Originally Posted by
laxmillenial
...asking the police would have been a lost cause unless you had proof someone took it / stole it / a crime was committed...
The way I read it was that OP was tracking the phone from an iPad while on a flight to DEN. And that...
Originally Posted by
economyplusfan
The phone roamed around the tarmac for awhile, most likely in an employees' pocket, and then came back into the terminal.
I know the newest iPhones are quite advanced, but I don't believe they can yet grow legs and move around the tarmac and into the terminal of their own volition. That pattern of motion certain does tend to indicate it was in an employee's possession. I'm not so sure about it being in a trash can. The person who was moving about the tarmac with it may have had "regrets" and left it in a more accesible place. Nevertheless, it's hardly possible for OP to carry out a search in person in IAH when s/he is in DN.