The head of security for Apple Inc. left the company following the way his staff handled the missing iPhone prototype investigation last summer. John Theriault announced his retirement as vice president of Apple’s global security after close to five years working with the company, says a PC magazine article.

Theriault is a former special agent with the FBI and was Pfizer’s security chief for a decade before moving to Apple, the article says.

He is credited with the company's 2008 anti-counterfeit efforts that focused on eliminating counterfeit products that were produced in China. 

However, in July, an iPhone prototype went missing and Apple security used the help of San Francisco police to investigate the missing prototype, the article says. The police and Apple authorities visited a home where they thought the prototype might be. This caused controversy since the police did not identify the Apple employees, says the article.