Kelsie Schelling (10 Of Spades, Colorado)
Kelsey Schelling, a 21-year-old college graduate from Colorado, vanished in February 2013 after driving from Denver to Pueblo to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Dante Lucas. Despite being eight weeks pregnant and having just shared the news with her family, she was never seen again. Her car was found abandoned at a hospital two weeks later, and a trail of circumstantial evidence—cell phone data, ATM footage, geolocation anomalies, and DNA from her car—pointed to Dante. Though he denied involvement for years, he eventually confessed to dropping her car off at Walmart and St. Mary Corwin Medical Center, admitting he lied about her leaving. In 2021, after a three-year trial, Dante was convicted of first-degree murder based solely on circumstantial evidence, including soil particles from the Beulah area and unexplained miles on her car. Yet the most haunting question remains: where is Kelsey’s body? Investigators believe she may have been disposed of at a massive, ungridded landfill west of Pueblo—so vast it would take 70 years to search fully. Her mother, Laura Saxton, still seeks closure not through a verdict, but through finding her daughter’s remains. The case remains open, a cold case in the truest sense: justice was served, but truth remains buried. The episode reveals how modern technology—cell data, surveillance, geolocation—can build a murder case without a body, yet also exposes the limits of justice when the physical truth is lost.
Dante Lucas confessed to dropping Kelsey's car at Walmart and St. Mary Corwin Hospital—key admissions that tied him to her final movements.
Despite a life sentence, Dante has never revealed where Kelsey’s body is, leaving her family without closure.
Unexplained 107 miles on Kelsey’s car suggest she was driven after her death—likely to the Beulah landfill, a 20-football-field-wide site with no grid system.
Investigators used geolocation, soil analysis, and cadaver dog alerts to build a murder case without a body, proving circumstantial evidence can be overwhelming.
Kelsey’s mother still seeks physical closure: 'I want her back. I don’t want it discarded like trash.'
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Disappearance of Kelsey Schelling
The episode opens with a haunting introduction to Kelsey Schelling, a vibrant 21-year-old who vanished in February 2013 after driving from Denver to Pueblo. Her family, friends, and investigators are left with unanswered questions: where is she? The case is now a cold case, but the search continues.
The Relationship with Dante Lucas
Kelsey’s on-again, off-again relationship with Dante Lucas, a former basketball star with no future plans, is revealed as deeply unbalanced. He never met her mother, flirted with others, and pulled her back in with charm—despite her being pregnant and emotionally invested.
The Final Night and the Silence
Kelsey drove to Pueblo on February 4th, texting Dante she was at Walmart. She waited over an hour, sent distressing texts, and then vanished. Her phone remained active for two more days, sending incoherent messages from a remote prairie west of Pueblo.
The Car, the ATM, and the Contradictions
Dante was seen driving Kelsey’s car at a Pueblo ATM the next morning—using her debit card. Surveillance footage showed a tall African-American man parking the car, but the person walking away matched Dante’s description. His story changed repeatedly, and no hospital visit was ever verified.
The Car is Found, the Case Shifts
Kelsey’s car was found abandoned at St. Mary Corwin Medical Center on Valentine’s Day. No personal items were inside. Police discovered her phone never left Pueblo, contradicting Dante’s claim that she drove back to Denver.
“I want it back. I don’t want it discarded like trash. You know, that's not she didn't deserve that.”
“You take a group of sticks, one by itself breaks in half. You grab two together, you could probably still break them in half. You grab three, you could still break them in half. But when you have a whole bunch of sticks or cohesive together, you can't break them.”
“The goal was to find Kelsey and we never did. We still haven't found her. And I just feel we got 50% of it, but the other 50% were still missing.”
Host
Guests
Kelsey Schelling
person
Dante Lucas
person
Laura Saxton
person
Agent Kevin Torres
person
Colorado Bureau of Investigation
organization
Pueblo PD
organization
Walmart
organization
St. Mary Corwin Medical Center
organization
landfill
place
Beulah
place
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