Abbotsford family fears the worst
Missing mother believed to be dead, common-law husband arrested in Peru
An Abbotsford couple who went to Peru in search of their missing daughter is now seeking justice — and the location of her body — after her common-law husband was arrested in connection with her disappearance.
In January, Kathleen and Alexander Kasatkin asked for the public’s help to locate their daughter Kimberlee. The 41-year-old mother of two young children was born and raised in B.C., but moved to Peru about three years ago.
“Kym is a loving mother,” Kathleen Kasatkin said at the time. “Al and I are both involved with search and rescue, and we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory. We’re not sure what we should be doing.”
Shortly after that statement, the couple left for Lima, where they encouraged authorities to take Kimberlee’s disappearance seriously, their son Roger Grafstrom told Postmedia. According to Peruvian media reports and Kasatkin’s family, on Tuesday, Peruvian police arrested her common-law husband, Christopher Franz, in connection with the case.
The Kasatkin family last had contact with Kimberlee on Nov. 26. Her sister spoke to her, as she did almost every day, over the Internet. After a few days with no contact, she became worried.
Grafstrom said Franz claimed Kimberlee abandoned him and their children.
The Peruvian newspaper El Comercio reported that police searched his home and found signs the bathroom door had been forced. This led them to review security camera footage from a parking garage, where they saw a man believed to be Franz allegedly take a large bag from an elevator to a black vehicle. At one point, he rested the bag against a column. A police report obtained by the news agency America Noticias said forensic experts found blood on the wall, as well as on a mattress and sheets the suspect allegedly tried to hide.
The Kasatkins’ lawyer, Jose Rodriguez, told Peruvian media police are doing DNA testing to see if the blood belongs to Kimberlee.
Grafstrom said his sister met Franz, who is originally from Peru, when she was living on Vancouver Island and he was attending college. Their son, now six, was born in Canada. The family moved to Uganda for Franz’s job as a medical researcher, then to Peru about three years ago, where their daughter was born a few months later. Grafstrom said the children are staying with Franz’s mother, but the Kasatkins plan to hire a family lawyer to fight for custody. Grafstrom started a GoFundMe page to help with their legal bills.
A spokesperson with Global Affairs Canada said consular services are being provided to the Kasatkins “during this difficult time,” while consular officials are monitoring the case and maintaining regular communication with local authorities.
Grafstrom said his sister was a loving mother with a “great spirit.” She was fun and funny and interested in health and nutrition. She enjoyed helping others and had many friends in B.C.
Kimberlee’s family, which includes two adult children, two brothers and two sisters, are grieving her loss. From the start, they’ve feared the worst, believing she’d never willingly leave her children.
Grafstrom said it’s hard to watch his parents struggle with the investigation, but they’re focused on getting justice for their daughter and hope police will locate her body.
“Some days they have hope, but then there will be a delay, and they feel very defeated,” he said.
Some days they (Kimberlee’s parents) have hope, but then there will be a delay, and they feel very defeated.