For more than eight years, people in Pueblo have pondered a macabre question: What possibly could have happened to Kelsie Schelling?
The 21-year-old Denver woman, who was eight weeks pregnant at the time, disappeared in Pueblo on Feb. 4, 2013, after a late-night drive to the Home of Heroes to visit her boyfriend, Donthe Lucas.
Schelling has not been seen or heard from since, and her remains have never been found.
But the question of what happened to Schelling, as well as who could have orchestrated her disappearance, recently came one step closer to being answered – at least in terms of Lucas’ involvement.
The court also noted that a single member of the jury had been dismissed due to conflicts.
The case is centered upon the disappearance of then-21-year-old Schelling, who was pregnant at the time and in a relationship with Lucas. Schelling had traveled to Pueblo to see Lucas in early February 2013 before she disappeared.
In opening arguments, prosecutors noted facts they believe point toward Lucas’ involvement with Schelling’s disappearance. Lucas was not served with a warrant until 2017, when he was charged with first-degree murder while he was already in custody at the Pueblo County Detention Center on an unrelated aggravated robbery charge.