Desert Discovery: Retired Teacher Finds Decade-Lost Flip Phone

Katie Elkin, an 84-year-old retired teacher from Prescott, Arizona, made an extraordinary discovery: a mobile phone lost for a decade in the desert. Elkin found a dusty, open 2012 Samsung Gusto 2 flip phone on a lesser-known path west of Prescott.

At her home, Elkin attempted to power the phone. She successfully found a compatible charger, and the phone, despite being exposed to desert conditions for ten years, including varying temperatures and weather, powered on.

Unraveling the Mystery: Identifying the Owner

Upon accessing the phone's text messages, Elkin began to piece together the owner's identity. She identified the owner's name as Maddie and gathered clues about her life, including her work at a cafe, family in Chicago, and an interest in hiking.

The last message on the phone was dated Saturday, May 16. Through internet research, Elkin determined that May 16 last fell on a Saturday in 2015, indicating the phone had been lost that year.

Elkin performed a reverse lookup on a frequently texted number from the phone, which provided a woman's name, but the number was disconnected. Determined, she then located a contact labeled "daddio." Performing another reverse lookup, she found a man's name and number in Chicago.

A Birthday Call Connects Past and Present

On December 30, Elkin's birthday, she called the Chicago number. The call was answered by Maddie, the phone's original owner, who was visiting her father for the holidays.

Maddie confirmed she had lost the phone in 2015 after hiking in the same location where Elkin found it. Maddie did not wish to have the phone returned.

A Testament to Durability

Elkin later contacted Samsung to share the remarkable story of the Gusto 2's durability.

The 2012 Samsung Gusto 2 had been noted for its strong construction in reviews at the time of its release. The phone's resilience allowed it to function after a decade exposed to the elements.