Kelsie Schelling disappeared after driving down from Denver to Pueblo on February 4th, 2013. I deliberated on it and I looked at the practicalities of it, Chostner said. And even though investigators were unable to locate her body or a crime scene, by late 2017, they had managed to gather enough evidence to charge Donthe for her murder. Then you can take her back home., Sara Lucas allegedly responded: What happened? and, Are you OK? to which Lucas responded, Yeah. In February 2013, Kelsie Schelling was very happy to find out she was eight weeks pregnant, according to ABC News. First published on March 8, 2021 / 11:59 PM. Schelling texted Lucas at 8:50 p.m., saying, Im coming now. Lucas claimed he and Schelling then went to the South Side Walmart so Schelling could grab some snacks before driving back to Denver. A jury. PUEBLO, Colo. (KKTV . Lucas and Schelling continue to exchange texts throughout the day of Feb. 4, beginning before her OBGYN appointment. Chostner says there was more evidence to work with in 2017 versus 2013, and enough that gave him the confidence to press charges. Donthe Lucas was charged with killing his 21-year-old girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, who was pregnant at the time. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) -Donthe Lucas was found guilty of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend Kelsie Schelling in 2013. According to News5's Colette Bordelon, Suhr would not categorize herself as a "sex informant," which she was called by the defense. She also informed us that Donthe admitted to her to being the one on the video dropping Kelsie's car off at [the] hospital.. He comes off so lost and hurt. Colette Bordelon reports that the District Attorney has confirmed to her that Martinez was going to testify for the prosecution this week that Lucas confessed to her that he killed Schelling. It was tense because the time was ticking away, and the tires were turning on the road, Chostner said. She was like, Stop calling me. Schelling didnt show up to work on Feb. 5, and her worried co-worker Savannah Heggie tried calling her. On Feb. 5, Lucas said the two of them were together, but video from the Walmart cameras show only one person, who police believe was Lucas, getting out of the car. Lucas said that he would help support the baby, according to Saxton. Laura Saxton fought tirelessly for justice in the case of her missing pregnant daughter. Schelling was reportedly traveling from Denver to Pueblo to talk to Lucas about the pregnancy. Eighteen hours later, an unknown man is seen getting in the car and driving away. Police found Schelling's car in a Walmart parking lot in Pueblo a few days after she was reported missing. The jury found Lucas guilty of first-degree murder in a verdict that was delivered just after 4 p.m. Monday. I'm never going to recover without getting her back, Saxton said. I have nothing. They asked the family to deliver $50,000 in cash to the same McDonalds in Vancouver, where a man named Marcus wearing a red hat would be waiting. Though Lucas had also previously denied having Schelling's cell phone, a comparison of his own cell phone records to hers later helped police uncover video evidence at a landfill that matched Lucas' general location at the time, per ABC News. She questioned her daughters boyfriend Donthe Lucas on the phone herself, organized community searches as the case went cold and followed up on leads through the Help Find Kelsie Facebook page -- including one that claimed the young expectant mother was still alive. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. No one had been charged two years after Schelling disappeared and, because authorities had not found a body, it was still classified as a missing persons case. The young woman had driven down to Pueblo on February 4, 2013, to meet with her boyfriend, Donthe Lucas, after sharing the news of her pregnancy, never to be seen or heard from again. However, Kadie, Megan Lancasters sister-in-law, did make her meeting. From the. Eric Bravo said. After years of waiting for him to go on trial for her disappearance, the disturbing details about Schelling's relationship with Lucas were finally revealed more than eight years later during a Colorado court trial in 2021, with Lucas charged with her murder. I'm really grateful to know that we know the answer, Saxton said. During the interview, Lucas admitted to moving Schelling's car specifically, driving it from the Walmart where they were supposed to meet to a nearby medical center where it was later found. [He said] that [she] was his best friend and he had nothing to do with it, and then he would just shut down and start crying hysterically and get upset, Suhr said. Watch the full story on "20/20" FRIDAY at 9 p.m. Then, prosecutors played Lucas interrogation tape for the jury. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Her mother said she wonders what would have become of her life. What if she is still out there somewhere? Saxton said. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. I have no idea about no Megan or no kidnapping or anything like that, the man told 20/20. I had no clue anybody was supposed to be exchanging nothing for a human being If I did know, I would not have been involved in this situation.. I just thought, What if shes been out there and I couldve found her and we havent?. In an intake questionnaire at the doctor, Tatesaid there was a question asking whether the respondent hasone sexual partner or many. Follow below: 4 p.m.: In a bombshell revelation, prosecutors called a former Pueblo County Jail inmate who claims that Donthe Lucas said investigators would never find Kelsie Schelling's body. The search for Tibbetts and the . I grabbed my mother very tight and held her very close, Kelsies brother, Colby Schelling, said. Since meeting in 2010 as students at a junior college in Colorado, Kelsie Schelling and Donthe Lucas purportedly had a fraught relationship, one which allegedly turned abusive on the part of Lucas, according to Schelling's friends and relatives (via Fox 21 News). Kelsie Schelling wouldve turned 30 this year. / CBS Colorado. I miss all the things that we didn't get to do together., 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. It's not guilty. So it's a strong message.. He asks her to skip work and come to Pueblo to get him and they continue to argue. He told her that he and Schelling would do drugs together, like cocaine. It's still an open case. One text from Schellings phone to Lucas at 11:56 a.m., said After u get that money pick me up and stay out of my life!, Another, sent at 11:59 a.m., said, You can bring my car to Denver tonight. Donthe Lucas (credit: Pueblo Police Dept. Learn more about Dan here. I will support you whether Donthe is in the picture or not in the picture. -- It's been over eight years since Laura Saxton's 21-year-old pregnant daughter Kelsie Schelling vanished. I have found that if you do it the right way, justice finds its own way. Its been over eight years since Laura Saxtons 21-year-old pregnant daughter Kelsie Schelling vanished. One minute, he had no involvement. I lied from the jump. I felt like I got to see a side of him that maybe most people didnt, she said. On Feb. 25, 2021, 31-year-old Roxann Martinez was preparing to testify for the prosecution when she was shot and killed. Then, at 11:10 p.m., he told her to go to another location near his grandmothers house. Now, follow one mother's crusade for justice in this true crime investigation. Privacy Policy | Saxton said the messenger told her Lucas had sold her daughter into sex trafficking. Shortly before noon, other texts are exchanged between Lucas and Schellings phones, which the prosecution alleges were not actually sent by Schelling. Saxton never met with Marcus at the McDonalds after Vancouver Police backed out of their involvement, believing it to be a scam. Laura Saxton, Schelling's mom, took the stand again and testified that Schelling's car was never in California. A Kelsie Schelling opust domov a u se nikdy nevrt lo o hroznou nehodu, nebo nco dsivjho? They planned to meet but at the last minute, Wilkins told Saxton she was in the hospital and could not come. When police questioned Lucas, he told them that the morning after they met, he took Schelling to the Parkview Medical Center and hinted she had a miscarriage there. Some of Schellings close friends also testified that Lucas was abusive. It made me sick. "We're doing everything in our power. D. Reaction to proposed dangerous dog ordinance, Assault weapons ban introduced in Colorado legislature, Commercial fire on South Academy Boulevard, Pueblo man sentenced to 11 years for armed robbery, Challenge course open at Lake Minnequa Park, Best athletic wear for kids joining baseball and, How to watch all the Oscar-nominated movies in style, Best smart home devices for older users, according, Infants death linked to contaminated breast pump,, CAT scan: Pet goes through X-ray machine at Virginia, Man suffers life-threatening injuries in Pueblo shooting, Deputy identified in deputy-involved shooting, CMZoo needs your help winning national award, Hidden Gem: Ice wall near Colorado Springs. In a separate incident reported in 2017, a man claimed that Lucas, aided by family members, attacked him over $1000 he claimed Lucas' family stole, perABC News. The trial, which began in February, was delayed multiple times, most recently due to someone in the courtroom testing positive for COVID-19. But at 11:10 p.m., Lucas had still not arrived at Walmart. And even if it's not the answer I wanted, the community heard it and they know what happened., The jury reached a unanimous decision on their first vote, a juror later revealed to 20/20.. A murder conviction without a body is an instance of a person being convicted of murder despite the absence of the victim's body. We received the information from the Pueblo landfill that there was some video evidence of a vehicle being there. Before 6 p.m., Torres said Schelling texted Lucas, Then step up and make a relationship with me work. Using cell phone data from Lucas and Schellings phones, the prosecution believes both phones were in the same location as the texts were being exchanged. Ryan Rivera said that Lucas once told him while they were about to play a game of cards that investigators would never find Schelling's body. Its been over eight years since Laura Saxtons 21-year-old pregnant daughter Kelsie Schelling vanished. It was discovered during the trial Wednesday morning that an upcoming witness in the trial was found shot to death last week in Denver. Still A Mystery. She did say that he called once from jail, but they ultimately never spoke again. However, 20/20 learned that in March 2013, a woman named Roxann Wilkins reached out to Schellings mother through the Facebook page, saying she used to date Lucas and he had confessed to her that he killed Schelling and where her body was. Prosecutors told jurors, "This is not a missing persons case it is a homicide case," before saying that they are certain they'll be able to prove she was killed. I had information that Donthe was leaving Pueblo with members of his family and was heading to [Denver International Airport], Pueblo County District Attorney Jeff Chostner said. Chieftain reporter Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@chieftain.com or on Twitter @ZachHillstrom, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The first search warrant was executed at the suspects home on Feb. 14a period of 11 days, or 264 hours. Schelling was eight weeks pregnant when her friends and family last heard from her on February 4, 2013, when [] PUEBLO, Colo. CBI Investigator Kevin Torres remembers it like yesterday. As a mom, I couldnt even begin to fathom knowing that your childs out there or not out there, Suhr told 20/20 in an exclusive interview. Lucas also admitted to Suhr that he was the person seen in the Walmart surveillance footage and that he moved the car to St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center. Binet said, Not that I remember.. The trial was then scheduled for July 2019, but Lucas' lawyers said they had new scientific evidence and needed more time to review it. Eric Bravo took over the case with the help of Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agent Kevin Torres. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. Thankfully I had a great team. When the time came, Saxton even took the stand against her daughters killer. It was just so emotional for everybody, for both sides, Saxton said. March 3 Fugitive Finder: Pueblos most wanted, Increase in Shigella cases, drug-resistant infections, Remembrance ceremony for Divide woman missing since, Disneyland fan sets record for most consecutive, Biden had cancerous lesion removed, no further treatment, Brothers convicted of killing groom hours after wedding, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Donthe was found at DIA. You heard from Detective Kevin Torres how important the first 48 hours of an investigation are, and this defendant had 264, Chostner told the jury in closing arguments. According to Lucas' account,the couple drank alcohol together and used marijuana and cocaine that night, the latter of which Lucas alleged was a surprise gift to Schelling. Schelling, 21, was eight weeks pregnant at the time of her disappearance, according to news reports. Hours later she vanished. Petrvvajc zhada epizoda 4. sezna 4. The website gives the following. Please enter valid email address to continue. The person you may send to pick up the cash at a particular location may know nothing about what the scam is.. 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling was two months pregnant when she drove from Denver to Pueblo to see her former boyfriend Donthe Lucas. However, even when the two moved away to pursue their respective careers, they continued dating up until the moment Kelsie disappeared. Four days passed after Schelling drove to Pueblo on the night of Feb. 4. Help Find Kelsie/Facebook. But more importantly, I wanted the jury to hear the defendant, in his own words, say, I lied.. Then, he proposed to her. "Kelsie Schelling was feloniously killed when Donthe Lucas committed first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter against Kelsie and Sara Lucas and Lucas acted as. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. I mean, who wants that for their child to be the final resting place? Laura Saxton Her last confirmed text message was sent to Lucas at 11:18 p.m. The co-worker received a text message, supposedly from Schelling, saying she wasnt having the baby anymore because it was growing in the wrong place.. If its really what happened Im so sorry you had to go through that alone, Lucas said in a text to Schelling. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | KRDO Jobs | FCC Applications |, KRDO FCC Public File | KRDO FCC Applications, Breaking News Torres, continuing his testimony from Friday, began the fourth day of the trial by detailing alleged text exchanges between Lucas and Schelling on the night of Feb. 3 and the day of her disappearance Feb. 4, breaking them down minute-by-minute and hour-by-hour as the conversation unfolded. One of the crucial pieces of evidence was Lucas text messages, which the prosecution argued showed his intent and plan to lure her to Pueblo. But Tate said they would never perform a biopsy on a pregnant woman and said even if Schelling did have HPV, its a common diagnosis about 15 percent of women have HPV at any given time. Schelling and Lucas met at Northeastern Junior College in 2010. I know that my testimony could potentially help take him down, and that was realistically why I wanted to testify, she said. March 8, 2021 / 11:59 PM In the following days, her parents and friends said Schellings texts continued to contain uncharacteristic punctuation and curt responses. Saxton said she asked him to track the number and that he said he would, but, of course, he never did, Saxton said. They found out that hed withdrawn $400 from her bank account. Ive been here for over an hour just waiting.. She called from a private number. She received a Facebook message from a person who claimed to be a woman but wanted to remain anonymous, and claimed to have information about Schellings disappearance. You dont have an obligation to me. Saxton said she remembered asking investigators if these items were in the vehicle when it was recovered and she was told they were not. -- It's been over eight years since Laura Saxton's 21-year-old pregnant daughter Kelsie Schelling vanished.

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