When Chris Regan went missing in 2014, the small town of Iron River, Michigan, didn't immediately scream "serial killer." It’s a quiet place. People notice when a neighbor doesn't show up for work, but they don't usually assume someone was dismembered and served at a neighborhood barbecue. Yet, the Kelly Cochran story is exactly that kind of nightmare. It’s a tangled web of a "murder pact," a vengeful wife, and a trail of bodies that might stretch across the Midwest.
Honestly, it sounds like a bad movie script. But for Chief Laura Frizzo, the investigator who refused to let the case go cold, it was a years-long obsession that eventually cost her her job.
A Deadly Wedding Night Promise
Kelly and Jason Cochran weren't your typical high school sweethearts, though they did grow up next door to each other in Indiana. They had been together for about 15 years. On their wedding night, they reportedly made a pact: if either of them ever cheated, they would kill the person they cheated with.
Most people just get a divorce. The Cochrans chose a different path.
In 2014, they were living in Caspian, Michigan. Kelly started an affair with Chris Regan, a 53-year-old co-worker and Air Force veteran. It wasn't exactly a secret. According to court testimony, Jason knew about it. He just wasn't "cool" with it. On October 14, 2014, Kelly lured Chris to her home with the promise of dinner and sex.
As they were in the middle of an encounter, Jason walked in and shot Chris in the back of the head with a rifle.
The Barbecue and the "Strange" Meat
What happened next is what makes the Kelly Cochran story truly haunt the locals. The couple took Chris’s body to the basement. They used a reciprocating saw to dismember him. They bagged the parts and dumped them in the dense woods off Pentoga Trail.
But then there are the rumors.
During the investigation, neighbors told police about a barbecue the Cochrans hosted shortly after Chris vanished. Several people mentioned the meat tasted "off" or "strange." One friend later described eating a burger that didn't taste like beef. While prosecutors never officially proved cannibalism in court, the allegation has stuck to Kelly like a shadow.
The investigation went nowhere for over a year. The Cochrans eventually packed up and moved back to Indiana. They thought they were safe. They were wrong.
Murder as a Revenge Tactic
In February 2016, Jason Cochran died. At first, it looked like a standard heroin overdose. Kelly called 911, playing the grieving widow. But the toxicology report didn't match her story. Jason had died from a combination of heroin and asphyxiation.
Kelly eventually admitted she did it. Why? Because she was "even" now.
She told investigators she killed Jason as revenge for him taking "the only good thing" in her life—Chris Regan. It’s a bizarre logic. She helped her husband kill her lover, then killed her husband to avenge the lover she helped kill.
After Jason's death, Kelly fled. She led police on a chase through several states before U.S. Marshals finally cornered her in Wingo, Kentucky.
The Michigan Trial and the Hidden Victims
The 2017 trial in Iron County was a media circus. Kelly tried to claim she was a victim of Jason’s domestic abuse. She said he forced her to help with Chris’s murder. The jury didn't buy it. It took them less than three hours to find her guilty of first-degree murder.
She was sentenced to life without parole in Michigan. Later, she pleaded guilty in Indiana for Jason’s murder, adding another 65 years to her tally.
But is that the whole Kelly Cochran story? Not even close.
Why the Case Isn't Truly Over
- The Number of Victims: Kelly has hinted to investigators that there are more bodies. She mentioned "friends" buried in Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, and Minnesota.
- The Nine-Body Claim: Her own brother told authorities he feared she was a serial killer long before she was caught. Some investigators believe she could be responsible for as many as nine deaths.
- The Plea Deal: In Indiana, she made a deal. She wouldn't face the death penalty if she helped locate other remains. So far, no other bodies have been recovered.
- The Frizzo Fallout: Chief Laura Frizzo’s "bullheaded" style got her fired by the Iron River City Manager, even though she was the one who practically solved the case.
Identifying the Signs of a Predator
We often think of serial killers as loners in trench coats. Kelly Cochran was a wife, a neighbor, and a co-worker. She was "take-charge" and organized. The takeaway here isn't just a grisly true crime tale; it's a look at how easily someone can hide in plain sight in a small town.
If you are following this case, the best way to stay informed is to look at the official court transcripts from Iron County and Lake County. Documentaries like Dead North provide a visual timeline, but they also lean heavily into the cannibalism theories which, while terrifying, remain legally unproven.
Justice was served for Chris Regan and Jason Cochran, but for the families of the "other friends" Kelly mentioned, the story is still waiting for an ending.
To understand the full legal scope of the case, you can track her status through the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) using her offender number: 356714. She remains incarcerated at the Huron Valley Complex.