Show full transcript 1:39 Kelsey Shelling's face is on billboards in Pueblo, 1:42 and volunteers have come through the area she was last seen. 1:45 And now, since she's gone, you know, I've had to turn into a fighter. 1:57 She's the strongest mom I know, I mean, who fights for their kid like this. 2:06 It was like, maybe she'll call, maybe she's out there, you know? 2:11 A pregnant woman who vanished. 2:13 Kelsey was eight weeks pregnant, last seen in Pueblo, visiting her boyfriend. 2:18 Friends and family would get text replies back, 2:21 but they said that it just didn't quite sound like Kelsey. 2:25 I did have a sinking feeling in my stomach. 2:27 This unknown man has seen walking to Kelsey Shelling's car 2:31 and has seen driving away with the car. 2:34 I mean, we're trying everything. 2:39 It breaks my heart. 2:41 Almost two years after Kelsey's disappearance, 2:44 a mysterious message giving everyone hope 2:46 comes through that Help Find Kelsey Facebook page. 2:49 I was saying, if I have information about Kelsey, can I remain anonymous? 2:57 When Laura responds, a man emails her saying, ma'am, please, your daughter is not dead. 3:04 It was just the fear of what if she is still out there somewhere. 3:12 What if? 3:13 I mean, it was just what if, what if. 3:15 Kelsey Schelling grew up in the tiny farm town of Holyoke, Colorado. 3:28 Holyoke is around two and a half to three hours away from Denver. 3:33 It's quiet. It's kind of have your own way. 3:37 Perfect place to raise a family. 3:38 Yeah, real good place. Yeah, safe. 3:41 You hope in any way, you know. 3:44 Holyoke is definitely agricultural. 3:46 There's only one stoplight. 3:48 And if you want to go to a Walmart, you've got to head west to Sterling. 3:53 That's 50 miles away. 3:56 In the early 90s, Kelsey's parents, Doug and Lara, owned the local grocery store in 4:01 Holyoke. 4:02 Kelsey and her brother Colby seemed to be living out the American dream. 4:08 I first met Lara Saxton back in 2016 when 2020 was first looking into Kelsey's story. 4:14 You know, she's just always been a little firecracker. 4:23 Hi, Kel. Hi, Coco Bean. 4:27 Kelsey. Kel. 4:31 She wasn't a kid that wanted to stay up till midnight. 4:34 You know, where you usually have to fight your kids to go to bed, like at 8.30. 4:38 That's when she wanted to go to bed. 4:39 She'd go into her room, pull back her covers, 4:42 and each animal had to be in a certain place, 4:44 and everything had to be just perfect. 4:47 When she got to be two, three, four years old, 4:50 she was feisty. 4:51 or you'd try to give her a kiss and she'd slap me pretty good so I kind of 4:56 learned my lesson you know my first impression of Kelsey she was just an 5:07 active outdoors fun-loving girl like to do a lot of sports when my daughter and 5:14 Kelsey first met up their true love was playing basketball together I was her 5:20 I was her coach yeah here she is right here wow she the point guard mm-hmm 5:26 When we were still in elementary school her dad took us out and let us 5:30 drive on the dirt roads which is pretty common around here. Kelsey could just 5:34 laugh about things like that. Her laugh made us laugh. She'd start to giggle 5:39 then you would start to giggle and so that's that's what made being around 5:43 Kelsey so special. Kelsey was a tiny little thing you know shorter than me. 5:50 The Kelsey that I knew didn't take a lot of crap off her classmates you 5:53 You know, she wasn't afraid to stand her ground. 5:57 But as Kelsey enters her teens, 5:59 the Shelling family is rocked 6:01 when Doug and Lara decide to divorce. 6:03 Going through a divorce is really hard as a kid. 6:07 Yeah, the split of our parents 6:08 certainly had an impact on both of us. 6:10 Colby. 6:13 Colby lived with me and Kelsey lived with her mom. 6:16 It was a real dark time for the whole family. 6:21 It was a rough age. 6:23 You know, after her dad and I got divorced, it was as she and I together alone for a lot of years. 6:29 She was in a bad emotional place and I don't think that was due to her character and nature. 6:36 I think that was circumstantial. 6:39 When Laura and I was going through a divorce, she was on an antidepressant pill 6:44 and she ended up taking like three of them or some. 6:47 She ended up in the hospital for several days and it was pretty scary. 6:52 I mean, I thought we were going to lose her at that point. 6:55 She was in a coma? 6:57 She was. 7:01 I feel like it was a turning point, I mean, 7:04 when any young school-aged kid has parents 7:09 who are splitting up, that's a lot to take on. 7:12 She actually stopped doing all of the sports and activities. 7:15 It seemed like she was more removed. 7:18 I think Kelsey was just looking. 7:19 She was looking for a change. 7:21 and she wanted to figure out what was her niche. 7:26 Kelsey was always, I think, working through how do I be better? 7:32 How do I grow? 7:34 How do I move past this? 7:36 Our senior year, she was the prom queen. 7:41 You don't get that without showing people kindness and respect 7:46 and truly being embraced by your peers, you know? 7:50 Kelsey taught me perseverance. 7:59 Eventually she moves on, she goes to Northeastern Junior College. 8:03 What did she want to do with her life? 8:05 She wanted to get a degree in psychology, I think, in her heart. 8:10 She wanted to work with children. 8:12 We officially became roommates January of 2011. 8:15 If all of us were bored at 3 o'clock in the morning, 8:17 she'd be the one to say, let's go cause problems, I guess. 8:19 Not bad problem. She was just, you know, out for a good time. 8:24 She'd love to have fun. That was her thing to do. 8:27 And for a while, Carefree Kelsey is back. 8:30 And then she meets Dante Lucas. 8:32 He's about to change her life forever. 8:39 It was a big deal that she was dating Dante. 8:41 He was part of the basketball team. 8:44 They were kind of the popular kids and everything. 8:49 By the time Kelsey got to know him, 8:52 she felt proud that she knew who he was 8:54 because he was somebody to know. 8:56 He had dreams of making it big in the NBA. 9:00 Kelsey thought she meant the man of her dreams. 9:10 Marker. 9:14 Lisa Wayne, attorney at law. 9:18 Well, I had the privilege of being down in Pueblo 9:21 in the 80s, and I was a public defender. 9:25 Pueblo's a small town in southern Colorado. 9:29 Used to be a steel mill town. 9:31 The steel mills are shut down in the 80s. 9:36 Pueblo was founded and built by people that came from all over the world. 9:42 We're the home of the Pueblo chili. 9:45 Everyone that lives there is so proud of this town. 9:51 Kelsey's love interest, Dante Lucas, lives in Pueblo. 9:55 Sara Lucas, Dante's mother, is raising all four kids on her own in this Colorado town, 10:00 set on what's called the front range of the Rocky Mountains. 10:04 In the town of Pueblo, a six-foot-seven star athlete stands out. 10:13 I coached Dante Lucas in youth football. 10:17 He was what coached his dream. 10:18 He was a real polite kid, wanted to learn the game of football and just really quiet. 10:24 Dante Lucas was super close with his mother, Sarah. 10:28 On the football field, she was one of the most supportive parents. 10:32 For Dante, football wasn't his sport. 10:34 I'd say he's a better basketball player which happened later in his career through high school here in Pueblo. 10:42 Dante Lucas was a very well-known basketball player. He was going to be the one who made it out of Pueblo. 10:53 He had dreams of making it big in the NBA. 10:59 It was obvious that he wanted to pursue it, but the family spoke more about it than he did. 11:05 We were told by Dante's mom, Sarah, that he was getting contacted from North Carolina and Kentucky. 11:11 Their dream was that he was going to make the MBA and make a good life for himself. 11:16 When I first met Dante, he was a freshman here at Central High School. 11:20 He was six foot seven. If you have that kind of size, you know, you can make a lot of things happen. 11:24 It just amazed me as a guy in class that was so quiet, was just as popular as he was. 11:30 He was a really good role model for the young kids in the neighborhood. 11:33 His attitude was always good. 11:35 He was good with his teammates. 11:36 He just matured into a very good basketball player. 11:40 His overall drive as a student from day one, it wasn't up to snuff. 11:45 As a teacher I tried to get him involved with the rest of the class. 11:48 I talked to him about that several times. 11:50 Whether it was his grades or his skill, 11:52 Dante didn't get into an NCAA school, 11:55 but he wanted to continue to play basketball. 12:00 Dante gets recruited to Northeastern Junior College 12:02 in Sterling, Colorado. 12:04 He's playing basketball when he meets Kelsey Schelling, and they begin dating. 12:09 Kelsey and another one of our roommates actually went to a basketball game 12:12 and we're scouting out the cute boys on the team. 12:14 Saw Dante and decided to go up and talk, and that's how she and Dante met. 12:18 By the time Kelsey got to know him and really got kind of involved, 12:22 she felt proud that she knew who he was because he was somebody to know. 12:26 They spent a lot of their extra free time together. 12:29 When did you first meet him? 12:31 I never met him. I saw him play basketball a couple times. 12:36 Kelsey never really said anything about bringing him home to meet the parents. 12:39 He was not committed to her by any means. 12:42 Kelsey could have had anybody, but she kind of always took attraction to people that needed help, 12:49 that she thought she could turn around. 12:52 I believe that if Dante was, you know, failing or had bad grades that his basketball career at the school would be definitely on pause. 13:01 I don't honestly think that Dante really cared to learn. 13:04 If we would try to help him, he would just seem very disinterested and not really care. 13:09 I think she just hoped if she was good enough to him that he would realize that she's the one. 13:17 I think Kelsey stayed with Dante because she found someone that gave her attention 13:21 even if it wasn't the right kind of attention. 13:23 And I think Dante was with Kelsey because he got money from Kelsey, 13:26 He borrowed Kelsey's car, basically lived a life that everyone works for, but didn't 13:30 have to do anything for it. 13:32 Just had to be there. 13:33 There were good days in the relationship with Dante, and then it just went south. 13:39 He would play with her heart, I could definitely see some bubbliness fading out as he broke 13:47 her spirit. 13:48 Kelsey texts Dante, I'm really hurt. 13:51 The way you talk about me to other people is your true feelings. 13:55 I guess I'm just a fool. 13:55 I'm so heartbroken. Days later, Dante would respond, 14:00 my phone's been dead the past few days. 14:02 And then afterwards she'd be like, oh, you know, like, 14:05 he's better, he's going to be better. 14:07 And then she'd be happy. 14:10 Dante left Northeastern Junior College 14:13 because he was kind of done with his studies. 14:15 After Kelsey leaves Northeastern Junior College, 14:19 she lands in California. 14:21 But she doesn't stay there long. 14:23 Why did she decide to leave? 14:25 Mostly it was financial reasons. 14:27 Where did she go from there? 14:28 That's when she moved back to Colorado, 14:34 was living in Denver in her dad's apartment, 14:38 and she had started working at Florida Corps. 14:42 When did she start going out with Dante again? 14:45 Over the holiday timeframe, November, December, 14:48 he would stay with her, but then he'd go back to Pueblo sometime. 14:52 Were you worried that he would come back 14:53 and what that would do to her? 14:55 Absolutely. I saw what it was like before and I didn't want that to happen to her again 14:58 She didn't want that to happen to her again because she knew the kind of person that she became when she was with him 15:04 How in the world do they get back together? 15:08 I don't know 15:09 She missed him I guess 15:12 Kelsey has a surprise for her family. She's pregnant 15:18 she called me when she found out she was pregnant and 15:23 She was stressed, you know very stressed. I could tell she was scared to tell me 15:27 just told her, I will support you. 15:30 It's going to be OK. 15:31 She was happy. 15:33 Did she tell you anything about Dante's reaction? 15:36 She said he was mad. 15:38 She and Dante would be texting, and he would stop responding 15:41 either during arguments that they were having. 15:43 She would then get upset, wait to hear back from Dante, 15:46 and left in limbo, and it was very aggravating for her. 15:49 Kelsey texts Dante, you were my best friend. 15:53 The only thing I lived for day after day. 15:55 What happened to us? 15:56 It wasn't supposed to be like this. 15:58 One time I talked to her and she'd say, you know, he's kind of coming around and Dante 16:03 will never abandon the baby. 16:06 But a child with Kelsey was not in Dante's plans. 16:09 Kelsey gets a text from Dante and he says that he has something for her. 16:13 He alludes to a surprise and he wants her to come to Pueblo. 16:25 This show is sponsored by Who Killed Angel Harris, a podcast from ID. 16:31 On June 25, 2011, 31-year-old Angel Harris was found murdered in Gainesville, Florida. 16:37 More than 15 years later, her case remains unsolved. 16:40 But on the new podcast, Who Killed Angel Harris, a podcast from ID, host Sarah Kalin travels 16:46 to Florida to uncover what happened to Angel and who may be responsible. 16:51 Retired Gainesville police detective Courtney Roberts joined Sarah to review evidence. 16:56 That includes surveillance footage showing Angel with an unidentified man shortly before 17:01 her death and then the same man walking away alone. 17:04 Soon the search for answers in One Murder turns into an investigation of five unsolved 17:10 homicides. 17:11 Who killed Angel Harris? 17:13 Listen to Who Killed Angel Harris Wherever You Get Your Podcasts. 17:18 This show is sponsored by Progressive Insurance. 17:21 You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. 17:23 Here's a helpful fact you might not know yet. 17:26 Drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over $900 on average. 17:31 Pop over to Progressive.com, answer some questions, and you'll get a quick quote with discounts 17:35 that are easy to come by. 17:37 In fact, 99% of their auto customers earn at least one discount. 17:41 Visit Progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little cash back. 17:45 Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates, national average 12-month 17:49 savings of $946 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and 17:55 May 2025. Potential savings will vary. Kelsey had come home. When she was here, she 18:15 slept a lot. 18:16 I knew it was hard on her working full time in Denver. Now with the new pregnancy, she was 18:22 really tired. I said, I will support you. Whether Dante is in the picture or not in the 18:29 picture it's gonna be okay. She was happy. She wanted that baby. She wanted to be a 18:35 mom. She was in a good place. Yes. So I'm thankful for those couple of days that we 18:41 got before she went missing. My name is Zach Kilstrom. I am a reporter at the 18:49 Pueblo Chieftain. I think that people have been trying to fill in the blanks 18:52 about what happened to Kelsey from the time that it happened and not just when 18:55 and the mystery seemed like it might be a permanent one. 19:02 On February 3rd of 2013, Dante Lucas, her boyfriend, 19:05 was trying to convince Kelsey Shelling 19:07 to come visit him in Pueblo that day. 19:10 She responded with a firm no. 19:12 It seems like they fought a lot that night. 19:14 Just before 3 a.m., Kelsey texted Dante, 19:18 you don't have to be in a relationship with me, 19:19 you don't have to marry me, 19:20 you don't have to have a happy little family with me, 19:23 you don't have an obligation to me, you're good, 19:25 don't worry, good night. 19:25 Lucas's response to that was, oh, I know all of that. 19:30 Thanks for stating that for me. 19:34 So it was February 4th, and Kelsey had taken 19:38 three home pregnancy tests. 19:40 So she went into the doctor and had the doctor 19:43 confirm to her that she was actually pregnant. 19:45 She got the sonogram done. 19:47 She even had the photo in hand of her sonogram. 19:50 She was able to share that with her mom. 19:55 What did you think when you saw the baby? 19:58 I was happy. 20:01 I knew that she was happy. 20:05 She showed up to work probably 10 minutes late. 20:08 She just had her ultrasound. 20:09 She was really excited. 20:10 She was in a great mood that day. 20:12 That morning, Kelsey told Dante 20:14 that she had finished her appointment 20:16 and that her due date was September 13th. 20:19 Lucas' response to that was cool. 20:22 He asked her to skip work and come to Pueblo. 20:25 She texted him, 20:26 I'm not going to come get you so we can fight all day. 20:28 He texted back, I don't want to fight at all. 20:30 I want to give you this." She writes back, give me what? He says, just wait and see for yourself. 20:36 You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you anyway, so you can see for yourself. 20:41 Kelsey decides to go down to Pueblo after work. 20:46 She clocked out of work at a little bit after 8.40 p.m. and hit the road to Sudonte and Pueblo. 20:55 So Denver to Pueblo drive right down I-25. It's about two hours long. 21:02 It's just one straight path. 21:06 Not a lot of people are out on the roads. 21:09 It is a lonely, quiet drive. 21:14 While she's driving down to Pueblo, Dante sends her a text 21:18 saying, let's meet at the Southside Walmart. 21:23 She parks her car there. 21:28 She texted him at 10.20 saying she'd arrived 21:31 and he replied that he'd be there shortly. 21:36 She's waiting, she's waiting, 21:38 and she's getting impatient. 21:39 like any girlfriend would. 21:43 At 11, 10 p.m., he still hadn't shown up to the Walmart. 21:47 That's when Dante says, 21:49 let's meet at our spot, 21:51 which is in the neighborhood of his grandmother's home, 21:54 and that's where Dante was staying at the time. 21:57 She moved her car there from this outside Walmart, 22:00 and she was just parked on the side of the road 22:02 in this residential neighborhood. 22:06 So then she's left waiting there again, 22:08 and she's still impatiently texting him. 22:11 The last confirmed message from Kelsey was sent at 11.18 p.m. She was asking 22:16 Dante, where are you? I've been here for over an hour just waiting. The following 22:25 day the fifth she didn't show up for work so I tried calling her couldn't get a 22:31 response so then I shot her a text message asking her where she was why 22:34 she wasn't at work got a text message back right away saying that she was in 22:38 the hospital having some tests done and she said that she was not having 22:43 a baby any more, it was growing in the wrong place. 22:48 I tried calling her on Wednesday. 22:50 She didn't answer her phone, which is kind of pretty rare, and I texted her, I said, hey, 22:54 give me a call. 22:55 I got a text message back, I'm not feeling good, I'm on the couch, I'll call you tomorrow. 22:59 I kept trying to call, and she wouldn't answer. 23:03 Toward the end of the week, it was going directly to voicemail. 23:07 So then the back of my mind, I'm starting to get concerned. 23:14 After Kelsey had driven to Pueblo, 23:16 there was never a phone call that was answered from her phone. 23:21 Kelsey is not the type of person who would like not talk to her friends. 23:25 She was glued to her phone. 23:27 Friends and family would get text replies back, 23:31 but they said that it came in a voice that just didn't quite sound like Kelsey. 23:35 It was just short, quick responses. 23:39 Generally any text message I had from Kelsey, words were spelled and there was punctuation and they didn't have that. 23:46 I got to looking at the text messages and it's like, man, I don't think that was her. 23:50 Why didn't you think that was her? 23:51 Just the verbi-genet and stuff, I mean it just didn't seem like, you know, her text to me. 23:59 Then on that Saturday morning, it's like the whole world just unraveled. 24:06 All of her friends like started contacting us saying, you know, we've been trying to reach Kelsey and we can't reach her. 24:14 I called Doug, her dad, and said, you know, something is wrong. 24:21 And so then we all drove up to Denver that day. 24:26 went into the apartment there was no sign of her in the apartment and that's 24:32 when we called the Denver police. Family members were visibly upset they were 24:38 frantic actually almost feverishly asking for any help they could get in 24:43 trying to locate her. Did you reach out to Dante? I did contact him to ask him 24:50 you know if he knew where she was. What did he sound like on the phone 24:54 because the call that you're making to him is, 24:57 Kelsey, the woman that you are with, 24:59 the mother of your child is missing. 25:01 We are desperate to find her. 25:03 Nothing, no. 25:04 That worked out, not, you know, just... 25:08 He's not scared, what can I do? 25:10 How can I help? 25:11 No, he just says if I hear from her, I'll let you know. 25:14 And then a little bit later, he got back with me. 25:18 He said, I heard from Kelsey. 25:20 She called from a private number. 25:22 She said she doesn't have her phone and she said she'll be getting a hold of you 25:27 Intimating that she's alive and she's out there and I said well, can you track that number? 25:32 And he's like, yeah, I'll try and figure out what the number was and then of course he never did 25:38 When this case first came in I called Dante 25:41 He was telling me that he had seen her and had talked with her and spent time with her 25:45 More recently than any of her family members any of her friends 25:48 After I got off the phone, I did have a sinking feeling in my stomach. 25:53 The following Friday, February 15th, that morning is when we drove down to Pueblo to 25:58 turn the investigation over to the Pueblo Police Department. 26:05 We in the beginning were trying not to call him a suspect just to try to build a rapport 26:09 with him and try to sit down and get him to open up. 26:12 Can you kind of tell me just briefly what happened? 26:16 Well, Tuesday morning, early Tuesday morning, she had came down to Pueblo. 26:20 During the course of the interrogation with Dante Lucas, 26:25 he reveals some pretty shocking things about Kelsey and about the baby. 26:35 Now to the mysterious disappearance of a Denver woman. 26:38 Pregnant woman who vanished. 26:40 Kelsey was eight weeks pregnant last seen in Pueblo visiting her boyfriend Dante Lucas. 26:46 So when do you start talking to Dante Lucas? 26:49 We start talking to him fairly quickly as far as what is going on. 26:57 Police bring Dante in for questioning, and immediately he denies a romantic relationship with Kelsey. 27:18 Dante tells Officer Robinson that Kelsey slept in her car in Pueblo. 27:26 He said that they met up again the following morning, 27:28 and that he brought Kelsey Schilling to Parkview Medical Center, where she went inside. 27:39 We have no record of Kelsey Schilling ever being here at Parkview Medical Center. 27:43 Now what do you check to find out if she was here or not? 27:46 We have a medical record system that keeps track of every patient that's ever walked through our doors. 27:51 So for you, there was no way she's ever here? 27:53 That's correct. 27:54 He alluded to the fact that she may have had a miscarriage. 28:01 Just the day before in Denver, Kelsey's doctor told her that the baby was healthy. 28:09 Dante claimed that he and Kelsey then went to the south side of Walmart. 28:13 Kelsey was going to grab some snacks before she made the drive back to Denver. 28:36 He contends that the two of them are together and clearly based on the surveillance, it's 28:41 one person. 28:42 It's him getting out of the car and no one else exits. 28:46 When the car was parked at Walmart on February 5th, 28:50 police believe that it was Dante Lucas 28:53 parking that car, getting out and walking away. 28:56 They have pretty good surveillance videos showing it. 29:02 The car sat there overnight. 29:04 The morning of February 6th, 29:07 this unknown man is seen walking to Kelsey Shelling's car 29:11 parked at the Southside Walmart 29:13 and is seen driving away with the car. 29:16 We have no idea who that person was in that video. 29:21 It's a car that that person is familiar with, 29:24 and we know earlier that Dante had the key. 29:27 Who do you think that someone was that came back 29:31 and drove that car away? 29:32 You know, there's similarities to Dante, 29:35 but it's nothing that we can want to say 29:37 that is the person who drove it away. 29:39 When Dante Lucas talked with police, 29:42 He didn't paint the best picture of Kelsey he painted a picture of you know, just that she was kind of troubled 30:01 Dante cast her to police as someone who had troubles with drugs 30:07 No, I don't believe that no 30:17 When she was 15 years old, she did, so yes, she has had that in her past, but if she committed suicide, you would find her body. 30:28 I mean, she was happy. She wanted that baby. She wanted to be a mom. 30:33 So, at this point, Kelsey has been missing for more than a week. 30:37 But on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2013, her car is discovered. 30:43 The car of a missing Denver woman has been found in Pueblo. 30:46 Detectives will be examining Kelsey's car. 30:49 It was big news when Kelsey's car was found at St. Mary Corwin Medical Center. 30:54 How did it get there? 30:55 What happened to Kelsey? 30:58 I knew once her car was found that something horrible had happened because there's just 31:02 no way that she would have gone somewhere and left her car. 31:06 Define the car and no Kelsey. 31:08 And no Kelsey. 31:09 We did not have any good security footage that could tell us who dropped off the car, 31:14 how the car got there. 31:15 Normally if someone was going to go away for a few days, they take their car with 31:19 them. 31:19 So we are now leaning towards foul play, so we accelerate the case. 31:23 Police start working backwards. 31:26 They start going through surveillance video. 31:29 And what they find is pretty surprising. 31:32 Less than 12 hours after she would have arrived in Pueblo, 31:35 surveillance video shows Dante in her car 31:38 at an ATM in Pueblo. 31:40 He's driving, and he takes $400 out of Kelsey's bank account. 31:45 Is it suspicious for you that he uses that card 31:47 after the date where you pinpoint Kelsey was missing? 31:50 It is part of the suspicious activity, yes. 31:53 Because Dante withdraws money from Kelsey's account without her in the car, Dante is brought 31:58 in for a second time by Pueblo Police. 32:03 These detectives had a wealth of information to go at him. 32:07 Why did you get the money? 32:26 Why didn't she go with you to the agency? 32:28 She's not in the car. 32:29 It's on the video. 32:36 I'm honestly, I'm not sure about the, like I said, like my time frame has been messed 32:40 up. 32:41 The detective moves on to another topic, talking about why there's no record of 32:45 of Kelsey ever showing up at the hospital. 32:47 There's no record of her ever being a part of you. 32:50 That's like all I have to say. 32:54 Now, here's the thing. 32:56 Instead of pressing Dante on these contradictions, 32:59 they move on to an unrelated topic. 33:02 When you dropped her off, when she dropped you off at Walmart, 33:04 where were you parked at? 33:07 I mean, apparently you guys know, 33:09 so I don't understand why you guys hold it in one time. 33:12 Like, I don't know. 33:13 That's all I can say about her. 33:14 When she dropped you off at Walmart, was that again? 33:18 He does keep asking the same questions over and over, and he has to speak to a lawyer. 33:26 Once he requests a lawyer, all questions come to a halt. 33:30 Unfortunately, this is a very poorly executed interview. 33:34 I think it's a tremendous missed opportunity. 33:37 Once he shut down, our avenues of trying to talk to him end. 33:41 How did you read that? 33:43 As the possibility that he knows something. 33:45 Dante Lucas was arrested on February 15. 33:51 They don't arrest member charges. 33:53 He was arrested on felony identity theft charges 33:56 for using Kelsey's debit card at the bank that day. 34:00 But those charges were later dropped 34:02 when investigators found out that Kelsey did, on occasion, 34:06 give him permission to use her bank card. 34:09 How do you prove she did not or did give him 34:11 permission at that time? 34:13 And since you had permission to do it before, 34:15 or it makes it a very difficult case to prosecute. 34:18 He's released. 34:20 He's, you know, living his life. 34:22 Do we suspect foul play? 34:24 Have we come up with a body? 34:25 No. 34:26 Dante is a person of interest in the fact 34:28 that she's missing. 34:30 Hoping to get Dante to talk, police 34:32 bring in the person who knows him better than anyone. 34:42 Mysterious disappearance. 34:44 The disappearance of Kelsey Schelling. 34:45 Missing pregnant woman and her unborn baby. 34:52 As journalists, these are the stories that keep us up at night. 34:58 This was a story that I spent four years working on and reporting on. 35:04 I wanted so badly for there to be justice in this case. 35:08 To let you see 35:12 Even though Kelsey's car was found in Pueblo, Kelsey hadn't been found 35:19 Police, you know maintained at that time that it was a missing person's case 35:26 When the charges of identity theft are dropped in March of 2013 police can't get Dante to talk again 35:32 You'll have a chair right there, I'll grab your wand and we'll be back in a second. 35:36 So they take a different tact. 35:38 They decide to speak to his mother, Sara Lucas. 35:41 I would love to clear Dante and move on. 35:47 If Dante would come in, do a polygraph, we ask him like five questions, if he passes 35:53 out we can move on and look other directions. 35:55 I will relay that to his lawyer and I know my son wants nothing more than to find 36:01 out what happened to her. 36:02 Detectives ask her about February 5th. 36:05 That's the day that Dante was seen on surveillance camera 36:08 parking Kelsey's car at Walmart. 36:24 Sarah gives Dante an alibi for his whereabouts on February 6th, 36:28 when that unknown man has seen moving Kelsey's car from the Walmart. 36:33 On the 6th, Dante or somebody that looks remarkably similar to Dante, I'm not going to say 100% 36:40 with him, but went back and picked it up. 36:43 There's no way that was him. 36:48 There's no way he was at home. 36:50 I know myself and it's not capable of hurting anybody. 36:58 But it's been three years since this case happened, no one's been charged. 37:03 That's right. 37:04 You have inconsistencies, lies, but without a body or any direct evidence that tells 37:10 us something happened to her, to a homicide, you know, it may happen one day, but right 37:17 now it's, you know, we haven't had any evidence to reclassify it. 37:24 You look at the Pueblo Police Department, they probably didn't have as many resources 37:29 And her family quickly became frustrated with how this investigation was progressing or kind of lack there of any progress. 37:39 Kelsey's still not a victim, according to them. There's not been a criminal act committed according to them. 37:46 We just want an effective investigation done into Kelsey's disappearance. 37:51 Her family is pleading for your help. 37:54 We are doing everything in our power to find our missing loved one. 37:57 We tried to push Pueblo Police for answers. 38:00 We were there for every press conference, every event. 38:04 We just weren't getting any new information from them at all. 38:07 And to me, that was so frustrating. 38:10 The investigation really isn't being handled properly. 38:13 Laura Saxton always been a fierce advocate for her daughter. 38:17 And I don't think she'll rest until Kelsey is found. 38:22 Many of Pueblo are not giving up on finding clues 38:24 that could help find Kelsey's shelling. 38:26 Why do you think people feel so strongly about Kelsey's case? 38:31 You know, they can't believe it. 38:33 You know, they try and imagine what if it was their child. 38:41 We're going to break up again over here. 38:44 In May of that year when she went missing, they started doing their own searches. 38:49 They didn't think police were looking hard enough. 38:51 The whole community was rallying. 38:54 There were so many searches for her body all over the city of Pueblo. 38:58 This is probably one of the largest groups we've had in a while. 39:02 After three years, that means a lot, so thank you. 39:07 Come on, kid. 39:08 People were scattering, just looking for any shred of evidence. 39:14 It's becoming harder to come back. 39:18 I dread the trips, but I know I have to do it. 39:23 She comes home empty-handed. 39:26 The one thing that she doesn't have is Kelsey. 39:29 They never found anything on those searches. 39:34 Then those searches turned into anniversaries. 39:37 Kelsey's shelling disappeared four years ago this month. 39:40 In Kelsey's mother beliefs, police are now closer than ever to finding her. 39:43 That turned into Justice Walks. 39:45 What do we want? Justice! 39:47 Around the Pueblo Police Department and the District Attorney's Office. 39:51 We appreciate you all so much. Your support keeps us going. 39:54 to put pressure on our system to do something here. 39:58 We're gonna keep going. 39:59 We're gonna keep coming up with ideas. 40:01 I mean, we're trying everything. 40:03 Kelsey's family offers a $50,000 reward for information. 40:08 So you feel like you're doing everything you can 40:10 even to this day to find out what happened with Kelsey? 40:13 There is no lead. 40:14 We don't follow up. 40:15 We followed up leads from psychics at Colen. 40:18 Well, they've had a vision on where Kelsey is 40:20 and we followed up those leads. 40:22 In an effort to get some more information, hopefully some tips and leads in the case, 40:28 Kelsey's family also set up a Facebook page, help find Kelsey. 40:33 It was one source or one place where people could come together to generate information, 40:38 maybe from even people that didn't want to call police. 40:43 You get a Facebook message. 40:44 It was from a woman saying, if I have information about Kelsey, can I remain anonymous? 40:53 It's so awful, he sold her into sex trafficking. 40:57 I almost feel like I went insane. 41:00 What if? 41:01 What if? 41:02 What if she is still out there somewhere? 41:06 We were on the ground to investigate and I couldn't believe what happened. 41:10 Right when they're at the trunk, get ready. 41:11 It's Ryan Smith, ABC News. 41:22 This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. 41:25 Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? 41:29 Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home in auto policies. 41:33 Try it at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. 41:38 Potential savings will vary, not available in all states. 41:41 This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. 41:44 Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? 41:48 Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home in 41:52 auto policies. Try it at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company 41:56 and Affiliates potential savings will vary not available in all states. 42:19 They were meeting in a parking lot. Dante sends her a text saying let's me at the 42:24 Southside Walmart and she parks her car there. The car sat there overnight. This 42:30 This unknown man is seen walking to Kelsey Schelling's car and is seen driving away with 42:36 the car. 42:37 And Kelsey's just gone. 42:40 Kelsey had taken three home pregnancy tests. 42:44 Now she's your girlfriend or no, we never were actually interrelationship. 42:49 The lead suspect stops talking. 42:50 Suspects are loyal, please. 42:53 It's a dead end. 42:54 These are the stories that keep us up at night. 42:58 But an undercover volunteer befriends him. 43:01 I had to play the role that I didn't know what was happening, 43:03 so I was like, oh my gosh, what's going on? 43:05 Like, what is happening? 43:07 Okay, they're both rolling now. 43:08 There's a sting operation. 43:10 Right when they're at the trunk, get ready. 43:11 We're about 10 seconds away. 43:12 Marcus Ryan Smith, ABC News, how you doing? 43:15 I know that my testimony could potentially help take him down. 43:20 The anxiety level was high. 43:21 The tension was high. 43:23 The witness in the Dante Lucas trial 43:24 was found shot to death. 43:26 Another moment where your jaw hit the floor. 43:29 When they came and told us the verdict was in, 43:31 we all were just like, oh, my God. 43:34 Her mother simply won't give up on finding Kelsey. 43:59 For nearly two years, 44:01 Laura Saxton had been on a desperate search 44:03 for answers about her daughter, Kelsey, 44:05 who suddenly disappeared in February of 2013. 44:09 There will be a renewed search for clues 44:11 in the case of Kelsey Shelling. 44:13 Just through seeing Laura Saxton, 44:15 The tears, the sadness, the frustration, it all came rolling out. 44:21 Many of Pueblo are not giving up on finding clues that could help find Kelsey Schelling. 44:26 The relentlessness of this mother's search really struck a chord with so many people in Pueblo. 44:31 Scores of locals turned out to help Laura search all around the Pueblo area for any trace of Kelsey. 44:36 Over here on this other hike in two more groups. 44:41 The ride home is always really tough. 44:42 going home empty-handed emotionally and physically. 44:46 Is it hard to keep hope? 44:48 As far as the hope of actually finding her, 44:51 that dwindles, you know, every day. 44:54 But then, in October of 2015, 44:57 nearly two years after Kelsey's disappearance, 45:00 there's a shocking development. 45:01 A mysterious message giving Lara hope 45:04 comes through the Help Find Kelsey Facebook page. 45:07 That's the page that Lara had set up 45:08 to gather tips and leads on the case. 45:10 It was saying, if I have information about Kelsey, 45:16 can I remain anonymous? 45:18 When Laura responds, a man emails her saying, ma'am, 45:22 please, your daughter is not dead. 45:25 She will be back home alive. 45:28 The man offers a harrowing account 45:29 of what really happened to Kelsey. 45:31 He claims that Dante hired a friend to kill her and says, 45:35 Dante has no idea she is alive. 45:37 He thinks she is dead. 45:40 And that the friend did not kill her. 45:44 He sold her into sex trafficking. 45:47 It made me sick. 45:48 I mean, I could barely function. 45:51 What if she is still out there somewhere? 45:55 The e-mailer says he needs money to help Kelsey escape. 45:58 $50,000 in cash. 46:02 So the plan is this. 46:04 The money is to be brought to Vancouver, Washington. 46:06 specifically to a local McDonald's restaurant. 46:10 Then it's to be hand delivered to a guy named Marcus 46:12 who would be wearing a red hat. 46:15 Once the money was exchanged, 46:17 then this courier person would go and get Kelsey 46:22 and bring her back to the McDonald's. 46:25 I'll have to sell some stocks, 46:27 which will take about a week, 46:29 but I can push to expedite that process. 46:32 I just thought, what if she's been out there 46:37 and I could have found her and we haven't. 46:41 I mean, it was just what if, what if? 46:45 Laura sets up the meeting at the McDonald's in Vancouver 46:48 to deliver the cash, 46:49 but even though she's desperate for answers, 46:51 she's worried that something criminal is going on. 46:54 So she reaches out to the Vancouver police 46:56 and asks them to go undercover to meet this courier. 46:59 It felt like law enforcement from Vancouver 47:02 should have been involved in the situation. 47:06 But just before the appointed time, 47:08 the Vancouver police back out, 47:10 believing it to be an internet scam 47:11 and not an actual human trafficking plot. 47:14 But 2020 had the McDonald's under surveillance 47:17 to see if anyone would show up. 47:19 Our cameras are rolling 47:20 as a man with a red hat comes in. 47:22 It's him. 47:24 He sits quietly. 47:26 But after no one shows up, he takes off. 47:30 Okay, he's on a move. 47:31 Cut the engine. 47:38 It was just all a matter of trying to get down to the truth of this. 47:44 As I was investigating this mysterious email, a contact of mine told me about another missing 47:49 woman's case that proved to be the key to unraveling this mystery. 47:55 In Portsmouth, Ohio, 1200 miles away from Colorado, Megan Lancaster, 25 years old, is also suddenly 48:02 disappeared. Katie Lane-Caster is on a mission to help find her sister-in-law. 48:08 I mean she's gone without a trace. We have a car in her wallet. An eerie feeling like 48:13 there's something like we're gonna find something. Months go by with no 48:17 developments. Megan's family organizes searches and sets up a Facebook 48:22 page to publicize the case. And then out of nowhere he pops up. 48:29 A sterling message comes through the family's Facebook page about Megan. 48:33 He says I know where Megan is, and I can get her back. 48:37 Just like with Kelsey's family, the e-mailer says he can help Megan escape, 48:41 but he needs money. $50,000. 48:44 He directs them to bring $25,000 in cash up front to Vancouver, Washington, 48:49 specifically to that same McDonald's, and deliver it to a man named Marcus, 48:54 wearing, no surprise, a red hat. 48:58 What if he really does have her, and I can bring her home? 49:04 You should stick with the crew, behind the camera with the crew. 49:08 To unravel just what's going on with this mystery, Katie agreed to work with 2020 to set up a sting operation. 49:14 Katie and I are going to be in one vehicle. 49:16 Just like Laura did two weeks earlier, she arranges a meeting to drop off the money in Vancouver at that McDonald's. 49:23 There are booths over here. 49:25 Katie, you said this morning that they sent you a text message. 49:28 They will be sending Marcus. 49:31 Okay, they're both rolling now. 49:33 I would be going to this rendezvous with Katie, 49:36 but wearing a hit camera. 49:41 As we walk into the McDonald's at the appointed meat time, 49:44 we quickly spot Marcus, the man in the red hat, 49:47 and walk over to him. 49:48 Katie was instructed not to ask any questions, 49:51 so I told Marcus, 49:52 hey, the money is in the trunk of a car parked outside. 49:54 Right when they're at the trunk, get ready, 49:56 we're about 10 seconds away. 49:58 Meanwhile, I was waiting outside 50:00 with our camera team in a security guard 50:02 in case this thing went sideways. 50:03 OK, let's get ready. 50:05 As they head out to the parking lot, 50:07 before the trunk is opened, I walk over to Marcus. 50:10 I want to get some answers. 50:12 Marcus, Ryan Smith, ABC News. 50:13 How you doing? 50:14 Pretty good. 50:14 Good. 50:15 Why'd you come here to take $25,000 from Katie? 50:19 I don't know. 50:20 You don't know why you're here to take $25,000 from Katie? 50:23 Nope. 50:24 What are you here for? 50:24 Oh, because to collect some money. 50:27 You see, Marcus claims he was suckered, too. 50:29 Lord online into a supposed jewelry venture. 50:33 He says he was supposed to pick up the money 50:34 and then wire it to someone he's never met. 50:37 So a random guy tells you to go to McDonald's 50:39 twice in less than two weeks 50:40 to meet people to pick up money 50:42 and you don't think anything of it? 50:43 I didn't think none of it. 50:45 We were told that you were going to deliver 50:47 Megan to Katie today. 50:49 Is that true? 50:50 I have no idea about no Megan 50:52 or no kidnapping or anything like that. 50:54 This would be a scheme to extort money 50:56 from families who have family members 50:58 that are missing. 50:59 I didn't know nothing of this. 51:00 I had no clue anybody was supposed to be exchanging nothing for a human being. 51:05 If I did know, I would not have been involved in this situation. 51:11 Twice, not once. 51:16 Hey, your name is attached to this. 51:18 This feels shaky inside. 51:21 I had no clue. 51:23 It's important that you be real honest with me. 51:24 Yeah, I'm real honest. 51:25 You have never heard of Kelsey Shelley? 51:28 Never. 51:29 Definitely a big scam. 51:31 I want to know who's behind it, but an FBI analysis of the e-mailer's Facebook page showed it used an IP address 51:38 Traced all the way to Russia in most scams. They're compartmentalized 51:44 So the person you may send to pick up the cash at a particular location may know nothing about 51:51 What the scam is then that's just a hundred percent 51:54 clarification that you know, this is just some dirt bags out there, you know 52:00 trying to get money off of these poor families. 52:05 But while the extortion plot that was torturing Lara 52:07 was laid to rest, the roller coaster ride wasn't over. 52:11 A sympathetic stranger who feels for Lara 52:14 comes up with a shocking plan to go undercover 52:16 on her own and befriend Dante to try to find the truth 52:20 about what happened to Kelsey. 52:22 I knew that I was potentially putting myself into danger. 52:25 Dante Lucas. 52:26 And when we go to get some answers from Dante, 52:28 she was right there with him. 52:30 What do you have to say to her family? 52:36 Even though Laura Saxton lives hundreds of miles away 52:39 from Pueblo, Colorado, the news about her years-long 52:42 crusade to find her missing daughter 52:44 continued to resonate with folks living there. 52:46 Our top story tonight, the search for Kelsey Shelling. 52:49 Today, law enforcement following new leads in the case. 52:51 We're gonna keep coming up with ideas. 52:53 I mean, we're trying everything. 52:55 I felt really heartbroken for her. 52:58 As a mom, I couldn't even begin to fathom 53:01 knowing that your child's out there. 53:10 It's spring of 2016 when Lauren Shore, 53:13 a single mom living near Pueblo, 53:15 says Lara's story inspired her 53:17 to hatch an audacious plan of her own. 53:20 Make Facebook friends with Dante Lucas, 53:22 gain his trust, and meet up with him in real life, 53:25 and just maybe help solve the mystery 53:28 of what happened to Kelsey. 53:30 Definitely was the nerve-wracking, 53:32 but I felt like I could do it. 53:35 So I messaged him on Facebook and I told him that I was looking to meet new 53:40 friends. He responded fairly quickly within I say a couple of hours. 53:50 Lauren was eventually able to get Dante to meet her in person. When we shot this 53:55 footage of Dante playing basketball in 2016, Lauren was there with him. She says 54:00 was only the second time they'd ever met. We had went to a basketball court 54:05 to just play around, shoot some hoops, 54:07 and that's when a man with a camera came up to us. 54:13 Dante Lucas, I'm with ABC News, 2020. 54:16 The family of Kelsey says you're responsible 54:19 for a disappearance, is that true? 54:23 Please, Kelsey. 54:24 I freaked out. 54:26 I had to play the role that I didn't know 54:27 what was happening, so I was like, 54:29 oh my gosh, what's going on? 54:31 Like, what is happening? 54:33 What the f*** is happening right now? 54:34 And he kind of just shut down and was like, 54:37 I'll tell you about it later on. 54:38 Don't freak out, it's okay, none of this is true. 54:46 As the weeks go by, Lauren says she's able 54:49 to develop a close relationship with Dante. 54:52 Just hanging around the family, 54:53 watch movies, drink a little bit. 54:56 He always smelt of alcohol. 54:59 He comes off as very cocky, I feel like. 55:02 He feels like he's just the man 55:05 and he's just, he can't do no wrong. 55:08 Just as she'd planned, Lauren says she got Dante 55:11 to open up, to trust her enough. 55:13 The time finally seemed right to ask him about Kelsey. 55:17 There was only a certain amount of period of time 55:19 that he would talk about it. 55:21 One minute, he had no involvement. 55:23 He had nothing to do with it. 55:25 And then he would just shut down and start crying hysterically 55:30 and get really upset. 55:33 But Lauren says something very unexpected 55:34 happened with Dante. 55:36 Her undercover relationship with him blossomed into romance. 55:40 I felt like he did genuinely develop feelings for me 55:44 and did genuinely fall in love with me. 55:46 He has this way about him that makes you just feel so sorry for him. 55:51 In the back of my mind, I always kept that he is potentially a murderer. 55:57 Lauren says her relationship with Dante continued for about a year. 56:00 But then something happened. 56:02 There was an incident outside his house that made her realize 56:05 she was in way over her head. 56:07 He was like, I want you to marry me. 56:09 And he showed me the ring. 56:10 I took the ring. 56:12 At that point, I was kind of like done, 56:15 because I didn't want to get in any deeper 56:16 than I had already gotten into. 56:19 Despite all the efforts of this clandestine girlfriend, 56:22 her work doesn't seem to be paying off. 56:24 And the clock just keeps ticking for Lara Saxton. 56:27 She's not any closer to knowing the truth 56:29 about what happened to Kelsey. 56:30 I wasn't happy at all with how things were going. 56:34 And, I mean, that's one big reason why I wanted to do the first story with you guys was I 56:43 was hoping that that would somehow bring something out into the light. 56:49 Tonight on 2020, when do you stop looking for a pregnant daughter who's vanished? 56:56 In May of 2016, our first 2020 program on the Kelsey Schelling case hits the airwaves. 57:01 The very day of our broadcast there's a big announcement regarding the investigation into Kelsey's disappearance 57:07 The Colorado Bureau of Investigation was going to join the case. That was news to me. So I was kind of like, oh my god 57:15 This is awesome. I think once that 2020 special aired it really turned up the heat on Pueblo police and on this case 57:26 case. Taking over the case, Pueblo Police Department 57:28 commander Eric Bravo and CBI agent Kevin Torres. Working together, they moved fast, turning 57:35 it from a missing person's case into a full blown criminal investigation. It was a homicide 57:40 investigation in our eyes, so I immediately started working on setting a plan into 57:44 motion how we wanted to proceed. Police got a tip that led them to believe Shelling's 57:49 body might be in Dante's back yard. 57:51 It's not long before police dig up the yard of the house where Dante and his family have 57:55 been staying. 57:56 So we thought, man, you know, we really have something. 57:59 But it went from relation to satisfaction. 58:03 You know, that day it just seemed like we were there and then it slipped away. 58:08 During the investigation, Agent Torres finds out about Dante's relationship with Lauren 58:12 Shore. 58:13 When he interviews Shore, she reveals that Dante had made a key admission to her 58:17 about Kelsey's disappearance and it's about that Walmart surveillance video of 58:22 the mystery man walking over to her car and then driving off with it. She 58:26 confirmed for us Dante admitting it was him in the Walmart surveillance video. 58:31 She also informed us that Dante admitted to her dropping Kelsey's car off at 58:37 St. Mary Corbin Hospital. The piece of information that Lauren provided to 58:40 us was a pretty crucial piece at that point. Then in late 2017 there's a 58:46 huge development that will totally transform the case. 58:50 A Pueblo man tells police that Dante and other family members 58:53 had attacked him in front of their home 58:55 and stolen $1,000 from him. 58:58 Now, that gives police a reason to arrest Dante. 59:00 I had information that Dante was leaving Pueblo 59:03 and was heading to DIA, where he seemingly 59:06 intended to board a flight to Tucson. 59:08 And the concern was that he may take other efforts 59:11 to meet friends in Mexico. 59:13 Boy, the anxiety level was high. 59:15 The tension was high. 59:16 the time was ticking away and the tires were turning on the road and Dante was 59:21 within 20 minutes of getting on a plane for Tucson Arizona when he was arrested. 59:27 When he was arrested there was hope across the community that maybe 59:31 investigators would finally get some answers in this case. We decided that 59:35 the next day would be the day that we would send a couple detectives back in 59:40 to try and answer some of the questions that we didn't have answered. 59:43 During his interrogation, Dante finally breaks down and comes clean, confirming 59:48 Lauren Shor's account that he was the one seen in that Walmart video. 59:52 So that information that he confirmed that that was him was huge. 59:57 You see it was that admission combined with the wealth of evidence from text 60:00 messages, cell phone records, and surveillance video already gathered, all 60:04 of that was enough for prosecutors to move forward. 60:07 At the end of the day, I said, I think we have enough here to go forward. 60:10 I ethically believe that Dante Lucas killed Kelsey Shilling, 60:15 and I think we have the evidence to prove it. 60:18 A major development, the ex-boyfriend of a pregnant Denver woman 60:21 who went missing four years ago. 60:22 He now faces charges of first-degree murder. 60:25 How were you thinking as his trial approached? 60:28 Are you thinking justice will be done? 60:31 I put a lot of things on hold, 60:33 because I just was, you know, sure it was going to happen 60:37 and, you know, wanted to be ready to go. 60:40 So after eight years Dante Lucas is finally in court and the prosecution has a surprise witness 60:47 That just took the whole room's breath away. No one saw that coming 60:58 This story became such a big deal here in Pueblo because people want answers and they haven't gotten any for eight years 61:07 Dante Lucas the Pueblo man accused of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend Kelsey Shelling nearly eight years ago is headed to trial tomorrow 61:15 Did I think it was going to be a tough case? 61:17 Absolutely. 61:18 And we, well, may not win it. 61:20 But I owe it to the family. 61:23 I think I owe it to Kelsey to go forward and try this case. 61:26 Caredio News Channel 13's Dan BD has been following this case 61:29 and the trial for more than two years. 61:31 I was anticipating there to just be a mad rush of reporters 61:35 who were going to try to get into the courtroom. 61:39 I was very worried that I might not even get a seat. 61:42 you could feel the anticipation. 61:47 When I saw Laura Saxton walk into the judicial building, 61:51 you could tell this was a day she's been waiting for 61:54 for a long time. 61:57 Denver 7's Liz Jilardi in Pueblo today for opening statements. 62:01 Liz, you have been with this case every step of the way now 62:03 for all these years. 62:05 The prosecution simply started out and they said, 62:08 this is not a missing person's case. 62:10 This is a homicide case. 62:12 The case that the prosecution was making right off the jump was, one, they were going to 62:17 prove through text messages and surveillance video that Dante Lucas has to be the one responsible 62:23 for Kelsey Shelling's death. 62:27 These were two people in a relationship. 62:29 Kelsey Shelling became pregnant. 62:31 Dante Lucas didn't want to have a baby. 62:34 And he made sure that didn't happen. 62:45 The prosecution said this car tells a story and they told the jurors that you will see 62:51 Dante Lucas moving this car around Pueblo in the days after she went missing. 62:56 The idea that someone can essentially disappear without a trace, I think, is kind of a counter 63:01 intuitive thought for people to have. 63:03 have. Prosecutors think there's enough evidence to convict Lucas, even without a body, but 63:10 the defense disagrees. In the opening statements, the defense said this is a missing person's 63:17 case. This has always been a missing person's case. They said there's no body. There's 63:22 no evidence. Why should you believe that Dante Lucas killed her? They do not have 63:28 a crime scene. They do not have a murder weapon. Today, the jury got a detailed 63:34 to look at some of the text messages exchanged between them. 63:38 For the prosecutors, their goal was 63:40 to show that those text messages showed intent, 63:44 showed that Dante Lucas consistently lied not only 63:47 to investigators, but to Laura Saxton herself. 63:51 What they've referred to as his luring of Kelsey 63:54 Schelling to Pueblo. 63:56 The prosecution say that he lured her there to end her life. 64:01 We know that that's his phone. 64:02 He admitted to those text messages we know that that's his thoughts and feelings about it. That's direct evidence 64:08 And the movements of their phones as well as they were pinging off cell phone towers in Pueblo on the night of February 4th 64:14 And the early morning hours of February 5th. I think that a lot of the case really centered around those movements 64:20 Two pivotal witnesses testified of the high-profile Pueblo murder case against Dante Lucas 64:24 First witness was Laura Saxton and we were not expecting Laura Saxton to be the first one to take the stand 64:30 She didn't break down, but you can tell she's hurting. 64:33 There's a lot of pain behind her voice. 64:36 I think that was really powerful for the jury to see. 64:40 Her mom spoke to the fact that she absolutely wanted this baby. 64:45 Prosecutors today painted Kelsey Schelling as an excited mother to be 64:48 desperate to make it work with her boyfriend. 64:51 It didn't take long for the prosecutors to swing for the fences, 64:54 calling some pretty shocking witnesses to the stand. 65:00 Ryan Rivera is a former Pueblo County inmate 65:03 who considered himself to be a friend of Dante Lewis. 65:07 And when he took the stand, he said that Dante Lucas told him 65:12 that they're never going to find Kelsey Shelling's body. 65:16 That just took the whole room's breath away. 65:21 Ryan Rivera, he was the only person who came forward 65:23 over the duration of this trial that really said, 65:26 Dante told me he did this. 65:28 That wasn't in the courtroom, but while jailhouse snitch on its face is just not credible. 65:34 I mean, that's the assumption that we believe jurors have, and it's the assumption we have 65:39 as defense lawyers. 65:40 Why would this person do it? 65:42 What's the benefit? 65:43 What's the motive? 65:44 There was no deals made about charges he would get to plead to, time he would get 65:49 to serve. 65:50 There was no deals like that. 65:52 There were a lot of names on the prosecutor's list that I was shocked by, but Sarah 65:56 Sarah Lucas certainly topped that list. 66:00 When you saw that Sarah Lucas was on the prosecution side, everyone wondered, what is she going 66:07 to say? 66:08 The one important thing that I've kind of mentioned, she confirmed that Dante was the last person 66:14 left alone with Kelsey. 66:16 The prosecution painted a picture of a troubled relationship. 66:21 Some of Kelsey's close friends testified. 66:24 They pointed toward elements of domestic abuse 66:27 in Kelsey and Dante's relationship. 66:30 Something worth pointing out was the prosecution 66:33 and even the defense made it clear 66:35 that Dante was using Kelsey for a number of things. 66:40 For her money, Dante used Kelsey for her apartment in Denver 66:45 and Dante used Kelsey for her car. 66:49 And his argument was she lets me do it. 66:54 The defense pushed the narrative that Kelsey Schelling, Popped Pills, was an addict, that 67:00 Kelsey, when she left Dante Lucas at the Southside Walmart here in Pueblo, that she was going 67:06 to meet up with a drug dealer. 67:08 There's no single person other than the defendant in 2017 who's saying that she was 67:13 into drugs and that she was a party girl. 67:15 You didn't have the forensic evidence. 67:18 It seemed like you were really relying on circumstantial evidence and the evidence 67:22 of snitches and these other witnesses that's pretty straightforward either you believe them or you 67:28 don't. The witness list yields more surprises. The ones who make it to court. I know that my 67:36 testimony could potentially help take him down. And the ones who didn't. Witness 31 year old Roxanne 67:43 Martinez was found shot to death. That was a completely unforeseen development in this case. 67:52 This show is sponsored by Progressive Insurance. 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Her mom, her stepmom. 69:29 It's just tragic all the way around. 69:32 I think when a witness in any major case turns up dead 69:34 directly before they're set to testify, 69:37 I think, of course, people are going to think 69:39 was she killed because she was going to testify. 69:44 Denver police arrested a suspect in Martinez's killing. 69:48 29-year-old Immanuel Chandler. 69:50 Chandler has been charged with first-degree murder, 69:53 but he hasn't entered a plea yet. 69:54 We don't have any connection between Mr. Chandler and Mr. Lucas or anybody associated with that trial. 70:01 Our concern was to make sure that people understood that while she was an endorsed witness, 70:08 I couldn't comment on her testimony. 70:13 Nobody knows what Roxanne Martinez was going to say on the stand for sure, 70:17 with the exception of maybe the investigators who talked to her. 70:20 But while prosecutors say they can't discuss what Roxanne Martinez would have said on the stand, 70:24 and 2020 has uncovered some revealing details about her. 70:27 You see, back in March of 2016, 70:30 a woman named Roxanne had reached out to Lara Saxton 70:33 through that Help Find Kelsey Facebook page. 70:35 Roxanne messaged that she used to date the guy 70:39 Kelsey was pregnant with, 70:40 and he told me what had happened and started crying. 70:45 I'm instantly like mixed emotions. 70:48 Like, okay, are you going for the reward? 70:50 Or, you know, are you for real? 70:53 When Lara asked, do you know where Kelsey is located, Roxanne replied, he told me everything. 70:59 Yes, I do. 71:01 Basically her information sounded very good and very promising and so we really wanted 71:07 to meet with her. 71:09 This mysterious woman agreed to meet Lara and her husband at a Mexican restaurant in 71:13 Denver. 71:14 We were actually on our way there and I tried to reach her by phone to let her 71:20 know we were coming. 71:21 She said that she was in the hospital and couldn't meet us. 71:25 That was kind of the extent of what I really remember, 71:29 and then, you know, passed that. 71:31 Then, you know, that was all turned over to law enforcement 71:33 to look into further. 71:36 Authorities say that woman was the same Roxanne 71:39 who was killed during the trial. 71:41 I can confirm that CBI followed up and interviewed her. 71:45 That we did have her as an endorsed witness 71:47 that we wanted to testify during trial. 71:49 The thing that I'm steering clear from is I don't I just don't want to talk about evidence. It wasn't actually admitted during trial 71:58 Martinez is killing shakes up the trial and threatens to overshadow the testimony of another 72:03 Prosecution witness who had a remarkable story to tell it's none other than Lauren sure that woman who befriended Dante as 72:10 Part of a plan to try to find out what happened to Kelsey. I know that my testimony 72:14 he could potentially help take him down. 72:18 And that was realistically why I wanted to testify. 72:24 Short testifies about Dante's critical admission to her, 72:27 that he was the mysterious figure 72:29 seen picking up Kelsey's car 72:31 after it sat overnight in a Walmart parking lot. 72:35 I said, so that must have meant 72:36 that you had dropped the car off at the hospital, 72:40 correct? 72:40 And that's when he said yes, 72:42 that that was him that dropped the car off. 72:44 When the defense cross-examines sure they attack her credibility and her motives at one point characterizing her as a sex informant 72:53 because she had a physical relationship with Dante. 72:56 It's fair game and if you're going to put yourself out there like she did and sleep with someone, the jury ought to know about that. 73:03 You're having intimate conversations and that casts a lot of suspicion on her as a witness. 73:08 The sex informant part really bothered me because I wasn't having sex with Dante to get answers 73:15 out of him. 73:16 I was playing my part in a role as a girlfriend, so to me to be called such was really degrading. 73:28 On the very last day of its case, the prosecution played an interrogation video of Dante confirming 73:34 Shor's account. 73:35 The clip that I played at the beginning of my closing was his phrase, took 73:41 detectives. I lied from the jump. I moved the car. I wanted the jury to hear the 73:49 defendant in his own words say, I lied. When it's the defense's turn to present 73:57 its case, they raise a lot of eyebrows. The defense didn't call a single 74:02 witness to the stand. The defense immediately rested their case and it 74:08 It was just another moment where your jaw hit the floor. 74:12 The burden of proof is on the government. 74:15 It's simply messaging in a very strong way to the jury. 74:20 They haven't done it. 74:21 It's not guilty. 74:22 So it's a strong message. 74:24 There was just really not a lot of hard forensic evidence 74:27 to go off of. 74:28 So as far as what evidence they put forth 74:31 the court that was irrefutable that the Dante 74:33 Lucas killed Kelsey Schelling, I never saw that. 74:35 After a shocking final day of the trial, the jury was going to deliberate and I had no idea what's going to happen at that point. 74:49 I think everybody was just like holding their breath. 74:58 Prosecution and defense have given closing arguments. The jury is now deliberating. 75:03 Well, on that last day of the trial, no one expected to get a verdict that day. 75:09 Now the waiting begins. 75:10 Yes. And I was prepared to camp out at the courthouse as long as I had to. 75:16 I really thought I would be there all week. 75:19 Men were really totally unprepared for when they came and told us the verdict was in. 75:25 I think we all were just like, oh my God. 75:27 I mean it was shocking how quickly they arrived at their decision, 75:32 especially given just the amount of information they had to look at. 75:35 I can tell you because the decision came back so early all of our experience as 75:40 prosecutors is that this was probably an acquittal because juries tend to come 75:45 to decisions more quickly on acquittals and convictions. It was like standing on 75:49 the precipice of a cliff and looking down it was scary. It was a very tense 75:56 atmosphere in the courthouse while everyone was waiting to hear what 75:58 the verdict was. Even I was nervous and I'm not affiliated with Kelsey 76:04 She's shelling's family at all. 76:05 People were wondering, does that mean Dante Lucas is going to walk? 76:11 I think everybody was just like holding their breath almost. 76:17 And then when you hear the verdict, tell me how you're feeling. 76:21 Well the words came out way too slow. 76:24 Like I feel like the judge was talking in slow mo even though he wasn't. 76:28 I mean I was just like every word it's like okay, okay spit it out please. 76:33 and then he finally got to, you know, guilty of first degree and I think that was the first breath like I had taken in a long time. 76:47 This is a guilty verdict eight years in the making and even though Kelsey Shelling's body has never been found, 76:54 the jury clearly felt there was enough evidence to convict the man her family has always suspected from the very beginning. 77:08 It took the jury less than three hours to find Dante Luke is guilty of first-degree murder. 77:14 He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. 77:18 It was just so emotional for everybody, for both sides. 77:23 It's a sad story. 77:26 It's a sad situation that didn't have to end up like this 77:33 if he had just let her come home. 77:35 You mentioned it was a lot of emotions for both sides. 77:39 Did you find yourself looking over at their side? 77:41 Dante was sitting right in front of me. 77:43 I looked at the back of his head through the whole trial. 77:48 But, you know, the mother of his child was there 77:51 and she broke down and honestly, my heart hurt for her, hurt for their child. 78:01 Because it didn't have to, it didn't have to end up this way. 78:09 Ryan Rivera's testimony was the biggest, like, bombshell for our trial. 78:13 It had moved us all. I could hear the gasps even in the masks of fellow jurors. 78:20 When it came out that he was convicted, I think there was a great feeling of satisfaction and relief, not elation. 78:30 You know, you have to look at it from this side too. Mr. Lucas is a young man and he was convicted of a criminal crime that shapes his life for however long he lives. 78:41 I think it's every parent's worst nightmare that a child goes before you and you can never 78:47 fully heal that wound. 78:49 I can tell you I almost lost a child in the early 80s and so I had a lot of sympathy with 78:57 Laura and her family because I came that close to that tragedy and that child was the lead 79:04 prosecutor on this case. 79:07 So the elected DA is my dad and Kyle McCarthy who was obviously on the case 79:13 with me as my husband and we I don't think had a night in the last four years 79:20 that we haven't gone home and talked about Kelsey Shelling. Sometimes it's 79:25 the first thing we talk about when we wake up, sometimes it's the last thing 79:27 we talk about before we go to sleep. Saturdays when we're driving kids 79:30 around the soccer a lot of times we're being told to stop talking about it 79:33 because they can hear us in the front seat talking about it. 79:35 We both also had an incredible emotional pull to the family. 79:40 That is a very special relationship, one 79:44 that I will value for the rest of my life. 79:48 Well, I think, I mean, Michelle and Kyle, 79:51 with their closing, they're amazing. 79:55 I don't even know what other words to use. 79:57 The first things that she told the reporters 80:00 outside of the courthouse after the guilty verdict yes she was happy but she 80:08 was still devastated. We're very very thankful for for this outcome but in the 80:17 end I didn't get Kelsey back and that's what I wanted more than anything so I 80:24 I feel like I didn't do something. 80:28 I didn't push hard enough on something 80:30 or I didn't look enough on something to bring her home. 80:35 That devastation isn't going anywhere. 80:39 Like she said, she has to live with that forever. 80:43 Her goal throughout all of this 80:45 was to bring Kelsey home, give her a proper burial. 80:49 So I know when she had expressed it, 80:50 in some way she felt like she had failed 80:52 in her main mission. 80:53 I think the investigative team has some ideas where she may rest. 80:59 If that's where she is, that's just like the worst possibility to me. 81:13 That very first day that we met in September of 2016, I'll never forget it like it was yesterday 81:18 and it was just a special bond that we formed. 81:20 Kelsey's mom just battled and battled and battled. 81:23 Eight years, I was hoping that it would never take this long. 81:27 I grabbed my mother very tight and held her very close. 81:31 It's holding on to my dad's hand. 81:35 Since the trials over, it's because, 81:39 and Kelsey still hasn't been found. 81:41 So I've just felt very empty this past week. 81:45 Doesn't feel final because still don't know where Kelsey is 81:48 and we still don't know exactly what happened. 81:53 It turns out that prosecutors did present 81:55 troubling evidence from the night Kelsey disappeared. 81:57 That evidence provided a possible explanation to where her body could be. 82:03 We received information from the purple landfill that there was some video evidence of a vehicle being there. 82:09 You couldn't see what kind of vehicle. You couldn't tell who was in the car. 82:13 They're locked to the front. 82:16 A gate into the dump had been tampered with. 82:21 While I caught my attention when I grabbed the lock on my hand, 82:24 I said, well, somebody tried to get in here overnight. 82:27 The cell phone records, the pings were all out in that area, so, you know, we suspect it, that's what happened. 82:37 If you heard the testimony of the landfill expert, it would be next to impossible to just find a body just by conducting a search of the landfill. 82:47 Who wants that for their child to be the final resting place? No one. 82:57 We want to bring her justice and bring her home with us, her and Kadri both. 83:01 That was the name that she was going to give the child. 83:06 I'm never going to recover without getting her back, 83:13 and so I still have nowhere to go to take her flowers, 83:19 to go sit and talk with her, 83:22 take her balloons on her birthday, 83:25 you know, go to see her on the holidays. 83:32 I go, go pee. 83:35 How do you want her to be remembered? 83:37 hurt. A little girl with a really big heart, a really big smile, a really big 83:44 laugh, beautiful eyes, silly. She was so silly. I miss being silly with her. I miss 83:55 all the things that we didn't get to do together. We've been covering this story 84:10 for more than five years now and as you can see the heartbreak never really 84:14 stops for Kelsey's mom and the entire Shelling family. And Dante Lucas's
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