A newly-released affidavit provides graphic details regarding the death of Gannon Stauch, an 11-year-old Colorado boy found deceased in Florida last month.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Gannon disappeared on January 27 at some point between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. from his Lorson Ranch home off of Mandan Drive, near Colorado Springs. Gannon’s stepmother, Letecia Stauch, claimed the boy left for a friend’s house and never returned home.
Letecia Stauch was the sole caregiver at the time of the boy’s disappearance. Gannon’s father, Albert Stauch, was on a work trip with the U.S. National Guards in Oklahoma, and his biological mother, Landen Hiott, was in South Carolina.
In March, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office in Florida contacted the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado Springs to report a deceased boy found north of Pensacola, in Pace. The boy’s body had allegedly been stuffed into a suitcase and left under a bridge.
The remains were confirmed to be Gannon. Prior to recovering Gannon’s body, authorities arrested Letecia Stauch in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on first-degree murder and several other felony charges in connection with the case.
According to the affidavit, Letecia Stauch brutally attacked and killed her stepson inside his bedroom on January 27. Despite a neighbor who said his video showed Stauch leaving with Gannon on the morning of January 27 and later returning home alone, investigators believe that “Gannon likely did return home with Letecia that afternoon,” and died inside the residence.
Evidence from inside Gannon’s bedroom includes blood spatter on the walls, blood that soaked through the carpet, 50 droplets of blood on the wall, blood on wall sockets, and blood on the boy’s mattress.
“Based on the orientation of Gannon’s bed, the vast majority of the blood would be in line with the position of his head and torso,” the affidavit reads.
Letecia Stauch Arrest Affid… by Leigh Egan on Scribd
A store receipt obtained by investigators showed a purchase for baking soda, a carpet cleaner, and trash bags on January 27, after 6 p.m. Investigators obtained Stauch’s phone and according to text messages, she instructed her 17-year-old daughter to buy the items for her.
Prosecutors allege that Stauch used the purchased items to clean up the crime scene.
Stauch’s daughter is not talking to investigators, according to the affidavit. Prosecutors do not believe the teen was present when Gannon was killed.
Stauch, who adamantly denied harming Gannon, told CrimeOnline she rented a car on January 28 to help find Gannon. She claimed she wanted a different vehicle than her own so that Gannon wouldn’t recognize her car and hide.
Prosecutors confirmed that Stauch did indeed rent a car, but alleged that she likely did not use the car to help find Gannon and only put around 71 miles on the vehicle.
Stauch also told CrimeOnline that Gannon’s father said authorities found a “saucer-size” amount of blood in Gannon’s room and a 2×4 board with Gannon’s blood on it in the woods. Prosecutors confirmed that authorities found a particle board with traces of Gannon’s blood on it in the woods, off of Highway 105 in Douglas County.
Stauch added that authorities detained her without a warrant while she was shopping with her a daughter a few days after Gannon vanished. She claimed they held her against her will without food or water and didn’t allow her to use the restroom.
The affidavit states that Stauch arrived at the El Paso County police station at her own free will on January 29. While there, she allegedly changed her story and claimed she was raped by a Hispanic male inside her home. She allegedly said the male then demanded a brown suitcase and took Gannon with him when he left.
According to the arrest affidavit, Stauch was given food and water during the interview, then taken to the hospital when she complained of chest pains.
Stauch later allegedly changed her story again and claimed a convicted sex offender named Quincy Brown raped her and abducted Gannon. Prosecutors found no evidence of sexual assault by anyone and no evidence of an abduction.
Prosecutors believe that Stauch disposed of Gannon’s body off of Highway 105 in Douglas County on January 28 and “likely was nervous about the location she chose.” It’s unclear how Gannon’s remains ended up in Florida.
Stauch remains behind bars without bond. Her next scheduled hearing is on April 14.
Additional Information
PART ONE: Tecia Stauch Interview
PART TWO: Tecia Stauch Interview
PART THREE: Tecia Stauch Interview
Neighbor Roderrick Drayton Interview
CLICK HERE to see all of our coverage on Gannon Stauch
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[Feature Photo: Letecia Stauch/KRDO-TV/The Gazette via AP, Pool, Gannon Stauch/Facebook]
