Who IS Chad Evans? - Amanda and Kassidy

Amanda Bortner met Chad Evans on Friday, 2 June 2000, and Amanda brought Kassidy to Chad's home in Rochester, New Hampshire, to meet Chad the following Friday, 9 June. Below are photographs from that first meeting until Kassidy's death. Unfortunately, many of the photographs of Amanda, Kassidy, Chad and Kyle were destroyed in a fire in the summer of 2001, when Chad was awaiting trial, and living part of the time in a camper in Vermont.

Before Christmas in 1999, Amanda Bortner took Kassidy to a photo studio for this portrait photo.   This photo had a special place in 2000 at the home of Chad Evans and Amanda, as it was placed on the mantle above the fireplace in the living room. It was a favorite among Amanda's family, as well.

This photo is of Amanda and I being pulled in a tube in my parents' pool. The reason you can't see the fence is there was a small section on the backside that needed to be replaced. This photo doesn't show the rest of the fence. It looks like it might be Jackie, the daughter of a lady named Liz that my mom was friends and worked with, pulling us in the raft. The only problem I have with the photo is the date stamp.
   The weekend of the 4th of July is the busiest of the year in Hampton and I worked all of them since 1995 with the exception of when Kyle was born in 1997. It is possible that it is correct and we spent Sunday 7/2 and part of Monday 7/3 at my parents but I doubt it. I think it is more likely that this was taken the following week when I brought my mom home from her visit with us. It's hard to tell. I know at one point, my mom, Amanda and Liz stayed at the house together at my house and watched the fireworks from the roof of the Hampton Beach McDonald's. I was working downstairs and came up to watch with them. The only problem is the beach is EXTREMELY packed on the 4th and I doubt my mom would have gone there for that. In addition, after the 4th of July, Hampton Beach puts on a fireworks display every Wednesday night throughout the summer. It could have been the following Wednesday. This photo may have been taken on 7/3 but I'm not sure.

This photo was taken by Jason standing behind Nicole snapping a photo of Nicole snapping photo of Amanda and I cuddling. It's too funny. We had many balls on trip but I think what you are referring to as a ball is part of my shirt. I am holding a can in my right arm while my left is wrapped around Amanda. We played wiffleball, football and frisbee on the trip. Jackie had Kassidy for this 2-3 day trip.

With her man-friend, Gabriel Snyder, Amanda took Kassidy to the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Portland in the Summer of 1999.

JUNE 2000

Kassidy Bortner with her mother, Amanda, at York's Wild Animal Kingdom in York, Maine on June 22, 2000.  Kassidy is looking at the prairie dogs scampering beneath her.  Photo by Chad Evans.

AUGUST 2000

These are awesome photographs of Kassidy. These were taken by Amanda in August of 2000 when she took Kassidy and her brother(s) to Water Country in Portsmouth. I was busy in Hampton so I couldn't make the trip, but I picked up tickets for Amanda to take the kids.  Amanda and I did a lot during August. Jackie watched Kassidy a lot. One of the times when Amanda went to pick Kassidy up, she brought her brothers, Scott and Joshua, back to spend a few days with us. Amanda may have gone with one of her friends as well. Obviously from the develop date, it was on or before Wednesday, August 16, 2000. The important thing is look how HAPPY Kassidy is!

  Photos are close enough to see no bruises. She is wearing a 2-piece bathing suit which shows NO BRUISES on her abdomen. 
   I wish I had thought of using these photos during the trial. As a matter of fact, I don't recall my attorneys asking for ANY photos. Amanda and the kids had a great day. We grilled out that night, and I believe we walked up to Lone Oaks Ice Cream, less than one-third of a mile from our house, and got ice cream later.

I believe by the maturity in Kassidy’s face and hair length (compared to York’s Wild Animal Kingdom photo taken June 22 +/-), this photo was taken mid to late August. Most importantly, you can see how HAPPY she is in the photo, no bruises and absolutely loved Kato. Amanda took the photo from the dining room entrance facing into the kitchen at our home in Rochester. 

[Chad Evans letter to Morrison Bonpasse, 17 May 2010]

   Here are two different photos of Kassidy Bortner in her high chair in the kitchen in Chad's home. She is wearing the same clothes and shoes as the above photo, with Kato, and the hair looks the same, so it may have been taken in late August, 2010.

   This (second) photo was taken by me while Kassidy sat smiling in her high chair in the corner of our diningroom. I am quite certain the photo's above her head in the frame that you scanned in on are of the kids., likely, some of her, Kyle, and Brent. I can make out one of Brent and one of Kyle with his balloon hat on from our day at Fanuiel Hall. The rest are a blur. I'm sorry I can't be of more help. I'm sure my mom removed the photos and has them but I doubt she remembers what is in them. We had pictures all over the house, Walls, fireplace mantle, etc. Most all of them of the kids. Due to Kassidy's face thinning a little, I am going to guess this was taken sometime in August. I think we were just getting ready to have some ice cream and that is why she was smiling so. She was so cute I couldn't resist snapping the photo.

12 June 2012.  New photograph  found of Kassidy in August, 2000, standing in Chad Evans's driveway.  As August 1, was the date that Chad's alleged abuse of Kassidy began, this is yet another photograph of a smiling Kassidy during what prosecutor Simon Brown called in his closing at Chad's trial, a "living hell." 

[The black dots to the left of Kassidy are the remains of the photograph formerly stuck to this photograph, during damp storage.]

      "OH MY GOD! I had forgotten about this photograph. I will have to find where Amanda mentioned these "Elmo" slippers in her testimony. This picture was taken later in our relationship.  Like October. Her interview reference to the slippers may provide a better clue, perhaps which shopping trip she bought that outfit. I believe those are the slippers that Amanda sent to Jeff's so Kassidy wouldn't get any more pin pricks on his floors (if that is what really caused them). Kassidy is bigger in the photograph, her hair is longer.     

   She is wearing an outfit that Amanda bought shortly before her death. LOOK how HAPPY she was. I'm not sure who took the photo.  It was either me or Amanda.
    We both were prone to snapping photographs when one of the kids would walk in doing something funny or looking particularly cute. From the angle, I would guess that Amanda snapped this one. I tended to get down more level with the kids to get straight on shots....
    God, I wish we had some of the photo's that were taken by Amanda of me holding Kassidy or sitting with her playing or cuddling. The fire in the summer of 2001 was tragic. Sometimes I wonder if accidents like that are signs against me and any efforts I make to right this wrong. It seems like every possible thing that could have gone wrong at the worst possible moment, did in EVERY instance of this case.
[Letter from Chad Evans to Morrison Bonpasse 6 April 2010]

SEPTEMBER 2, 2000

    This photo of Kassidy was taken by Kassidy's grandmother, Jacqueline Conley, at her home in Maine.  Kassidy is wearing the same sweater as in the photograph below, taken on 20 October 2000.  According to Jacqueline, the photo was taken on the occasion of

the birthday party for her uncle, Scott Conley on 2 September 2000.

OCTOBER 1, 2000

This photo of Kassidy was taken by Kassidy's grandmother, Jacqueline

Conley on Sunday, October 1, 2000, in the Conley house in Auburn, on

the last day of the move to Buckfield.  The chair was one of the last in

the house.  This photo was later used at Chad Evans's trial as Exhbit 19,

and it was the only photo shown at the trial of a healthy Kassidy. This was

6 weeks before her death.

OCTOBER 20, 2000

This is an awesome photo, and, I believe, the last existing photo of Kassidy alive. (There were subsequent photos, but they were likely lost in a fire in the Summer of 2001.) I remember the day.  We went up to visit Nicole and Brandon.  I know, because I was in work clothes. I believe Kyle was with us. I was helping Brandon dig a root or something before the ground froze for the winter. We moved some heavy stuff around and then I took everyone to dinner at "Nothin' Fancy" in Weirs Beach.  We decided on Mexican because I wanted the kids to try something a little different. I wish I could be more specific. If I had to guess I would say it was the week after the 15th. It was a weekday because I left straight from work. The reason I am guessing after the 15th is I know I left those finger tip marks on her cheeks around my birthday Oct. 15. You can see her jaw is completely free of blemishes and marks. I also think this time is likely because I was discussing 3 wheelers with Brandon and I believe I told him I found one in Maine I was going to look at. As we know, I went to Maine the weekend of the 22nd with Jeff. (Later we established that the date of the trip to Belmont and of this photo was Friday, 20 October, which was 20 days before Kassidy died.)

Photo of Gravesite of Kassidy Bortner, May 10, 2011 with a momento on the right from her mother, Amanda, and a letter and a small plastic toy "Tinky Winky." 

To visit Kassidy's gravesite, see pre-printed MAPQUEST MAPS for the Damon Cemetery at 149 North Buckfield Road, Buckfield, Maine and cemetery PLOT PLANS for plot 124 and "Conley."