Apple Inc. is set to extract data from the iPhone 6 of Florida teen who got lost at sea in 2015.
The company will examine the recovered phone of one of the teenagers, who went on a fishing trip but never went back.
The said phone was found in March this year by a Norwegian crew. The phone was locked in a box inside the teens' abandoned boat and was said to be heavily soaked.
Up To Apple
If Apple will be able to extract data such as photos, videos or social media posts from the phone, it will be sent to the judge handling the case, who in turn will decide if Apple's report may be used as evidence and if it can be shared with the families of the two teens.
During a hearing on April 29, both families agreed to turn over the phone and let the judge decide what to do with whatever Apple may find.
The Day The Boys Went Missing
The phone owner, 14-year-old Austin Stephanos and his friend, 14-year-old Perry Cohen went on a fishing trip off the Atlantic Coast of South Florida in July 2015. They were last seen in their hometown in Palm Beach County on July 24, 2015, purchasing gasoline for their vessel.
Cohen borrowed the iPhone 6 of Stephanos to talk with his family on the day the boys went missing. As per records, the phone went offline after 1:00 p.m. local time.
"That phone has to be sent to Apple as soon as possible for preservation," says Stephanos' attorney.
Issues Between Families
The agreement made on Friday temporarily halts the dispute between the families of the two teens.
When the phone was found, Cohen's family wanted to consider it as evidence for open missing persons investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. However, the agency returned it to the Stephanos.
Cohen's mother Pamela Cohen then sued the Stephanos family, imploring them to return the iPhone to the state and permit access to available phone data.
