Missing Teen Fisherman’s iPhone Data and Messages Can’t Be Extracted, Says Apple
By Space Coast Daily // May 11, 2016
Boat is scheduled to arrive in the US by May 16
JUPITER, FLORIDA – Father of a missing teen fisherman, Blu Stephanos, says Apple could not retrieve any text messages or data from his son’s recovered cellphone.
Stephanos said in a statement Wednesday that his son’s iPhone was too damaged after being at sea since last July.
“Although, they were unable to restore the phone to a functional state, I want to thank Apple Inc. for their hard work and generous assistance. If the FBI turned to Apple when they needed help, I see no reason to that every possible means was employed to get Austin’s phone working again,” said Blu Stephanos, father of Austin Stephanos.
“It’s our understanding that Apple had a team assigned to the iPhone around the clock, and for that we are truly grateful.”
Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, both 14 years old, went missing last July after their boat did not return from a fishing trip.
Coast Guard Sector Miami command center received the report that Austin and Perry were aboard a 19-foot white single engine center console vessel and were last seen in the Jupiter area after purchasing $110 worth of fuel.
The Norwegian research Edda Fjord was headed to Norway on March 18 when it located the capsized missing vessel about 100 miles off the coast of Bermuda, according to Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss.
There they found one of the boy’s iPhone.
The boat is scheduled to arrive by shipping container to the United States on May 16.
