Former Pueblo sheriff weighs in on Schelling iPhone investigation

KRDO NewsChannel 13 is following new developments in the case of Kelsie Schelling, a 22-year-old pregnant woman who disappeared three years ago in Pueblo.

A judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by Schelling’s family, claiming the Pueblo Police Department mishandled the case.

This comes as police are looking to her boyfriend’s iPhone for clues.

“They’re dealing with a 4th amendment search and seizure issue,” explained Dan Corsentino, a private investigator.

Corsentino is also a former sheriff in Pueblo County and served as the chief at the Fountain Police Department.

Corsentino says police are taking steps to look through the cell phone of Danthe Lucas, Schelling’s boyfriend. Lucas was Schelling’s last known contact.

“What they must do is they must get a search warrant signed by a judge to get it because the material that is in the phone is protected material,” Corsentino said.

The problem, however, lies in the fact that if there are too many login attempts, the phone locks down. This makes it difficult for investigators to get into it.

It parallels the investigation into the San Bernardino shooting by the FBI. Apple, the phone’s creator, is resisting cracking the encryption on the phones.

Pueblo PD has said they’re waiting to see how that plays out before moving forward.

Meanwhile, Schelling’s family says they want answers, whatever it takes.

“There’s a lot of things that we feel should have been done and were not done and it’s just heartbreaking,” said Laura Saxton, Shelling’s mother.