Missing boy's stepmom slams Sheriff's Office

Colorado Springs Gazette 2/1/2020, A3:1

   Missing boy’s stepmom slams Sheriff’s Office
   Last person to see Gannon, 11, claims she was denied lawyer while
   being questioned
   BY LIZ HENDERSON
   liz.henderson@gazette.com

   PHOTOS BY CHANCEY BUSH, THE GAZETTE

   Payton Svoboda, 17, ties a blue ribbon on a tree with Briley Peterson, 11, left, at the entrance of Lorson Ranch for missing
   11-year-old boy Gannon Stauch in southeast Colorado Springs on Friday. Missing/endangered posters, blue ribbons and
   flowers were placed by neighbors, friends and volunteers around the neighborhood along with blue light bulbs that were
   handed out for neighbor’s porch lights.

Cambra Peterson ties blue ribbons on bushes at the entrance of Lorson Ranch for
   missing 11-year-old boy Gannon Stauch in southeast Colorado Springs on Friday.

CHANCEY BUSH, THE GAZETTE

Cambra Peterson ties a blue ribbon around her 11-year-old daughter Briley’s ponytail with her younger daughter Chloe, 9, at
the entrance of Lorson Ranch on Friday for missing 11-year-old boy Gannon Stauch in southeast Colorado Springs.

CHANCEY BUSH, THE GAZETTE

   Missing/endangered posters, blue ribbons and flowers were placed by neighbors, friends and volunteers around
   the neighborhood along with blue light bulbs that were handed out for neighbor’s porch lights for the 11-year-
   old missing boy Gannon Stauch.

                                     The stepmother of a missing Colorado Springs-area boy claimed in an
                                     interview with KKTV on Friday that the El Paso County Sheriff ’s
                                     Office violated her constitutional rights while questioning her.

                                     Letecia “Tecia” Stauch was the last known person to see Gannon
                                     Stauch, 11, before he disappeared Monday afternoon. Authorities said
                                     Gannon left to walk to a friend’s house in their southeastern Colorado
                                     Springs neighborhood of Lorson Ranch near Fountain.

                                     In an interview with Gazette news partner KKTV, Letecia Stauch
                                     claimed she was initially denied her request for a lawyer by Sheriff’s
                                     Office detectives, who also would not let her have water or use a
COURTESY OF EL PASO
                                     bathroom.
COUNTY
                                     “The tactics (the detectives) started to get when I would answer
Gannon Stauch was reportedly last    questions ...” she told the TV station. “During that time, some of those
seen between 3:15 and 4 p.m.         things made me feel uncomfortable the way they were saying things.
Monday at his home in the Lorson
Ranch neighborhood of Colorado       “So I immediately stopped and felt like an attorney would help me
Springs.
                                     with some of the vocabulary and things like that that I needed help
                                     with and understanding some of the things they were asking.”

She also told KKTV that her 17-year-old daughter was briefly put in handcuffs when detectives pulled
over their vehicle Thursday. She claims deputies had guns drawn and told her they were going to shoot her
without identifying themselves as law enforcement officers.

Deb Mynatt, a spokeswoman for the agency, said she could not comment on Letecia Stauch’s claims,
citing an ongoing investigation. Mynatt could not comment if Letecia Stauch had a lawyer, either. Instead,
she said, the agency is trying to keep the focus on finding Gannon, not on Letecia Stauch’s statements to
KKTV.

Since Gannon’s disappearance, hundreds of volunteers have searched nearby fields and neighborhoods
looking for signs of the missing boy. Friday, blue ribbons were placed throughout Gannon’s neighborhood
to show support for the family and let the boy know he’s desperately missed, organizer Sara Robertson
said.

Thousands have joined online “Find Gannon Stauch” Facebook pages over the week, filling pages upon
pages with speculation about what happened to Gannon.

Authorities initially said his disappearance was being treated as a runaway. However, on Thursday,
sheriff’s investigators held a news conference with Gannon’s parents and other relatives at which they said
he is now considered an endangered missing child.

That designation was in recognition of his age, how long he’s been missing, the low, overnight
temperatures and his need for medication. It also enabled the Sheriff’s Office to access assistance from the
FBI and other agencies.

In reference to the speculation that has been circulating online, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff ’s Office
said Thursday night that “misinformation spread on social media has been an absolute hindrance to this
case.”

Letecia Stauch told KKTV Friday that she’s received numerous death threats.

“I took care of Gannon for the last two years in our home because his mother didn’t want to do it,” she
said. “I would never ever, ever hurt this child ... these people have these conspiracy theories ... I’m like,
‘Why are you saying Gannon is dead?’ He is not dead. We are going to find Gannon.”

Letecia Stauch reiterated that she and her family have been involved in the searches for Gannon, despite
Facebook users claiming she’s been “missing.”

“I’m just ready for Gannon to come home,” she said. “Most importantly for him to see his family, but
second, I am going to be so ecstatic when I’m able to say to people that I hope they have a really sincere
apology for all these theories that have (come) out online.”

As of Friday, the Sheriff’s Office has received 72 tips through the communication center, Pikes Peak
Crime Stoppers, the agency’s website and phone tipline, all of which are being “vetted,” Mynatt said.

Friday, the office announced 11 groups assisting in search efforts:

The FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment, Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management, El
Paso County Search and Rescue, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Colorado
Springs Police Department, the Fountain Police Department, the Salvation Army, the Voluntary

Organizations Active in Disaster, the Army 4th Engineer Battalion, Flight for Life and the National Guard
100th Missile Defense Brigade.

Gannon’s father, Albert Stauch, is a member of the National Guard 100th Missile Defense Brigade.

Thursday night, Stauch and Gannon’s mother, Landen Hiott, pleaded with the public for information
regarding their missing son.

“I have hope,” Hiott, who lives in South Carolina, said to a bank of cameras. “So please have hope with
me. I’m begging: Bring my baby home.”

DESCRIPTION

Gannon Stauch, 11, is 4 feet, 9 inches, with brown hair and brown eyes, and weighs 90 pounds. He was
wearing a blue jacket and jeans the day he disappeared.

Anyone with information about Gannon is asked to call a tip line at 719-520-6666.