.

  5. keri says:

    Verdict is in GUILTY!!!!!!! rest in peace beautiful angel!!!

  6. Pamela De Vries says:

    Omg I just searched this up I should’ve looked a long time ago…. Evelyn was my best friend when I went to Lincoln Elementry. We played T- ball or was it softball…Anyway we played it together…she was always so happy …I always think about her even to this day …and I am 14

  7. Mike says:

    Of all of the cold cases that are on this website,it is the ones of murdered children that touch my heart the most.I just can’t understand why anyone would hurt,let alone murder a child.And a grown man sexually abusing a young child is enough to turn my stomach.Children are NOT sexual playthings,thats why their are laws against adults having sex with children!Every child should have a normal,safe childhood without the parents having to worry about perverts stealing the innocence of their children.When someone is convicted of a sexual crime against a child he or she should be sentenced to life in prison without parole.There should be no second chances for someone who steals the innocence of a child!.

  8. Kim says:

    They’ve arrested Casey Fredriksen in Evelyn Miller’s death, charging him with first degree murder and first degree sexual abuse. Here’s the newslink:

  9. questions says:

    Are the brothers old enough to be able to know anything? Has anyone tried talking to them?

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