The mysterious disappearance of Gannon Stauch came to a shocking end over 1,400 miles from his home. The 11-year-old had gone missing on January 27, 2020, with his disappearance remaining a mystery until September 2021. Gannon’s body was eventually found more than 1,400 miles from his Colorado Springs home in Pace, Florida. The ferocity of the violence committed against Gannon Stauch shocked law enforcement officers and the medical examiner upon his discovery.
The mystery of the disappearance of Gannon Stauch had left officers in Colorado Springs baffled. The only lead officers had was that Gannon’s stepmother, Letecia Stauch claimed to last see him between 3.15 and 4 pm on January 27, 2020. Letecia Stauch had claimed the 11-year-old was traveling to a friend’s house when she last spoke to him and had no idea about his whereabouts. Gannon’s stepmother had disappeared soon after the disappearance of the boy and had been traced to South Carolina. On March 2, 2020, the 36-year-old Letecia had been found in South Carolina before being extradited to El Paso County. Despite her whereabouts being discovered, Letecia refused to reveal the location of the remains of Gannon Stauch. Upon arriving back in El Paso County, Letecia Stauch was charged with murder in the first degree, child abuse resulting in death, and tampering with a dead body. Despite the mounting evidence against her, Letecia Stauch continued to claim Gannon had set out to see a friend and must have been abducted between their home and his friend’s house.
The severity of the attack on Gannon Stauch shocked first responders attending the scene beside a highway in Pace, Florida. A group of construction workers had discovered a suitcase beside a highway and called in law enforcement to investigate. Inside the suitcase, Gannon’s body had been stuffed before being hidden beside the highway beneath an underpass. Initial reports from the medical examiner state Gannon had been shot, stabbed, and had blunt force injuries. The abuse suffered by Gannon has left the communities in Florida and Colorado shocked at their ferocity. The shock felt within the community has expanded to include the identity of the prime suspect in the case. Letecia Stauch was the subject of a statement released by Gannon’s father, Albert. After thanking law enforcement in Florida and Colorado for their efforts, Albert expressed his sadness at the death of his son. Albert explained, “We will never play Nintendo again. No more taco Tuesdays. No more smooth-looking haircuts.” The grieving father went on to explain the murderer of his son was a person he had given more to than anybody else. Albert Stauch explained he would carry the burden of his son’s death for the rest of his life. Police in Santa Rosa County, Florida released their own statement detailing their sadness at the discovery of Gannon’s body and their sympathy for the 11-year-old’s family.
