‘American Idol’ contestant’s murder case sent cops underground with high-powered magnet to find gun

Former " American Idol " contestant Caleb Flynn's missing handgun sent investigators into storm drains with a high-powered magnet, underneath vehicles and through attic insulation as they searched for the weapon prosecutors allege he used to kill his wife.

Despite the extensive search, investigators never found the gun, a Tipp City detective testified Monday during Flynn's murder trial in Ohio .

Flynn is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Ashley Flynn, inside the couple's home on Feb.

16 before staging the scene to look like an intruder had broken in.

He has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges. ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY Detective Adam Bernard walked jurors through the lengths investigators went to as they searched for the missing firearm in the days after Ashley's death.

Police searched the backyard and nearby wooded areas before turning their attention underground, where investigators used a high-powered magnet to search storm drains along several streets. ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY Bernard testified that investigators removed the drain covers, lowered the magnet inside and swept connecting pipes before he physically climbed into accessible culverts with a flashlight to search areas the magnet may have missed.

They found nothing. ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY Investigators later had both vehicles from the Flynn home placed on lifts so they could search underneath them and other areas where something could have been hidden, Bernard testified.

That search also came up empty.

Police even rented equipment to remove insulation from the attic as they continued looking for the gun. ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY Bernard testified that investigators also tried to trace Flynn's firearm purchase history after Flynn previously said he bought a gun in South Carolina, where he obtained his concealed-carry permit .

The detective said he called nearly two dozen gun stores in the state looking for records that could identify the make, model and serial number of a firearm purchased by Flynn. ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY That effort did not identify a gun tied to Flynn or Ashley.

The testimony came after a forensic pathologist walked jurors through Ashley's autopsy and described two gunshot wounds to the back of her head. ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ CONTESTANT’S 100K TEXTS WITH MISTRESS SHOW MOTIVE IN WIFE’S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY Dr.