Where this was said
The Phone, the Ping, and the Car That Was Never Processed
At 29:21 · chapter starts 28:40
Ashley Flowers turns to the forensic failures that have haunted this case ever since. Brittany's phone was with her when she left Sheldon's — she even used it to take a selfie before departing. But it was never found in the car or anywhere else. Pings attempted by investigators came back with no signal: the phone was either off, roaming, or out of service. The phone was possibly a prepaid device, which may have complicated tracking. And crucially, whatever location data was captured before the phone went offline appears not to have been documented in the case file. The second and perhaps more damaging failure: Sheldon's car, found with the glove box open, Brittany's purse dumped, and belongings scattered, was never processed for fingerprints or DNA before being handed back to Sheldon. By the time anyone thought to treat this as foul play, the window had closed. 'To me, it's never too late,' Ashley says — but in this case, it apparently was.
Police returned Sheldon's car from impound without ever processing it for prints or DNA. By the time anyone thought to look, it was too late. The glove box had been opened, Brittany's purse dumped, belongings scattered — and none of it was ever documented as evidence.
Sheldon's car — the vehicle Brittany was driving the night she disappeared — was never processed for fingerprints or other forensic evidence before being returned to him.
Ashley Huley inserted herself into the investigation immediately, first claiming to be Brittany's sister, then walking it back to 'best friend,' then 'close friend.' She accessed Brittany's Facebook after her disappearance. She had photos of a gas receipt from the night Brittany vanished. And Eric Schenck — Brittany's estranged husband — was her alibi.
