Authorities have intensified the search for Gannon Stauch, an 11-year-old boy from Colorado Springs who went missing last week. According to ABC 11 , Gannon was last seen on January 27 when he reportedly stepped out to visit a friend’s house. He has not been seen or heard from since.
Gannon’s disappearance came to light after his stepmother Letecia Stauch filed a missing complaint with the El Paso County Sheriff’s office stating that her child was missing. The report adds that officials initially treated Gannon’s case as another instance of a runaway kid. However, with Gannon now missing for more than a week, authorities are treating it as a missing/endangered case.
Following an appeal seeking public help in finding Gannon, authorities launched a large-scale search operation to look for him. Apart from agencies, local volunteers have also chipped in with their support. Inclement weather and continuous snowfall have, however, been a cause of concern with some areas reporting more than six inches of snow, severely hampering the search efforts.
Meanwhile, the FBI has also joined the efforts and is assisting local agencies and volunteer groups who continue to look for Gannon. The El Paso County Sherrif’s office has confirmed that the search would continue as long as conditions allowed.
According to ABC 7 , authorities are also examining a surveillance video handed over to them by one of Gannon’s neighbors. The video reportedly shows Letecia Stauch get in a red pickup truck with Gannon in tow. When the truck returned nearly four hours later, only Letecia was seen getting out of the vehicle. It is unclear if authorities are also questioning Letecia in connection with the case.
Can you help us find this runaway: Gannon Stauch. Last seen 01/27/2020 in his home between 3:15pm-4pm in Lorson Ranch. We want to bring Gannon to safety.
Please call 719-390-5555 if you have seen him or know of his whereabouts. #Searching #Child #LookNow pic.twitter.com/0NlX1TJ7tk
— EPCSheriff (@EPCSheriff) January 29, 2020
Letecia has maintained that she has nothing to do with Gannon’s disappearance and claims that she and her family members have received more than 20 death threats since the child went missing. She also maintains that she is cooperating with authorities and that finding Gannon remains her main goal. Letecia admits, however, that people might have questions about the boy’s disappearance, especially after the news of the surveillance footage became public.
Gannon’s birth mother, Landen Hiott, is also concerned with the sudden disappearance of her son and has appealed for help from the public in finding the boy. She also thanked everyone who is currently helping authorities with the search efforts. Hiott went on to add that Gannon needs regular medication and that it is crucial that he is located safely very soon.
According to Letecia, Gannon was wearing a blue jacket, blue jeans, and sneakers on the day he went missing. He is described as an individual with brown hair and brown eyes. Standing 4-feet-9 inches tall, Gannon weighs around 90 pounds.
The news of Gannon’s disappearance comes just a week after The Inquisitr reported the case of Andrew Caballeiro, a 2-week-old baby who has been missing since January 28.