Additional details emerged Tuesday in the case of Gannon Stauch, an 11-year-old Colorado boy who disappeared last week while under his stepmother’s care.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, neighbor Roderrick Drayton said he started doing some investigating on his own after Gannon mysteriously vanished from their Colorado Springs neighborhood on January 27.
“I couldn’t sleep so I just stayed up and I started looking through [surveillance footage],” Drayton said. “I looked through on my tablet, then I said, ‘Let me look on my TV to be sure.”
The video apparently showed stepmother Letecia “Tecia” Staunch and Gannon Stauch get into a red truck in the driveway of their residence at around 10:15 a.m. on January 27. Around four hours later, Tecia drives back home in the truck, but she was alone.
Drayton showed the video Gannon’s father, who immediately broke down crying after watching it.
“He just broke down crying and said, ‘she lied. She lied about the time. He didn’t go to a friend’s house,'” Drayton told ABC 11.
Drayton added that investigators told him that the footage was the break that they needed. However, they added that the video is only a piece of the investigation as a whole.
“This is just one piece in a very, very, very large puzzle,” spokeswoman Jackie Kirby told the outlet.
So far, none of his friends in the neighborhood have indicated that they saw Gannon that day. The boy also reportedly missed school on the day he vanished.
Al Stauch, who was out of town working when his son vanished, said that it was not like Gannon to walk off or run away.
Reportedly, Tecia did not know which friend’s house the boy went to, according to Al Stauch, who said his wife told him that Gannon didn’t specify which friend he wanted to visit, NBC 5 reports. The stepmother said she couldn’t comment on the details of the case at this time.
On Friday, Tecia Stauch slammed the El Paso Police Department, claiming they pointed a gun at her and wouldn’t let her contact an attorney. She also claimed that she received death threats online and hopes for an apology once the boy is found.
Tecia Stauch insisted that she has taken care of Gannon for the past two years and would never harm him. She also said she was no longer in her home after Gannon’s mother, Landen, arrived in Colorado to help search for him.
“My husband’s ex-wife is living in our home,” the woman complained. “I took care of Gannon for the last two years in our home because his mother didn’t want to do it…OK, and I would never, ever hurt this child.”
Tecia Stauch also explained that on January 26, she took Gannon and his younger sister hiking at the Garden of the Gods Park. Afterward, they stopped by to eat at Burger King, she said during an interview with CBS 11 on Friday afternoon.
The following day, according to the stepmother, Gannon vanished.
During a press conference last week, bio mom, Landen, spoke through tears while pleading for her son’s safe return. Landen said the boy was born prematurely with a small chance of survival. Despite the odds, Gannon pulled through and is now a gifted student, according to his mother.
“My son is a very loving kid, he wouldn’t harm anybody,” Landon said. ”Why is this happening to him?”
“My kid has a purpose and my kid has a life…Gannon, bubba, little man, mommy’s hero, wherever you are at, we’re here for you. We’re begging for you to come home, I can’t wait until you’re found.”
Gannon is described as a white male who stands 4-feet-9-inches tall and weighs around 90 pounds. He has brown eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing a blue hooded jacket, jeans, and athletic shoes.
Anyone with any information on Gannon’s whereabouts is urged to contact the El Paso SO’s “Investigations Tip Line” at 719-520-6666. or the El Paso County SO 719-390-5555.
“He’s just kind and tenderhearted…just hoping he’s all right out there you know? Hoping we can find him soon,” Al Stauch said.
The story is developing. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Gannon Stauch/Handout]
