what could make me crumble, you know, she would be strong enough to stand up to. ♪ i watched the news on tv ♪ >> kelsie schelling's face is on billboards in pueblo, and volunteers have combed through the area she was last seen. >> now since she's gone, you fighter.have had to turn into a ♪ >> she's the strongest mom i know. i mean, who fights for their kid like this? ♪

>> it was like, well, maybe she'll call. maybe she's out there, you know? >> a pregnant woman who vanished. >> kelsie was eight weeks pregnant, last seen in pueblo visiting her boyfriend. >> friends and family would get text replies back, but they said that it just didn't quite sound like kelsie. >> i did have a sinking feeling in my stomach. >> this unknown man is seen walking to kelsie schelling's car and is seen driving away with the car. >> i mean, we're trying everything. it breaks my heart. >> almost two years after kelsie's disappearance, a mysterious message giving everyone hope comes through that "help find sell kelsie" facebook page. >> it was saying, "if i have information about kelsie, can i remain anonymous?" >> when laura responds, a man emails her saying, ma'am, please, your daughter is not dead.

>> it was just the fear of, what if she is still out there somewhere? what if? i mean, it's just what if, what if, what if? >> kelsie schelling grew up in the tiny farm town of holyoke, colorado. >> holyoke is around two and a half, three hours from denver. >> it's quiet. you just kind of have your own way. >> perfect to raise a family? >> yeah, a real good place. safe. you're hoping, anyway. >> holyoke is definitely agricultural. it there is only one stoplight. if you want to go to a walmart, you've got to head west to sterling. that's 50 miles away. >> in the early '90s, kelsie's parents, doug and laura, owned the local grocery store in holyoke.

kelsie and her brother colby seem to be living out the american dream. >> i first met laura saxton back in 2016, when "20/20" was first looking into kelsie's story. >> you know, she's just always been a little firecracker. [ laughter ] hi, kels. hi cocoa bean. >> kelsie? kels? >> she wasn't the kid that wanted to stay up till midnight, where usually you'd have to fight your kids to go to bed. at 8:30, that's when she wanted to go to bed. she'd go in her into her room, pull back the covers, and each animal had to be in a certain place, and everything had to be perfect. >> when she got to be 2, 3, 4 years old, she was feisty. you try to give her a kiss, and she'd slap you pretty good. so, kind of learned my lesson, you know? >> my first impression of

kelsie, she was just an active, outdoors, fun-loving girl. liked to do a lot of sports. when my daughter and kelsie first met up, their first true love was playing basketball together. >> i was their coach, yeah. here she is right here. >> wow. is she the point guard? >> mm-hmm. >> when we were still in elementary school, her dad took us out and let us drive on the dirt roads, which is pretty common around here. kelsie could just laugh about things like that. her laugh would make us laugh. she'd start to giggle, and then you would start to giggle, and so that's what made being around kelsie so special. >> kelsie was a tiny, little thing. you know, shorter than me. >> the kelsie i knew didn't take a lot of crap off her classmates. she wasn't afraid to stand her ground. >> but as kelsie enters her teens, the schelling family is rocked when doug and laura

decide to divorce. >> going through a divorce is really hard as a kid. >> yeah, the split of our parents certainly had an impact on both of us. >> colby. >> colby lived with me and kelsie lived with her mom. it was a real dark time for the whole family. >> it was a rough age. after her dad and i got divorced, it was just she and i together, alone, for a lot of years. >> she was in a bad emotional place, and i don't think that was due to her character and nature. i think that was circumstantial. >> when laura and i was going through a divorce, she was on antidepressant pills, and she ended up taking like three of them or something. >> she ended up in the hospital for several days, and it was pretty scary. i thought we were going to lose her at that point. >> she was in a coma? >> she was. >> i felt like it was a turning point.

i mean, when any young, school-age kid has parents who are splitting up, that's a lot to take on. she actually stopped doing all of the sports and activities. it seemed like she was more removed. >> i think kelsie was just looking -- she was losi lookinga change. she wanted to figure out what -- what was her niche. >> kelsie was always working through, how do i be better? how do i grow? how do i move past this? >> our senior year, she was the prom queen. you don't get that without showing people kindness and respect and truly being embraced by your peers, you know. >> kelsie taught me -- she taught me perseverance. she goes to northeastern junior cllege. what did she want to do with her life?

a >> she wanted to get a degree in psychology. i think in her heart she wanted to work with children. >> we officially became roommates in january 2011. if all of us were bored at 3:00 in the morning, she'd be the one to go cause problems, i guess. not bad problems. she was just out for a good time. she loved to have fun. that was her thing to do. >> and for a while, carefree kelsie is back. and then she meets donthe lucas. he's about to change her life forever. >> it was a big deal that she was dating dante. he was part of the basketball team. they were kind of the popular kids and everything. way by the time kelsie got to know him, she felt proud she knew who he was because he was somebody to know. >> he had dreams of making it big in the nba. >> kelsie thought she met the man of her dreams.

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marker. >> please say your full name and give us your title. >> lisa wayne. attorney-at-law. i had the privilege of being down in pueblo in the '80s, and i was a public defender. pueblo's a small town in southern colorado. used to be a steel mill town. the steel mill shut down in the '80s.

>> pueblo was founded and built he world. that came from all >> we are the home of the pueblo chili. everyone that lives there is so proud of this town. >> kelsie's love interest, donthe lucas, lives in pueblo. sarah lucas, donthe's mother, is raising all four kids on her own in this colorado town set on what's called the front range of the rocky mountains. >> in the town of pueblo, a 6'7" star athlete stands out. >> i coached donthe lucas in youth football. he was a coach's dream. he was a real polite kid. wanted to learn the game of football and jt re donthe lucas was super close with his mother, sarah. on the football field, she was one of the most supportive parents.

for donthe football wasn't his sport. i'd say he was a better basketball player, which happened later in his career through high school. >> donthe lucas was a very well-known basketball player. he was gonna be the one who made it out of pueblo. >> he had dreams of making it big in the nba. ♪ i was born to win ♪ >> it was obvious that he wanted to pursue it, but the family spoke more about it than he did. we were told by donthe's mom, sarah, that he was getting contacted from north carolina and kentucky. their dream was that he was a good life for himself.d make - >> when i first met donthe, he was a freshman here at central high school. he was 6'7." if you have that kind of size, you can make a lot of things happen. >> it just amazed me, a guy in class that was so quiet was as popular as he was. >> he was a really good role model for the kids in the neighborhood.

>> his attitude was always good. he was good with his teammates. he just matured into a very good basketball player. >> his overall drive as a student, from day one, it wasn't up to snuff. as a teacher, i'd try to get him involved with the rest of the class. i talked to him about that several times. >> whether it was his grades or his skill, donthe didn't get into a ncaa school, but he wanted to continue to play basketball. >> donthe gets recruited to northeastern junior college in sterling, colorado. he's playing basketball when he meets kelsie schelling, and they begin dating. >> kelsie and another one of our roommates actually went to a basketball game and were scouting out the cute boys on the team, saw donthe and decided to go up and talk. and that's how she and donthe met. by the time kelsie got to know him, she felt proud that she knew who he was because he was somebody to know. they spend a lot of their extra free time together. >> when did you first meet him? >> i never met him.

i saw him play basketball a couple of times. >> kelsie never really said anything about bringing him home to meet the parents. >> he was not committed to her by any means. >> kelsie could have had anybody, but she kind of always took attraction to people that needed help, that she thought she could turn around. >> i believe that if donthe was failing or had bad grades, that his basketball career at the school would be definitely on pause. i don't honestly think that donthe really cared to learn. but when she would try to help him, he would just seem very disinterested and not really care. >> i think she just hoped that if she was good enough to him, that he would realize that she's the one. >> i think kelsie stayed with donthe because she found someone that gave her attention, even if it wasn't the right kind of attention. i think donthe was with kelsie because he got money from kelsie, borrowed kelsie's car,

basically lived a life that everyone works for, but didn't have to do anything for it. just had to be there. >> there were good days in the relationship with donthe. and then it went south. he would play with her heart. i could definitely see some bubbliness fading out as he broke her spirit. >> kelsie texts donthe, i'm really hurt. the way you talk about me to other people is your true feelings. i guess i'm just a fool. i'm so heartbroken. days later, donthe would respond, my phone's been dead the past few days. >> then, afterwards, she'd be like, "oh, well, you know, he's better. he's gonna be better." and then she'd be happy. >> donthe left northeastern junior college because he was kind of done with his studies. >> after kelsie leaves northeastern junior college, she lands in california, but she doesn't stay there long. why did she decide to leave? >> mostly it was financial reasons. >> where did she go from there? >> that's when she moved back to colorado. ♪

was living in denver in her dad's apartment. and she had started working at floor and decor. >> when did she start going out with donthe again? >> over the holiday timeframe, november, december. he would stay with her, but then he'd go back to pueblo sometimes. >> were you orried that he would come back and what that would do to her? >> absolutely. i saw what it was like before. and i didn't want that to happen to her again. she didn't want that to happen to her again, because she knew what kind of person she became when she was with him. >> how in the world did they get back together? >> i don't know. she missed him, i guess. >> kelsie has a surprise for her family. she's pregnant. >> she called me when she found out she was pregnant, and she was stressed. you know, very stressed. i could tell she was scared to tell me. i just told her, i will support you. it's going to be okay. she was happy.

>> did she tell you anything about donthe's reaction? >> she said he was mad. >> she and donthe would be texting, and he would stop responding during arguments they were having. she would then get upset, wait to hear back, left in limbo. and it was very aggravating for her. >> kelsie texts donthe, you were my best friend. the one thing i lived for day after day. what happened to us? it wasn't suppose to be like this. >> one time i talked to her, she'd say, he's coming around. donthe will never abandon the baby. >> but a child with kelsie was not in donthe's plans. >> kelsie gets a text from donthe, and he says that he has something for her. he alludes to a surprise, and he wants her to come to pueblo. ruined our meal. i spent all day trying to master my nana's recipe. i got everything right —

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kelsie had come home. when she was here, she slept a lot. i knew it was hard on her, working full-time in denver. and now with a new pregnancy, she was really tired. i said, i will support you, whether donthe is in the picture or not in the picture. it's going to be okay. she was happy. she wanted that baby. she wanted to be a mom. >> she was in a good place. >> yes. so i'm thankful for those couple of days that we got before she went missing. >> my name is zach hillstrom. i am a reporter at "the pueblo chieftain." i think that people have been

trying to fill in the blanks not just when it seemed like the mystery might be a permanent one. on february 3rd of 2013, donthe lucas, her boyfriend, was trying to convince kelsie schelling to come visit him in pueblo that day. she responded with a firm no, it seems like they fought a lot that night. just before 3:00 a.m. kelsie texted donthe, you don't have to be in a relationship with me. you don't have to marry me. you don't have to have a happy little family with me. you don't have an obligation to me. you're good. don't worry. goodnight. lucas' response to that was, oh, i know all of that. thanks for stating that for me. >> it was february 4th, and kelsie had taken three home pregnancy tests. so she went in to the doctor and had the doctor confirm to her that she was actually pregnant. she got the sonogram done. she even had the photo in hand of her sonogram.

she was able to share that with her mom. >> what did you think when you saw the baby? >> i was happy. i knew that she was happy. >> she showed up to work, probably ten minutes late. she just had her ultrasound. she was really excited. she was in a great mood that day. >> that morning kelsie told don they she had finished her appointment and her due date was september 13th. lucas' response to that was, "cool." he asked her to skip work and come to pueblo. she texted him, i'm not going to come get you so we can fight all day. he texted pack. identity to fight all day. i want to give you this. she writes back, give me what? he says, just wait and see for yourself. you probably wouldn't believe me if i told you anyway so you can see for yourself. >> kelsie decides to go down to pueblo after work. >> she clocked out of work at

a little bit after 8:40 p.m. and hit the road to see donthe in pueblo. >> so denver to pueblo drive, right down i-25, it's about two hours long. it's just one straight path. not a lot of people are out on the roads. it is a lonely quiet drive. while she's driving down to pueblo, donthe sends her a text saying, let's meet at the southside walmart. she parks her car there. >> she texted him at 10:20 saying she'd arrived. and he replied that he'd be there shortly. >> she's waiting, she's waiting, and she's getting impatient like any girlfriend would. >> but at 11:10 p.m., he still hadn't shown up to the walmart. >> that's when donthe says,

let's meet at our spot. which is in the neighborhood of his grandmother's home, and that's where donthe was staying at the time. she moved her car there from the southside walmart. she was just parked on the side of the road in this residential neighborhood. so then she's left waiting there again, and she's still impatiently texting him. >> the last confirmed message from kelsie was sent at 11:18 p.m. she was asking donthe, where are you? i've been here for over an hour just waiting. >> the following day, the 5th, she didn't show up for work. so i tried calling her. couldn't get a response. so then i shot her a text message asking her where she was, why she wasn't at work. got a text message back right away saying that she was in the hospital having some tests done. and she said that she was not having a baby anymore. it was growing in the wrong place. >> i tried calling her on

wednesday. she didn't answer her phone, which is kind of -- pretty rare. and then i texted her. i said, hey, give me a call. i got a text message back that said, i'm not feeling good. i'm on the couch. i'll call you tomorrow. >> i kept trying to call, and she wouldn't answer. toward the end of the week, it was going directly to voicemail. so then in the back of my mind, i'm starting to get concerned. >> after kelsie had driven to pueblo, there was never a phone call that was answered from her phone. >> kelsie is not the type of person who would, like, not talk to her friends. she was glued to her phone. >> friends and family would get text replies back, but they said that it came in a voice that just didn't quite sound like kelsie. it was just short, quick responses. >> generally, any text message i had from kelsie, words for spelled and there was punctuation, and they didn't

have that. >> i got to looking at the text message, and it's like, "man, i don't think that was her." >> why didn't you think that was her? >> it was just the verbiage in it and stuff. it just didn't seem like her texting me. >> then on that saturday morning, it's like the whole world just unraveled. all of her friends, like, started contacting us, saying, you know, we've been trying to reach kelsie and we can't reach her. i called doug, her dad, and said, you know, something is wrong. and so then we all drove up to denver that day. went into the apartment. there was no sign of her in the apartment. and that's when we called the denver police. >> family members were visibly upset. they were frantic, actually, almost feverishly asking for any help they could get in trying to locate her. >> did you reach out to donthe? >> i did contact him to ask him, you know, if he knew where she

was. >> what did he sound like on the phone? because the call that you're making to him is kelsie, the woman that you are with, the mother of your child, is missing. we are desperate to find her. >> nothing. no. not worked up, not, you know, just -- >> he's not scared? what can i do? how can i help? >> no, he just says, if i hear from her i'll let you know. and then a little bit later he got back with me. he said, i heard from kelsie. she called from a private number. she said she doesn't have her phone. and she said she'll be getting ahold of you. >> intimating that she's alive, she's out there. >> and i said, well, can you track that number? and he was like, yeah, i'll try and figure out what the number was. and then, of course, he never did. >> when this case first came in, i called donthe. he was telling me that he had seen her and had talked with

her and spent time with her more recently than any of her family members, any of hends.ter i gotd have sinking feeling in my stomach. that friday, february 15th, we drove down to pueblo to turn the investigation over to the pueblo police department. >> we in the beginning were trying not to call him a suspect, to try to build a rapport with him and try to sit down and get him to open up. >> can you kind of tell me just briefly what happened? >> well, tuesday morning, early tuesday morning, she came down to pueblo. >> during the course of the interrogation with donthe lucas, he reveals some pretty shocking things about kelsie and about the baby. this is the sound of an asthma attack... that doesn't happen. this is the sound of better breathing. fasenra is a different kind of asthma medication. it's not a steroid or inhaler. fasenra is an add-on tre for asthma driven by eosinophils. it's one maintenance dose every 8 weeks.

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now to the mysterious disappearance of a denver woman. >> a pregnant woman who vanished. >> kelsie was eight weeks pregnant. >> last seen in pueblo visiting her boyfriend, donthe lucas. >> so, when do you start talking to donthe lucas? >> we start talking to him fairly quickly as far as what is going on. want to have a chair right there, brother? >> police bring donthe in for questioning and immediately he denies a romantic relationship with kelsie. >> now, is she your girlfriend or -- >> no, we never were actually in a relationship. >> can you kind of tell me, just briefly, what happened? >> she came down to pueblo, and we were talking, whatever. and then we ended up -- she ended up, you know, getting mad at me or whatever. >> donthe tells officer robinson that kelsie slept in her car in

pueblo. >> he said they met up again the following morning, and that he brought kelsie schelling to parkview medical center where she went inside. >> so, went to parkview, and she went in, say, for about almost two hours. and hour and 45. >> we have no record of kelsie schelling ever being here at parkview medical center. >> now, what do you check to find out if she was here or not? >> we have a medical record system that keeps track of every patient that's ever walked through our doors. >> so for you, there's no way she's ever here? >> that's correct. >> he alluded to the fact that she may have had a miscarriage. >> she came out and she told me that she wasn't pregnant. >> just the day before in denver, kelsey's doctor told her that the baby was healthy. >> so then after we left parkview -- >> donthe claimed that he and kelsie then went to the southside walmart. kelsie was going to grab some snacks before she made the drive back to denver. >> she went to go get some snacks, like, something to eat, because she was hungry. and then came back out, and we ended up talking.

she ended up telling me, like, get out of the car at walmart. like, she didn't want to take me home. so i just left from walmart and started walking home. and then my mom came and got me. >> but surveillance video from walmart reveals a different version of events. >> he contends that the two of them are together. and clearly, based on the surveillance, it's one person. it's him getting out of the car. and no one else exits. >> when the car was parked at walmart on february 5th, police believe that it was donthe lucas parking that car, getting out and walking away. they have pretty good surveillance video showing it. >> the car sat there overnight. >> the morning of february 6th, this unknown man is seen walking to kelsie schelling's car parked at the southside walmart and is seen driving away with the car. we have no idea who that person was in that video. >> it's a car that that person is familiar with, and we know earlier that donthe had the key. >> who do you think that someone

was that came back and drove that car away? >> you know, there's similarities to donthe, but it's nothing that we can 100% say that is the person who drove it away. >> when donthe lucas talked with police, he didn't paint the best picture of kelsie. he painted a picture of, you know, just that she was kind of troubled. >> she has, like, bad anxiety. she has anxiety attacks, so she has pills for that. >> what can you tell me about that? >> she's told me before that, like, she's ended up in, like, the hospital a few times for, like, overdosing, i guess. >> ton donthe casts her to police as someone who had trouble with drugs. >> no. >> no. >> no? >> no, i don't believe that. no. >> um, she just one time was talking about suicide. but she told me she ended up in the hospital, like, multiple times. >> 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. i mean, she was happy. she wanted that baby. she wanted to be a mom. >> so, at this point, kelsie has been missing for more than a week. but on valentine's day, february 14, 2013, her car's discovered. >> the car of a missing denver woman has been found in pueblo. >> detectives will be examining kelsie's car. >> it was big news when kelsie's car was found at st. mary-corwin medical center. how did it get there? what happened to kelsie? >> i knew once her car was found that something horrible had happened, because there's just no way that she would've gone somewhere and left her car. >> you find the car and no kelsie. >> and no kelsie. we did not have any good security footage that could tell us who dropped off the car, how the car got there. normally, if someone was going to go away for a few days, they'd take their car with them. so we are now leaning towards foul play. so we accelerate the case. >> police start working backwards. they start going through surveillance video. and what they find is pretty

surprising. less than 12 hours after she would have arrived in pueblo, surveillance video shows donthe in her car at an atm in pueblo. he's driving, and he takes $400 out of kelsie's bank account. >> is it suspicious for you that he uses that card after the date where you pinpoint kelsie was missing? >> it is part of the suspicious activity, yes. >> because donthe withdraws money from kelsie's account without her in the car, dante is brought in for a second time by pueblo police. >> this is the second time we've talked to you. >> mm-hmm. >> these detectives had a wealth of information to go at him. >> why'd you get the money? >> the money? what money are we talking about? >> at the bank. you're on video, dude. in her car with her credit card. you're on tape. >> oh, the $400 you're talking about? >> mm-hmm. >> it was for my phone bill.

>> why didn't she go with you to the atm? she's not in the car. it's all on the video. >> um. it may have been while she was at the hospital. honestly, i'm not sure about that. like i said, my time frame has been messed up. >> the detective moves on to another topic, talking about why there's no record of her showing up at the hospital. >> there's no record of her ever being at parkview. >> that's -- that's like all i have to say. >> now, here's the thing. instead of pressing donthe on these contradictions, they move on to an unrelated topic. >> when you dropped her off and she dropped you off at walmart, where were you parked at? >> i mean, like, apparently you guys know so, like, i don't understand why you -- like, i told you one time. like, i don't -- that's all i can say about it. >> she dropped you off -- when was that again? >> can i speak to a lawyer, please? you guys just keep asking the same questions over and over. like, i'd just like to speak to a lawyer. >> once he requests a lawyer,

all questions come to a halt. >> unfortunately this is a very poorly executed interview. i think it's a tremendous missed opportunity. >> once he shut down, our avenues of trying to talk to him end. >> how did you read that? >> as the possibility that he knows something. >> donthe lucas was arrested on february 15th. they don't arrest him on murder charges. he was arrested on felony identity theft charges for using kelsie's debit card at the bank that day. >> but those charges were later dropped when investigators found out that kelsie did on occasion give him permission to use her bank card. >> how do you prove she did not or did give him permission at that time? and since you had permission to do it before, it makes it a very difficult case to prosecute. >> he's released. he's, you know, living his life. >> do we suspect foul play? yes. have we come up with a body? no. donthe is a person of interest,

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mysterious disappearance -- >> the disappearance of kelsie schelling. >> missing pregnant woman and her unborn baby. ♪ world, i want to leave you bet a ♪ >> as journalists, these are the stories that keep us up at night. this was a story that i spent four years working on and reporting on. >> phi five years of no answers. >> i wanted so badly for there to be justice in this case. >> even though kelsie's car was found in pueblo, kelsie hadn't

been found. police maintained at that time that it was a missing person's case. >> when the charges of identity left the are dropped in 2013, police can't get dante to talk again. >> i have a chair right there. >> so they decide to speak to his mother, sarah lucas. >> i would love to clear donthe and move on. if donthe would come in, do a polygraph, we ask him like five questions. if he passes that, we can move on and look in other directions. >> i will relay that to his lawyer, and i know my son wants nothing more than to find out what happened to her. >> detectives ask her about february 5th. that's the day that donthe was seen on surveillance camera parking kelsie's car at walmart. >> did you in fact pick donthe up? >> i did pick my son up.

>> at that time did you see kelsie? was she with him, or? >> no, um. she wasn't with him then. >> do you know where she was? >> didn't ask. >> sarah gives donthe an alibi for his whereabouts on february 6th, when that unknown man is seen moving kelsie's car from the walmart. >> on the 6th, donthe, or somebody that looks remarkably similar to donthe -- i'm not going to say 100% it was him, but -- went back and picked it up. >> no way that was him. there's no way. he was at home. i know my son. and she's not capable of hurting anybody. >> but it's been three years since this case happened, no one's been charged. >> that's right. you have inconsistencies, lies, but without a body or any direct evidence that tells us something happened to her, to a homicide, you know, it may happen one day,

but right now it's -- you know, we haven't had any evidence to reclassify it. >> when you look at the pueblo police department, they probably didn't have as many resources. and her family quickly became frustrated with how this investigation was progressing or kind of the lack thereof any progress. >> kelsie's still not a victim, according to them. there's not been a criminal act committed according to them. we just want an effective investigation done into kelsie's disappearance. >> her family is pleading for your help. >> we are doing everything in our power to find our missing loved one. we tried to push pueblo police for answers. we were there for every press conference, every event. >> we just weren't getting any new information from them at all, and to me that was so frustrating. >> the investigation really

isn't being handled properly. >> laura saxton has always been a fierce advocate for her daughter, and i don't think she'll rest until kelsie is found. >> many in pueblo are not giving up on finding clues that could help find kelsie schelling. >> why do you think people feel so strongly about kelsie's case? >> you know, they can't believe it. you know, they try and imagine, what if it was their child? >> we're going to break up again over here. >> in may of that year when she went missing, they started doing their own searches, because they didn't think police were looking hard enough. >> the whole community was rallying. there were so many searches for her body, all over the city of pueblo. >> this is probably the largest group we have had in awhile, and after three years that means a lot, so thank you. >> come on, kid. >> people were scattering, just looking for any shred of evidence. >> it's becoming harder to come

back. i dread the trips, but i know i have to do it. >> she comes home empty-handed. the one thing she doesn't have is kelsie. >> they never found anything on those searches. then those searches turned into anniversaries. >> kelsie schelling disappeared four years ago this month. >> kelsie's mother believes police are now closer than ever to finding her. >> that turned into justice walks. >> what do we want? >> justice! >> around the pueblo police department and the district attorney's office. >> we appreciate you all so much. >> to put pressure on our system to do something here. >> we are going to keep going. we are going to keep coming up with ideas. we are going to try everything. >> kelsie's family offers a $50,000 reward for information. so you feel like, you're doing everything you can even to this day to find out what happened with kelsie.

>> yes. there is no lead we don't follow up. we've followed up leads from psychics that call in. >> in an effort to get some more information and hopefully some tips and leads in the case, kelsie's family also set up a facebook page, help find kelsie. >> it was one source or one place where people could come together to generate information, maybe from people that didn't want to call police. >> you get a facebook message. >> it was from a woman saying, if i have information about kelsie, can i remain anonymous? it's so awful. he sold her into sex trafficking. i almost feel like i went insane. what if, what if, what if? what if she is still out there somewhere? >> we were on the ground to investigate and i couldn't believe what happened. >> coming out of the trunk. get ready. >> ryan smith, abc news.

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♪ i want to leave you better ♪ ♪ i want my life to matter ♪ ♪ but i'm afraid i have no purpose here ♪ ♪ >> they were meeting in a parking lot. >> donthe sends her a text saying, let's meet at the southside walmart. she parks her car there. >> the car sat there overnight. >> this unknown man is seen walking to kelsie schelling's car and is seen driving away with the car. >> and kelsie's just gone. >> kelsie had taken three home pregnancy tests. >> now, is she your girlfriend, or -- >> no, we never were actually in a relationship. >> the lead suspect stops talking. >> can i speak to a lawyer, please?

>> it's a dead end. >> these are the stories that keep us up at night. >> but an undercover volunteer befriends him. >> i had to play the role that i didn't know what was happening. so i was like, oh, my gosh, what is going on? what is happening? there sting >> they're about ten seconds away. get ready. >> i know my testimony could potentially help take him down. >> the anxiety level was high, the tension was high. >> the witness in the lucas trial. >> was found shot to death. >> when they came and told us the verdict was in, weerp li my >> her mother simply won't give >> her mother simply won't give up on finding kelsie.

for nearly two years, laura saxton had been on a desperate search for answers about her daughter kelsie, who suddenly disappeared in february of 2013. >> there will be a renewed search for clues in the case of kelsie schelling. >> just through seeing laura saxton -- the tears, the sadness, the frustration, it all came, you know, rolling out. >> many in pueblo are not giving up on finding clues that could help find kelsie schelling. >> the relentlessness of this mother's search really struck a chord with many in pueblo. scores of locals out to help laura search all around the pueblo area for any trace of kelsie. >> over here on this other hike in two more groups -- >> the ride home is always really tough. going home empty-handed, emotionally and physically. >> is it hard to keep hope? >> as far as the hope of actually finding her, that dwindles, you know, every day. >> but then in october of 2015,

nearly two years after kelsie's disappearance, there's a shocking development. a mysterious message giving laura hope comes through the "help find kelsie" facebook page that laura had set up to gather tips and leads on her case. >> it was saying, "if i have information about kelsie, can i remain anonymous?" >> when laura responds, a man emails her say,ing, ma'am, please, your daughter is not dead. she will be back home alive. the man offers a harrowing account of what happened to kelsie, claiming donthe had hired a friend to kill her. donthe has no idea she is alive. he thinks she is dead. >> and that the friend did not kill her, he sold her into sex trafficking. it made me sick. i mean, i -- i could barely function. what if she is still out there somewhere?

>> the emailer says he needs money to help kelsie escape -- $50,000 in cash. so, the plan is this -- the money is to be specifically the a local mcdonald's restaurant. and then hand delivered to a guy named marcus who would be wearing a red hat. >> once the money was exchanged, then this courier person would go and get kelsie and bring her back to the mcdonald's. >> i'll have to sell some stocks which will take about a week, but i can push to expedite that proce process. i just thought, what if she's been out there and i could have found her and we haven't? i mean, it was just, what if? what if? >> laura sets up the meet at the mcdonald's in vancouver to deliver the cash. but even though she's desperate

for answers, she's worried something criminal is going on. she asks the vancouver police to go undercover to meet the courier undercover. >> i felt like, you know, law enforcement should have been involved in this situation. but just before the appointed time, the vancouver police back out, believing it to be an internet scam and not an actual human trafficking plot. but "20/20" had the mcdonald's under surveillance to see if anyone would show up. our cameras are rolling as a man with a red hat comes in. >> that's him. >> he sits after no one chose up, he takes off. >> okay, he's on move. cut the engine. >> weird, eerie to see they were actually going through with this. >> he's gone. >> it was all just a matter of trying to get down to the truth of this. >> as i was investigating the mysterious email, a contact of mine told me about another missing woman's case that

proved to be the key to unraveling this mystery. in portsmouth, ohio, 1,200 miles away from colorado megan lancaster, 25 years old, has also suddenly disappeared. >> kadie lancaster is on a mission to help find her sister-in-law. >> i mean, she's gone with a trace. we have her car and her wallet. an eerie feeling like there's something, like we're gonna find something. >> months go by with no developments. megan's family organizes searches and sets up a facebook page to publicize the case. >> and then out of nowhere, he pops up. stang messageomes through the family's facebook page about megan. >> he says, i know where megan is and i can get her back. >> just like with kelsie's family, the emailer says he can help megan escape, but he needs money -- $50,000. he directs them to bring $25,000 in cash up front to vancouver, washington, specifically to that same

mcdonald's and deliver it to a man named marcus wearing, no surprise, a red hat. >> what if he really does have her and i can bring her home? >> you should stick with the crew behind the camera with the crew. >> to unravel just what's going on with this mystery, kadie agreed to work with "20/20" to set up a sting operation. >> kadie and i are going to be in one vehicle. >> just like laura did two weeks earlier, she arranges a meeting to drop off the money in vancouver at that mcdonald's. kadie, you said this morning that they sent you a text message. >> they will be sending marcus. >> okay, they're both rolling >> i woung to this rendezvous with kadie, but wearing a hidden camera. >> as we walk into the mcdonald's at the appointed meet time we quickly spot marcus, the man in the red hat, and walk over to him. kadie was instructed not to ask any questions, so i told marcus,

hey, the money is in the trunk of a car parked outside. >> right when they're at the trunk, get ready, we're about ten seconds away. >> meanwhile, i was waiting outside with our camera team and a security guard in case this whole thing went sideways. >> okay, let's get ready. >> as they head out to the parking lot, before the trunk is opened, i walk over to marcus. i want to get some answers. >> marcus, ryan smith, abc news. how you doing? >> pretty good. >> good. why'd you come here to take $25,000 from kadie? >> i don't know. >> you don't know why you're here to take $25,000 from kadie? >> nope. >> what are you here for? >> oh, 'cause -- to collect some money. >> marcus claims he was suckered, too, lured online into a supposed jewelry venture. he says he was supposed to pick up the money and then wire it to someone he's never met. >> so, a random guy tells you to go to a mcdonald's twice in less than two weeks to meet people to pick up money, and you don't wink anything of it?noinoft. going to deliver megan to kadie today. is that true?

>> i have no idea about no megan or n like that. >> this would be a scheme to extort money from families who have family members that are missing. >> i didn't know nothing of this. i had no clue anybody was supposed to be exchanging nothin' for a human being. if i did know, i would not have been involved in this situation. >> you have been here twice coming to pick up money at an mcdonald's. your name is stattached to this. >> just feel shaky inside. >> i had no clue. >> it's important that you be real honest with me. >> yeah. yeah, i'm real honest. >> you have never heard of kelsie schelling. >> never. >> definitely a big scam. i want to know who's behind it. >> but an fbi analysis of the emailer's facebook page show the way to russia. >> in most scams, they're compartmentalized. so, the person you may send to pick up the cash at a particular location may know nothing about what the scam is.

that's just 100% clarification that this is just some dirt bags out there trying to get money off these poor families. >> but while the extortion plot that was torturing laura was laid to rest, the roller coaster ride wasn't over. a sympathetic stranger who feels for laura comes up with a shocking plan to go undercover on her own and befriend donthe to try to find the truth about what happened to kelsie. >> i knew that i was potentially putting myself into danger. >> donthe lucas? >> when we go to get answers from donthe, she was right there with him. >> what do you have to say to her family? c asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection-site reactions,

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even though laura saxton lives hundreds of miles away from pueblo, colorado, the news about her years-long crusade to find her missing daughter continues to resonate with folks living there. >> our top story tonight, the search for kelsie schelling. today law enforcement following new leads in the case. >> we're going to keep coming with ideas. i mean, we're trying everything. >> i felt really heartbroken for her. as a mom, i couldn't even begin to fathom knowing that you're child's out there. >> it's spring of 2016 when lauren suhr, a single mom living near pueblo, says laura's story inspired her to hatch an audacious plan of her own -- make facebook friends with donthe lucas, gain his trust,

and meet up in real life, and just maybe help solve a mystery of what happened to kelsie. >> it definitely was nerve-wracking, but i felt like i could do it. so i had messaged him on facebook, and i told him that i was looking to meet new friends. he responded fairly quickly, within, i would say, a couple of hours. >> lauren was eventually able to get donthe to meet her in person. when we shot this footage of donthe playing basketball in 2016, lauren was there with on they had ever met. >>e had weno a hoops, and that' man with a camera came up to us. >> donthe lucas? i'm with abc news "20/20." the family of kelsie says you're responsible for her disappearance. is that true?

>> no. just -- >> who is kelsie? >> i freaked out. i had to play the role that i didn't know what was happening. so i was like, oh, my gosh, what's going on? like, what is happening? >> what the [ bleep ] is happening? and he kind of just shut down and was like, i'll tell you about it later on. don't freak out. it's okay. none of this is true. >> as the weeks go by, lauren says she's able to develop a close relationship with donthe. >> just hang around the family, watch movies, drink a little bit. he always smelled of alcohol. he comes off as very cocky, i feel like. he feels like he's just the man and he's just -- he can't do no wrong. >> just as she'd planned, lauren says she got donthe to open up, to trust her enough. the time finally seemed right to ask him about kelsie. >> there was only a certain amount of period of time that he would talk about it.

one minute he had no involvement, he had nothing to do with it. and then he would just shut down and start crying hysterically and get really upset. >> but lauren says something very unexpected happened with donthe. her undercover relationship with him blossomed into romance. >> i felt like he did genuinely develop feelings for me and did genuinely fall in love with me. he has this way about him that makes you feel so sorry for him. in the back of my mind, i always kept that he is potentially a murderer. >> lauren says her relationship with donthe continued for about a year, but then something happened. there was an incident outside his house that made her realize she was in way over her head. >> he was like, i want to you marry me. he showed me the ring. i took the ring. at that point, i was kind of n' get in any deeper than i had already gotten into.

>> despite all the efforts of this clandestine girlfriend, her work doesn't seem to be paying off, and the clock just keeps ticking for laura saxton. she's not any closer to the truth about what happened to kelsie. >> i wasn't happy at all with how things were going. and, i mean, that's one big reason why i wanted to do the first story with you guys was i was hoping that that would somehow bring something out into the light. >> tonight on "20/20," when do in may ofellinghe r a pregnant airwaves. the very day of our broadcast, there's a big announcement regarding the investigation into kelsie's disappearance. the colorado bureau of investigation was going to joini kind of like, oh, my god, this is awesome. >> i think once that "20/20" special aired, it really

turned up the heat on pueblo police and on this case. >> taking over the case, pueblo police department commander eric bravo and cbi agent kevin torres. working together, they move fast, turning it from a missing person's case and to a full blown criminal investigation. >> it was a homicide investigation in our eyes. so i immediately started working on setting a plan into motion how we wanted to proceed. >> police got a tip that led them to believe kelsie schelling's body might be in donthe's backyard. >> it's not long before the police dig up the yard of the house where dante and his family had been staying. >> we thought, man, we really have something. but it went from elation to dissatisfaction. that day, it just seemed like we were there and then it slipped away. >> during the investigation, agent torres finds out about donthe's relationship with lauren suhr. when he interviews suhr, she reveals that donthe had made a key admission to her about kelsie's disappearance, and it's

about that walmart surveillance video of the mystery man walking over to her car and then driving off with it. >> she confirmed for us donthe admitting it was him in the walmart surveillance video. she also informed us that donthe admitted to her dropping kelsie's car off at st. mary-corwin hospital. the piece of information that lauren provided to us was a pretty crucial piece at that point. >> then, in late 2017, there's a huge development that will totally transform the case. a pueblo man tells police that donthe and other family members had attacked him in front of their home and stolen 1,000 bucks from him. that gives them a reason to arrest donthe. >> i had information that donthe was leaving pueblo and was heading to d.i.a. where he seemingly intended to board a flight to tucson. and the concern was that he may take other efforts to meet friends in mexico. >> boy, the anxiety level was high. the tension was high. >> the time was ticking away, and the tires were turning on the road.

and donthe was within 20 minutes of getting on a plane for tucson, arizona, when he was arrested. >> when he was arrested, there was hope across the community that maybe investigators would finally get some answers in this case. >> we decided that the next day would be the day that we would send a couple detectives back in to try and, uh, answer some of the questions that we didn't have answered. >> during his interrogation, donthe finally breaks down and comes clean, confirming lauren suhr's account that he was the one seen in that walmart video. >> so that information that he confirmed that was him was huge. >> you see, that was that admission, combined with the wealth of evidence from text messages, cell phone records and surveillance video already gathered, was enough for prosecutors to move forward. >> at the end of the day, i said, i think we have enough here to go forward. i ethically believe that donthe lucas killed kelsie schilling, and i think we have the evidence to prove it.

>> a major development -- the ex-boyfriend of a pregnant denver woman who went missing four years ago -- >> he now faces charges of first-degree murder. >> how were you thinking as his trial approached? are you thinking justice will be done now? >> i put a lot of things on hold because i just was, you know, wasn't sure it was going to happen and wanted to be ready to go. >> so after eight years, donthe lucas is finally in court. and the prosecution has a surprise witness. >> that just took the whole room's breath away. ♪ ♪ this is my body of proof. proof of less joint pain and clearer skin. ...with humira. humira targets and blocks a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further irreversible joint damage and clear skin in many adults. humira can lower your ability to fight infections.

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this story became such a big deal here in pueblo because people want answers, and they haven't got any for eight years. >> donthe lucas, the pueblo man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend kelsie shilling almost eight years ago is headed to trial tomorrow. >> did i think it was going to be a tough case? absolutely. and we may not win it, but but think i owe it to kelsie, i think i owe it to the family to go forward in the case. >> channel 13's dan beedie has been following the trial and this case for more than 2 years. >> i was anticipating there to just be a mad rush of reporters who were going to try to get into the courtroom. i was very worried that i might not even get a seat. but you could feel the anticipation.

when i saw laura saxton walk into the judicial building, you could tell this was a day she's been waiting for for a long time. >> dnver 7's liz gilardi in pueblo for opening statements. liz, you've been with this case every step of the way now for all these years. >> the prosecution simply started out, and they said, this is not a missing persons case. this is a homicide case. >> the case that the prosecution was making right off the jump was one, they were going to prove through text messages and surveillance video that donthe lucas has to be the one responsible for kelsie schelling's death.>>he w relationship. kelsie schelling became dohe lucast want thave a baby. and he made sure that didn't happen. >> i know that she had mentioned kelsie schelling's chevy cruze. >> the prosecution said, this

car tells a story. and they told the jurors that you will see donthe lucas moving this car around pueblo in the days after she went missing. >> the idea that someone can essentially disappear without a trace i think, is kind of a counterintuitive thought for people to have. >> prosecutors think there's enough evidence to convict lucas even without a body, but the defense disagrees. >> in the opening statements, the defense said, this is a missing persons case. this has always been a missing person's case. they said, there's no body. there's no evidence. why should you believe that donthe lucas killed her? >> they do not have a crime scene. they do not have a murder weapon. >> today, the jury got a detailed look at some of text messages exchanged between them. >> for the prosecutors, their goal was to show that those text messages showed intent, showed that donthe lucas consistently lied, not only to investigators, but to laura saxton herself.

>> what they referred to as his luring of kelsie schelling to pueblo. >> the prosecution say that he lured her there to end her life. >> we know that that's his phone. he admitted to those text messages. we know that that's his thoughts and feelings about it. that's direct evidence. >> and the movements of their phones as well as they were pinging off cell phone towers in pueblo on the night of february 4th and the early morning hours of february 5th, i think that a lot of the case really centered around those movements. >> two pivotal witnesses testified in the high profile case of donthe luc. >> first witness was laura saxton, and we were not expecting laura saxton to be the first one to take the stand. >> she didn't break down, but you can tell she's hurting. there's a lot of pain behind her voice. >> i think that was really powerful for the jury to see. her mom spoke to the fact that she absolutely wanted this baby. >> prosecutors today painting kelsie schelling as an excited

mother-to-be, desperate to make it work with her boyfriend. >> it didn't take long for the prosecutors to swing for the fences, calling some pretty shocking witnesses to the stand. >> ryan rivera is a former pueblo county inmate who considered himself to be a friend of donthe lucas. >> and when he took the stand, he said that donthe lucas told him that they're never going to find kelsie schelling's body, that just took the whole room's breath away. >> ryan rivera, he was the only person what came forward over the duration of this trial that said, donthe told me he did this. >> i wasn't in the courtroom, but well, jailhouse snitch on its face is just not credible. that's the assumption that we believe jurors have, and it's the assumption we have as defense lawyers. why would this person do it? what's the benefit? what's the motive? >> there was no deals made about charges he would get to plead to, time he would get to serve.

there was no deals like that. >> there were a lot of names on the prosecutor's list that i was shocked by, but sarah lucas certainly topped that list. >> when you saw that sarah lucas was on the prosecution side, everyone wondered, what is she going to say? >> the one important thing that i've mentioned, she confirmed, is that donthe was the last person left alone with kelsie. >> the prosecution painted a picture of a troubled relationship. >> some of kelsie's close friends testified. they pointed towards elements of domestic abuse in kelsie and nt >> something worth pointing out was the prosecution, and even the defense, made it clear that dante was using kelsey for a number of things. for her money, dante used kelsey for her apartment in denver, and

used kelsie for her car. and his argument was, she lets me do it. the defense pushed the narrative that kelsie schelling popped pills, was an addict. that kelsie, when she left donthe lucas at the southside walmart here in pueblo, that she was going to meet up with a drug dealer. >> there's no single person other than the defendant in 2017, who's saying that she was into drugs and that she was a party girl. >> you didn't have the forensic evidence. it seemed like you were really relying on circumstantial evidence and the evidence of snitches and these other witnesses. that's pretty straightforward. either you believe them or you don't. >> the witness list yields more surprises. the ones who make it to court. >> i know that my testimony could potentially help take him down. >> and the onewho 't. hawaa lete delopnt in this case.

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breaking on denver 7, a key witness in the kelsie schelling murder trial found dead. >> that witness, 31-year-old roxann martinez was found shot to death in denver last week. >> these are still very stunning developments. >> roxann martinez, a witness for the prosecution, was set to testify soon. >> that was just an absolutely, completely unforeseen development in this case. people were reeling when that news broke. >> denver police officers were called to a residential area in southeast denver on a report of an unresponsive female who was lying in the roadway. we determined that that individual had been shot one time and died from that injury. >> her dad is in shock. her mom, her stepmom. it's just tragic all the way around. >> i think when a witness in any major case turns up dead directly before they're set to testify, i think, of course,

people are going to think, was she killed because she was going to testify? >> denver police arrested a suspect in martinez's killing, 2-year-old emmanuel chandler. chandler has been charged with first-degree murder, but he hasn't entered a plea yet. >> we don't have any connection between mister chandler and mr. lucas or anybody associated with that trial. >> our concern was to make sure that people understood that while she was an endorsed witness, i couldn't comment on her testimony. >> nobody knows what roxann martinez was going to say on the stand for sure, with the exception of maybe the investigators who talked to her. >> but while prosecutors say they can't discuss what roxann martinez would have said on the stand, "20/20" has uncovered some revealing details about her. back in march of 2016, a woman named roxann had reached out to laura saxton through that help

find kelsie facebook page. roxann messaged that she used to date the guy kelsie was pregnant with, and he told me what had happened and started crying. >> and instantly, like, mixed emotions. like, okay, are you going for the reward, or are you for real? >> when laura asked, "do you know where kelsie is located?" roxann replied, he told me everything. yes i do. >> basically her information sounded very good and very promising, and so we really wanted to meet with her. >> the mysterious woman agreed to meet laura and her husband in at a mexican restaurant in denver. >> we were actually on our way there. and i tried to reach her by phone to let her know we were coming. she said that she was in the hospital and couldn't meet us. that was kind of the extent of what i really remember. and then, past that, that was all turned over to law enforcement to look into further. >> authorities say that woman

was the same roxanne who was killed during the trial. >> i can confirm that cbi followed up and interviewed her. that we did have her as an endorsed witness that we wanted to testify during trial. the thing that i'm steering clear from is i just don't want to talk about evidence that wasn't actually admitted during trial. >> martinez's killing shakes up the trial and threatens to overshadow the testimony of another prosecution witness who had a remarkable story to tell. it's none other than lauren suhr, that woman who had befriended donthe as part of a plan to try to find out what happened to kelsie. >> i know that my testimony could potentially help take him down. and that was realistically why i wanted to testify. >> suhr testifies about donthe's critical admission to her -- that he was the mysterious figure seen picking up kelsie's car after it sat overnight in a walmart parking lot. >> i said, so that must have

meant that you had dropped the car off at the hospital, correct? and that's when he said yes, that that was him who dropped the car off. >> when the defense cross examines suhr, they attack her credibility and motives, at one point characterizing her as a sex informant because she had a physical relationship with donthe. >> it's fair game. if you're going to put yourself out there like she did and sleep with someone, the jury ought to know about that. you're having intimate conversations, and that casts a lot of suspicion on her as a witness. >> the sex informant part really bothered me, because i wasn't having sex with donthe to get answers out of him. i was playing my part in a role as girlfriend. so to me to be called such was really, really degrading. >> on the very last day of its case, the prosecution played an interrogation video of donthe confirming suhr's account. >> the clip that i played at the

beginning of my closing was his phrase to detectives. "i lied "i moved the car." i wanted the jury to hear the defendant in his own words, say, "i lied." >> when it's the defense's turn to present its case, they raise a lot of eyebrows in court. >> the defense didn't call a single witness to the stand. the defense immediately rested their case. and it was just another moment where you're jaw hit the floor. >> the burden of proof is on the government. it's simply messaging in a very strong way to the jury, they haven't done it. it's not guilty. so it's a strong message. >> there was just really not a lot of hard forensic evidence to go off of, so as far as, you know, what evidence they put forth in court that was irrefutable, that donthe lucas killed kelsie schelling, i never saw that.

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prosecution and defense have given closing arguments. the jury is now deliberating. >> well, on that last day of the trial, no one expected to get a verdict that day. >> now the waiting begins. >> yes. and i was prepared to camp out at the courthouse as long as i had to. i really thought i would be there all week, and we were really totally unprepared for

when they came and told us the verdict was in. i think we all were just like, "oh, my god." >> it was shocking how quickly they arrived at their decision, especially given just the amount of information they had to look at. >> i can tell you, because the decision came back so early, all of our experience as prosecutors is that this was probably an acquittal, because juries tend to come to decisions more quickly on acquittals than convictions. >> it was like standing on the precipice of a cliff and looking down. it was scary. >> it was a very tense atmosphere in the courthouse while everyone was waiting to hear what the verdict was. >> even i was nervous, and i'm not affiliated with kelsie schelling's family at all. >> people were wondering, does that mean donthe lucas is going to walk? >> i think everybody was just like holding their breath almost. >> and then when you hear the verdict, tell me how you're feeling. >> well, the words came out way too slow. like, i feel like the judge was

talking in slo-mo, even though he wasn't. i mean, i was just like, every word it's like, "okay, okay. spit it out please." and then he finally got to guilty of first degree. and -- i think that was the first breath, like, i had taken in a long time. >> this is a guilty verdict eight years in the making, and even though kelsie schelling's body has never been found, the jury clearly felt there was enough evidence to convict the man her family has always suspected from the very beginning. ♪ world i want to leave you better ♪ ♪ i want my life to matter ♪ >> it took the jury less than three hours to find donthe lucas guilty of first degree murder and he was sentenced to life in prison without parle. >> it was just so emotional for everybody, for both sides. it's a sad story. it's a sad situation that didn't

have to end up like this if he had just let her come home. >> you mentioned it was a lot of emotions for both sides. did you find yourself looking over at their side? >> donthe was sitting right in front of me. i looked at the back of his head through the whole trial. but the mother of his child was there, and she broke down, and honestly my heart hurt for her, hurt for their child, because it didn't have to -- it didn't have to end up this way. >> ryan rivera's testimony was the biggest, like, bombshell for our trial. it had moved us all. i could hear the gasps, even in the masks of fellow jurors. >> when it came out that he was convicted, i think there was a great feeling of -- of satisfaction and relief.

not elation. en why, 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. i think it's every parent's worst nightmare that a child goes before you. you can never fully heal that wound. i can tell you, i almost lost a child in the early '80s. and so i had a lot of sympathy with laura and her family because i came that close to that tragedy. and that child was the lead prosecutor on this case. >> so, the elected d.a. is my dad, and kyle mccarthy, who was obviously on the case with me, and we, i don't think, had a night in the last four years, that we haven't gone home and talked about kelsie schelling. sometimes it's the first thing we talk about when we wake up.

sometimes it's the last thing we talk about before we go to sleep. >> on saturdays, when we're driving kids around to soccer, a lot of times we're being told to stop talking about it, because they can hear us in the front seat talking about it. >> we both also had an incredible emotional pull to the family. that is a very special relationship, one that i will value for the rest of my life. >> well, i think -- i mean, michelle and kyle with their closing -- they're just -- they're amazing. i don't know what other words to use. >> the first things she told the reporters outside of the courthouse after the guilty verdict -- yes, she was happy, but she was still devastated. >> we're very, very thankful for that outcome, but in the end i still didn't get kelsie back. and that's what i wanted more than anything, so i feel like i

didn't do something, i didn't push hard enough on something or didn't do something to bring her home. >> that devastation isn't going anywhere. like she said, she has to live with that forever. >> her goal throughout all of this was to bring kelsie home, give her a proper burial. so i know she had expressed that in some ways she felt like she had failed in her main mission. t-mobile is upgrading its network at a record pace. we were the first to bring 5g nationwide.

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that very first day we met in september 2016 i'll never forgot. it was a special bond we formed. >> kelsie's mom battled and battled. >> eight years i never thought it would take this long. i hold my mom tight and held on to my dad's hand. >> since the trial's over and kelsie still hasn't been found so yeah, i just felt very empty this past week. >> we still don't know exactly what happened. >> it turns out prosecutors did present troubling evidence from the night kelsie disappeared. that provided a troubling explanation to where her body could be. >> we received evidence from a

landfill that there was some evidence of a vehicle being there. couldn't see what kind of vehicle, you couldn't tell who was in the car. the lock to the front gate of the dump had been tampered with. >> it caught my attention when i grabbed the lock with my hand. i said, somebody tried to get in here overnight. the cell phone records, the pings were all out in that area, so we suspected that's what happened. >> 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. >> who wants that for their child, to be their final resting place? no one. >> we want to bring her justice and bring her home with us. her and quadree, both. that was the name she was going

to give the child. >> i'll never -- without getting her back, so i still have nowhere to go to take her flowers, to go sit and talk with her, take her balloons on her birthday. you know, go to see her on the holidays. >> hi, kels. >> you want her to be remembered. >> a little girl with a really big heart, a really big smile, a really big laugh. beautiful eyes. silly. she was so silly. i miss being silly with her. >> i miss all the things that we didn't get to do together. >> we have been covering this

story for more than five years now, and as you can see, the heartbreak never really stops for kelsie's mom and the entire schelling family. >> and donthe lucas' defense team declined to comment but it is likely they'll file an appeal. >> that is "20/20" for tonight. i'm david muir. >> i'm ama robach. for all of us at abc news, good night. major bay area companies making plans to bring employees

back to the office. a woman you met before