What was meant to be a quiet, painful errand turned into a moment that reopened wounds and raised haunting new questions.

Michael Pretti, the father of Alex Pretti, revealed that his family recently returned to the hospital for what they believed would be a simple task: collecting a few personal belongings their son had left behind in his locker. After everything the family had already endured, they expected closure — nothing more than old clothes, maybe a wallet, a few forgotten items tied to memories they were still struggling to process.

Instead, what they found left them shaken.

Inside the locker sat an old wallet, worn and familiar. But beside it was something no one expected — a second phone. Even more unsettling, the device was still powered on.

“It stopped us cold,” a family source said. “None of us knew there was another phone.”

The discovery immediately raised questions the family thought had already been answered. Why was there a second phone? Who was it used to communicate with? And why had it remained hidden until now?

According to Michael Pretti, the family had never been informed by hospital staff or investigators that Alex possessed another device. For months, they believed all of his personal effects had already been accounted for. Finding an active phone long after the fact felt less like coincidence and more like a missing puzzle piece suddenly falling into view.

Hospital officials have not publicly commented on how the phone was overlooked or why it remained in the locker. Authorities, meanwhile, are reportedly aware of the discovery and are reviewing whether the device contains information relevant to the case.

Experts say secondary phones are often used for private communications — sometimes for work, sometimes for personal matters, and in certain cases, to conceal conversations. Until the phone’s contents are examined, its purpose remains unknown.

For the Pretti family, the emotional weight of the discovery is heavy. Grief, they say, does not move in a straight line. Just when they felt they were beginning to breathe again, new uncertainty pulled them back into the nightmare.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” one relative shared. “We went there to heal, not to uncover more questions.”

Online, the revelation has sparked intense discussion. Social media users are speculating about what the phone could contain — unanswered messages, missed calls, or information that might change the understanding of Alex’s final days. Others have urged restraint, reminding the public that the family is still grieving and deserves compassion, not rumors.

Law enforcement officials have emphasized that any conclusions are premature. They urge the public not to jump to assumptions until the phone is properly examined and verified.

Still, the discovery has undeniably shifted the narrative. What once seemed settled is now uncertain again, and the family finds itself waiting — not just for answers, but for peace.

As investigators review the device and the hospital faces mounting questions, one truth remains clear: for the Pretti family, the search for closure is far from over. Sometimes, the smallest objects — a forgotten phone, left powered on — can reopen the deepest wounds and remind us how many questions can still linger after loss.