PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – The father of one of two missing teenage boaters from South Florida said Apple cannot restore his son's broken iPhone, which was found in the capsized boat.
Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, both 14, disappeared last July during a fishing trip off the coast of Jupiter.
Blu Stephanos said in a statement Wednesday that his attorney had a conference call with Apple's team leader, "who informed him that, unfortunately, Austin's iPhone could not be restored to working order."
The phone was the subject of a lawsuit filed by Perry's mother, Pamela Cohen, against the Stephanos family and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which investigated the boys' disappearance.
Cohen fought to prevent the state agency from releasing Austin's phone to his parents, saying that she wanted it to first undergo forensic analysis. Perry had used his friend's phone to text his mother on the day of their disappearance.
Austin's phone was found in March when a Norwegian freighter recovered the boys' capsized boat near Bermuda.
A Palm Beach County judge ruled that the phone should be sent to Apple for analysis.
Stephanos said he was disappointed that the phone couldn't be restored, but he thanked Apple for its assistance.
"If the FBI turned to Apple when they needed help, I see no reason to doubt that every possible means was employed to get Austin's phone working again," Stephanos said. "It's our understanding that Apple had a team assigned to the iPhone around the clock, and for that we are truly grateful."