Chataignier McCaffrey-Pickett, Andrea Bartmess Murder Suspect: "I F*cking Hate My Life" | The Latest Word | Denver | Denver Westword | The Leading Independent News Source in Denver, Colorado
Navigation

Chataignier McCaffrey-Pickett, Andrea Bartmess Murder Suspect: "I F*cking Hate My Life"

Update: Booking photos have been released for the four people previously arrested in connection with the homicide death of Andrea Bartmess; see our earlier coverage below. In addition, a fifth person, 21-year-old Chataignier D. McCaffrey-Pickett, has also been taken into custody regarding the crime, and while her mug shot was...
Share this:
Update: Booking photos have been released for the four people previously arrested in connection with the homicide death of Andrea Bartmess; see our earlier coverage below. In addition, a fifth person, 21-year-old Chataignier D. McCaffrey-Pickett, has also been taken into custody regarding the crime, and while her mug shot was only distributed after this post went live, a number of portraits, including the one above, were viewable on her Facebook page. As for her most recent post, shared days after Bartmess disappeared, it reads, "I fucking hate my life."

See also: Ten Unsolved Colorado Murders: Read Personal Stories of the Victims

9News notes that Bartmess, whose mom says she had been diagnosed as bipolar (and used meth to self-medicate), had been living at a hotel in Fort Collins when she disappeared. Her last contact was October 6, six days before the aforementioned post by McCaffrey-Pickett.

On November 21, authorities found Bartmess's body in a remote location off County Road 74E in unincorporated Larimer County. Her cause of death has not yet been determined, and officials believe it could take several more weeks before they're able to pin it down.

In the days that followed, representatives of the Larimer County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of four people on suspicion of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and second-degree kidnapping -- and they've now shared their booking photos. The suspects are:

Michael L. Bensen of Fort Collins, age 45, DOB 04/11/1969.... ...Patrick A. Hannon of Fort Collins, age 51, DOB 09/27/1963.... ...Jose G. Rosario of Fort Collins, age 35, DOB 03/16/1979.... ...and Kimberly D. Guinn of Loveland, age 32, DOB 01/29/1982.

For her part, McCaffrey-Pickett, 21, was arrested on Monday and is facing the same charges as the previous quartet. This is her current Facebook profile photo....

...and earlier this year, she shared this one.... ...along with the line "This is the face that your girl left you for fool...."

Her mug shot, which was issued moments ago, shows her in a much more distressed state:

McCaffrey-Pickett may not be the last person arrested in connection with Bartmess's death. The LCSO stresses that the investigation is continuing, and in a statement, Sheriff Justin Smith writes, "With five separate defendants, this case has been a complicated puzzle for investigators to piece together. We remain committed to uncovering every piece that is available to us so that we can have the clearest picture possible about what happened to Andrea. If someone has a piece of information that will help ensure justice for Andrea, we need to hear from them."

Those who might be able to help are encouraged to phone Larimer County Sheriff's Investigator Rita Servin at 970-498-5167 or Crime Stoppers at 970-221-6868.

Continue for our previous coverage of arrests in the Andrea Bartmess homicide, including additional photos and a video. Original post, 10:50 a.m. December 1: There's plenty of mystery surrounding the sad death of Andrea Bartmess in Larimer County, including the evidence against the four people arrested in the homicide investigation thus far. But her mother reportedly fears that her mental illness and the meth she used to self-medicate could have been factors. Photos, a video and more below.

Bartmess shared photos of herself on a number of social-media platforms. Here's a collage from her Google Plus page....

...as well as this playful Google Plus image: She also had a Twitter account featuring this profile pic: However, her only personal tweet, from February 2013, as undeniably sad. It reads:

In an interview with CBS4, Andrea's mother says her daughter was bipolar. She had recently been staying at a motel in the Fort Collins area but occasionally checked in by phone -- and when a few weeks passed without contact, her mom filed a missing persons report.

Then, on November 20, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office notes that deputies received a report about "possible human remains" along County Road 74E in unincorporated Larimer County. The next day, investigators found them near mile marker ten.

Here's an interactive graphic from the area. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."


View Larger Map

The Larimer County coroner's office subsequently identified the remains as Bartmess, 28. No cause of death has been announced, but the coroner has ruled the case a homicide.

Things moved quickly from there. On November 26, the LCSO announced the arrests of two Fort Collins residents, Michael Bensen, 45, and Patrick Hannon, 51, on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and second-degree kidnapping. Then, on November 29, came word of two more arrests -- Fort Collins' Jose Rosario, 35, and Loveland's Kimberly Guinn, 32 -- on suspicion of the same charges.

Thus far, authorities haven't released booking photos of the arrestees or any other information, citing the ongoing investigation as the reason. In the meantime, Bartmess's family continues to mourn her passing. Here's how she's remembered in her online obituary:

Andrea Christine Bartmess, 28, of Loveland, Colo., passed away unexpectedly Oct. 8, 2014, in Livermore, Colo.

Andrea was born Oct. 3, 1986, in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of David A. Bartmess and Wilma J. Cotten. She spent her childhood in Columbus, Ohio, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Wentzville, Mo. She returned to Colorado in 2000, and lived in Aurora until recently.

She received her GED from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins and was attending the Community College of Aurora studying psychology.

She was on the swim team, ran track and was a cheerleader. She enjoyed acting and did community theatre in Missouri. She enjoyed going to the Renaissance Faire where she also participated as a member of the court.

She enjoyed all kinds of music and art. She used the nickname Drea because of her like for Dr. Dre's music. Her recent favorite singer was Nicki Minaj.

She spent much of her work life as a server at several different restaurants including Uno Chicago Grill. She had a way with customers that always left them smiling.

She loved the outdoors, hiking and watching South Park. She was an avid runner and was normally accompanied by her best friend -- DJ-her Bichon Frise. She loved California, the sunshine and beaches. She spent time in San Francisco and San Diego. Andrea is survived by her parents, Wilma Cotten of Aurora, Colo., David Bartmess of Broomfield, Colo.; a sister and brother-in-law, Denise and Mike Seifert of Aurora, Colo.; her grandparents, Mary and Larry Bartmess of Broomfield, Colo.; many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Our condolences to Bartmess's friends, family and loved ones.

Here's the aforementioned CBS4 report.

Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.