Baby Kate's mom: Marriage won't happen

LUDINGTON, Mich. (WOOD) - After plans to marry the man suspected of killing her daughter went public, Ariel Courtland says she has decided to cancel the marriage.

Courtland would not discuss publicly specifics about the sudden change but says she decided it "wasn't the right thing to do."

Monday, Courtland took out a marriage license from the Ionia County clerks office and said she planned to make the marriage official at the prison where Kate's father Sean Phillips was incarcerated.

Courtland contended that she made the move to force prison officials to allow her a private visit with Phillips so she could get more information about what happened to Baby Kate. She says she has been denied the opportunity to see Phillips because she is a victim in his criminal case.

Michigan Department of Corrections officials say that her status as a victim had nothing to do with their decision to deny the visits and maintain that the decision may remain in effect even if the two were to get married.

"The Warden denied the mother of the child's visitation request on the grounds of order and security and an inability to positively influence the prisoner's rehabilitation.  The warden maintains the authority to deny the visit even if the person is married to the prisoner," John Cordell, a Michigan Department of Corrections spokesperson said in an email earlier this week.

Coupled with breaking the news of the marriage plans, earlier this week 24 Hour News 8 obtained a copy of what some are calling a confession letter believed to be authored by Phillips. That caused the case to be thrust into the national spotlight again.

Courtland says she's received requests from the Dr. Phil show and ABC News but declined comment to both of them.

After the letter was released, Courtland made no public comment but in an interview with 24 Hour News 8 Friday she addressed the note for the first time.

"It was upsetting," Courtland said, adding that she'd already accepted the likelihood that Baby Kate was dead. "I pretty much knew in the pit of my stomach."

While the note was postmarked on July 16, Courtland says she did not receive the letter until August. She says she spoke with investigators immediately after receiving the correspondence and that she wasn't trying to cover it up like some of her critics have suggested.

Investigators and the prosecutor have reviewed the letter after they received it from one of Baby Kate's family members, Mason County Prosecutor Paul Spaniola said without specifying who the letter came from.

Courtland says she believes the letter was stolen from her vehicle by one of her family members. She says she plans to request a police investigation into how it was obtained.