A 26-year-old woman went missing in Sidney, Montana, in December 2021. Last seen on December 21, just four days before Christmas, Katelyn had reportedly stopped answering calls from her parents, Carmell Mattison and Hank Berry. Carmell noted that at first, she and her ex-husband weren’t concerned since Katelynn “is an adult.” Texts from both parents also went unanswered. According to Carmell, they attributed Katelynn’s lack of response to simply not feeling like talking to her parents at the time. Besides, Carmell, who lives six hours from Sidney, said it was common to go for several days without talking to her daughter.
Katelyn lived in her apartment in Sydney, where her father Hank, who also lived in Sidney, kept a workshop for his vehicles. When Katelynn continued to be “off the radar,” Hank went over to see if he could hear her cell phone while he rang outside. After not hearing the phone ring, he figured that maybe his daughter was out with friends with her phone on her. When Katelynn’s phone began to go directly to voicemail, the increasingly concerned parents started calling and visiting all of Katelyn’s friends. When no one else knew where Katelynn was, that’s when Carmell and Hank knew something was dreadfully wrong.
Katelyn Berry Goes Missing
By December 31, 2021, Hank Berry reported his daughter missing to Richland County Sheriff John Dennison on the ninth day. After a thorough search of Katelyn’s apartment, her identification, favorite jacket, and cell phone were found inside. But no, Katelynn. The last known location of her phone was in the apartment on December 29. Her cell phone records, personal accounts, and other data were investigated. The sheriff’s office did everything they did in the case of a missing person. Bulletins were issued, social media posts were made on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook site, and searches were conducted. Still, the mystery of Katelynn Berry remained.
With Montana winter temperatures in the naughts and below zero, there was a danger of exposure. Carmell was especially concerned because Katelyn had not left with her coat, which had been found at her apartment. A small hope was that Katelynn’s boots were missing, making it appear, at least to her parents, as if the young woman had gone outside to talk to someone thinking she was going back inside. But she never made it back. Carmel believed that Katelynn was the victim of a kidnapping.
Carmel traveled back to Montana to see if she could help. But the sheriff’s office told the media that all of the official searches were possible and had been conducted by law enforcement. They had covered the ground surrounding Katelynn’s apartment with dogs, a helicopter, and drones, all to no avail. They came up completely empty-handed, to the dismay of Katelynn’s family and the public, who had become interested in this tragic case through media stories. Until one day, something happened.
Katelyn Berry Conclusion
On January 24, 2022, just over a month since she’d gone missing, the remains of Katelynn Berry were found. Human remains were found in an area not far from Katelynn’s apartment in the eastern Montana town of Sydney. Sadly, the cause of death has been determined as hypothermia. Katelynn had a history of walking off from her house, and there is some speculation that she may have suffered from mental confusion. Her condition may or may not have contributed to her wandering off in the snow. A fund has been set up in her name to help others with mental illnesses. In the meantime, Katelynn’s family will never forget the bright smile of the girl they lost.
