Wife Pleads to Assisting Army Deserter
During Investigation of Child’s Death
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Ft. Riley woman has pleaded guilty to assisting in the desertion of her husband from the Army while authorities were investigating the death of her eight-week-old son, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Erika Suzanne Pierret Frey, 22, Ft. Riley, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of enticing desertion and harboring a deserter. In her plea, she admitted that she and her husband, Private Austin A.J. Frey, fled from Ft. Riley during an investigation following the death of her infant son.
Fort Riley Police were called to the Freys’ home on April 25,2011, where they found one of Frey’s twin infant boys unresponsive. The boy died a short time later at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. The child displayed serious physical injuries.
On May 31, Private Frey failed to report for duty. Investigators learned he and his wife had driven south to Mexico and then re-entered the United States before going to Waveland, Miss., where they were arrested.
Erika Frey is set for sentencing Nov. 21. She faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison. Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.
