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The upcoming episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is all set to cover the brutal murder of Kelsie Schelling at the hands of her boyfriend, Donthe Lucas. Interetingly, at the time of the murder, 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling was pregnant with Donthe's child. The murder was covered up well and it took a long time before the police could finally charge Donthe Lucas.
The upcoming episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will cover this case in detail. This episode will premiere at 8.00 PM EST on Oxygen on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. The synopsis for the episode reads:
"Kelsie Schelling disappears one night after leaving work, leading family and investigators on a four-year hunt to find the pregnant 21-year-old; cell phone records reveal what happened to Kelsie."
Though the path to Donthe's conviction was not a linear one, it ultimately happened and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He remains incarcerated at the Centennial Correctional Facility in Canon City.
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Ahead of the episode, here are more details about the case.
What did Donthe Lucas do?
Donthe Lucas and Kelsie Schelling were together at the Northeastern Junior College, where they reportedly shared a tumultuous relationship. On their second year, both left college despite harboring different ambitions. That same year, Kelsie told her mother that she was pregnant and was ready to become a mother.
On February 3, 2013, Donthe reportedly texted Kelsie to come meet him in his hometown, of Pueblo, Colorado, to receive a "surprise gift." Text messages revealed that he also asked her to a specific Walmart on the south side of town and then to an area around his grandmother's house.
Kelsie failed to turn up to work after this, her calls went to voicemail, and relatives and friends noted that her text messages were inconsistent with how she usually texted. Kelsie's father soon reached out to Donthe, who claimed that he had no clue about her disappearance.
He later told authorities that Kelsie went to the Walmart to get snacks before she made the drive back to Denver. However, CCTV footage of the Walmart footage showed only one man getting in and out of Kelsie's car. He also used Kelsie's debit card to withdraw $400 from her bank account.
Among other suspicious things, Donthe’s former home caught fire weeks after the police searched it. Though the police could not find her body, eventually, with the help of Lauren Suhr, an unrelated woman who entered the case on her own will and even dated Donthe Lucas for a while, the police arrested and charged him with murder.
Where is Donthe Lucas now?
Donthe initially pleaded not guilty to the murder. The prosecution alleged that he killed Kelsie because he did not want her to give birth to his child.
The star witness in the case, to whom Donthe seemingly confessed killing Kelsie, was murdered just before the trial, Authrotiies accertained that this was an unrelated shooting.
However, even without the witness, the jury took a short while to determine that Donthe was indeed guilty of killing his girlfriend. The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He remains incarcerated at the Centennial Correctional Facility in Canon City, where he will live out the rest of his days.
The upcoming episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will cover this case in detail.
