Key Individuals and Vehicles:

• Victim: Gannon Stauch (DOB: 09/29/2008)
• Defendant: Letecia Stauch (DOB: 08/04/1983), Gannon’s stepmother
• Father: Al Stauch, Gannon’s biological father, married to Letecia
• Harley Hunt: Letecia’s daughter, 17 years old at the time
• Laina Stauch: Gannon’s younger sister, 8 years old
• Key Vehicles:
• Red Nissan Frontier – Used by Al Staucha
• Black Volkswagen Tiguan – Used by Letecia Stauch
• White Volkswagen Jetta – Used by Harley Hunt
• Silver Nissan Altima – Rented by Letecia’s aunt (used Jan 30 – Feb 1, 2020)
• White Kia Rio – Rented by Letecia (Jan 28 – 29, 2020)

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:

January 17, 2020

• Letecia Stauch was hired as a resource teacher at Mountain Vista, set to start on January 24.

January 24, 2020

• Letecia began working at Mountain Vista School.

Sunday, January 26, 2020 (Day before disappearance)

• Gannon had a stomachache and stayed up late.
• Letecia texted Al that she would stay home from work to care for him.

Monday, January 27, 2020 (Day of Murder)

• 4:37 AM Letecia sent a text to her employer, falsely claiming her stepfather had died in a car accident.
• Letecia: “I’m sorry for the time of night message, but my stepfather passed away… Someone hit him with a car while he was walking. I can update you at a later time”.
• Hicks: Sorry, Do we need a substitute to fill in for that day?
• Letecia “Yes, it’s my parent. I can’t believe that would not be an assumption in a time like this”.
  
• 8:13 AM & 8:17 AM: Letecia took photos of Gannon in bed, showing his Nintendo Switch next to him.
• 10:16 AM: Surveillance footage captured Letecia leaving home with Gannon in the Nissan Frontier.
• 10:37 AM: text message was sent from Gannon’s phone to Harley: “Tecia left phone at home if you need her text me.” Investigators believe Letecia sent this message to cover up her actions.
• 11:22 AM: Letecia was seen on Petco surveillance footage (5020 N Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs). Gannon was NOT seen in the footage.
• 1:21 PM: Text message from Gannon’s phone to his father, Albert Stauch: “Can I play Zelda at least?”
  
• 1:22 PM: Letecia made another purchase at Petco.
• 1:43 PM: Internet search from Gannon’s phone: “Can my parent find my cell phone if it’s off?”
• 2:19 PM: Letecia returned home. Motion detectors confirmed no movement inside the house from 10:12 AM – 2:22 PM, suggesting nobody was home.
• 2:45 PM: Letecia unlocked her phone after 30 minutes of being home.
• 3:15 PM: Laina returned home from school. Letecia told her Gannon was sleeping in her bed and not to disturb him.
• 4:42 PM: Harley picked up Laina from home.
• 4:52 PM: Letecia texted Harley: “Carpet powder 2 things, baking soda, trash bags.”
• 5:14 PM: Harley purchased the items from a Dollar Store.
• 6:55 PM: Letecia called 911, falsely reporting Gannon missing.
• 10:09 PM: Deputies arrived at the Stauch home.
• Letecia gave inconsistent stories.
• Volkswagen Tiguan was backed into the garage.
• Body-worn camera (BWC) footage later revealed:
• Blood stains in Gannon’s bedroom.
• Blood detected in the garage and on the Tiguan’s bumper.

January 28, 2020

• 5:14 AM: Letecia texted a babysitter with conflicting information about Gannon’s disappearance.
  

LS: “This happened after 3:30”
LS: “We talked to him then and told be home by 6”
Sitter: “someone posted he wasn’t at school either”
LS: “He had to go to doctor for his stomach”
LS: “But he was here in the afternoon”
Sitter: “where did he say he was at”
LS: “Honestly, I don’t keep up with friends”

• 8:30 A.M: Letecia rented a Kia Rio from Avis. A receipt shows Letecia rents a 2019 KIA Rio from Avis Rent a Car in Colorado Springs
• 8:48 AM: Letecia instructed Harley to pull her car (Jetta) into the garage.
• 8:50 AM: Letecia picked up Al Stauch from the airport in the rental Kia Rio, leaving her Tiguan at short-term parking.
• 12:29 p.m., case turned over to EPSO investigators
• 12:57 p.m. Google search on Letecia’s phone: “can Nintendo find my Switch?”
• 4:04 p.m. Investigators asked Letecia for Gannon’s toothbrush for DNA
• 4:19 p.m. Letecia texts Al, “They are asking for our sons tooth brush but said nothing is wrong”
  

LS: “Something isn’t right I think they’re hiding something
Al: “Who, the police?”
LS: “Yes they asked for toothbrushes”
Al: “Hmm, what do u think they’re hiding?”

• 7:00 p.m. Letecia picks up VW Tiguan she left earlier that morning at COS airport short term parking lot
• 7:02 p.m. Receipt shows Letecia leaving COS airport with Tiguan
  
• 8:30 PM – 10:20 PM Letecia drove to Hwy 105/Perry Park Rd (Douglas County, CO), where investigators believe she disposed of Gannon’s remains.
• 10:26 p.m. Harley leaves Stauch residence and detectives believe she picked up Letecia near Powers and Carefree
• 10:45 p.m. Letecia makes statement to investigators via text message:

Letecia: “What do you want from me? Because I have nothing. One of your very own leaked to me what you guys were doing. I did nothing/ or am being set up. I’m not really even sure other that being told that by another blue with El Paso. I was told I couldn’t go home to sleep and on top of that men were sent to a home with a minor female and she was forced to stay there not to even have good. Every conversation that said even at this moment, I can hear inside. What do you want from me?
Detective Bethel: “Come into talk to me. I would just like information to find Gannon.”

January 29, 2020

• 9:00 AM: Letecia returned the KIA Rio rental.
• 10:00 AM: Letecia scheduled to meet with detectives.
• 11:30 AM: Surveillance video catches Tiguan at the Car Wash with potential blood on black bumper
• 12:00 PM: Letecia met with detectives, changing her story multiple times. She arrived for a police interview driving the Volkswagen Tiguan. Investigators noticed the Tiguan was freshly cleaned. New claim: She was raped by a man named “Eguardo” and that he kidnapped Gannon.
• During interview: Letecia claims she was held at gunpoint, raped by Hispanic male named Eguardo and Gannon was abducted by male after he finished raping her
• Claims man was in the basement when she came home 01/27, allowed her to greet Laina
• Claims man raped Letecia between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
• Claims she may have hit her head and she blacked out
• Claims Gannon jumped on rapist’s back
• Claims rapist threw Gannon across room, held him at gunpoint and demanded suitcase and cardboard box
• Claims she cleaned up the area
• Detectives offer Letecia a rape exam, she denies it.
  
• Detectives seize Leticia phone
• End of interview, Investigators took her phone and detained her while they applied for a search warrant to collect DNA. She started stuffing tissues in her pants and said she was having chest pain and shortness of breath. Letecia transported to hospital
• While in the ambulance she did not respond to the paramedics’ questions. When she arrived at the hospital, she “seemed to have a miraculous recovery,”
• She made a phone call from the waiting room at the hospital and left the hospital without telling investigators, She was Picked up by an unknown person and seen reunited with her daughter Harley several miles away
• 2:14 PM: Letecia texts Nicole
  

LS: “When we came back inside from the smoke there was blood on both of us. I didn’t know what to do. I was scared I would get (unknown word) out about it and I don’t know if he should go to the doctor. I kept trying to add the candle thing but Albert kept saying it was small and minor. I was scared the basement was smoky and when I threw the cover everything we both had blood.”
LS: “You don’t understand how it is to be a stepmom”

• Volkswagen Tiguan Seized. Luminol testing detected suspected blood traces on:
• Rear bumper.
• Rear step plate.
• Passenger seat areas.
• Inside the Tiguan, investigators found a Dollar Store receipt for:
• Trash bags.
• Baking soda.
• Carpet cleaner.
• Vinegar (used to clean blood stains).

January 30, 2020:

• Case upgraded to Endangered Missing Child.
• EPSO requests resources from NCMEC and FBI Crimes Abduction Rapid Deployment Team
• Letecia rents a 2020 Nissan Altima, investigators put a GPS tracking device on it.
• 4:16 p.m. to 5:13 p.m. Letecia heads back to Douglas County (in Nissan Altima) near Highway 105/Perry Park Road in Douglas County. Detectives believe she went back to make sure Gannon’s remains were not seen near the road and evidence of his body was covered up

January 31, 2020:

• Letecia Stauch speaks to 11 News reporter

February 1, 2020:

• The FBI Evidence Response Team processed the Volkswagen Tiguan.

February 3, 2020:

• Neighbor comes forward with home surveillance video: video showed Letecia leaving home with Gannon but returning alone.

February 5, 2020:

• 4th Judicial District Attorney Dan May is first seen at the Stauch home.
• wiretap recordings: Investigators monitoring phone calls between Letecia and Al Stauch (known to Al).
• Letecia states Gannon was burned with a candle to the point his skin bubbled, Gannon peeled the burns off and wiped blood on his bedroom wall. Al did not ask about the blood on the wall before Letecia made that comment.

February 13, 2020

• Search for Gannon moves into Douglas County.

February 14, 2020

• Stauch told her husband several stories to explain Gannon’s disappearance, Al Stauch later told investigators. One story claimed that Quincy Brown, who was wanted in El Paso County, raped her and kidnapped Gannon.
• She also claimed Gannon fell off his bike while they were in northern El Paso County, near County Line Road and Highway 105, and hit his head before he was abducted by Brown.

Call from Letecia to AL:

• Letecia: “I don’t kill people.”
• Al: “Right now tell me the truth, where’s Gannon!”
• Letecia: “I need immunity!”
• Letecia: “If they give me immunity I will help.”
• Letecia: “There’s more details that I can’t discuss that would incriminate myself.”
• Letecia: “If it’s an accident, are you going to stand by me?”
• Al: “Yes, absolutely Tecia. I told you that from day one.”
• Letecia: “I’m sorry for all the stories, I just didn’t know what to do.”
• Letecia: “I’ve already told you, you think you can be this interrogator all you want.”
• Al: “No, you’re my wife. I’m trying to talk to you.”
• Letecia: “You’re not trying to talk to me, you’re trying to put me six feet under. That’s what you’re trying to do.”
• Al: “Okay, you’re treating me like I’m the court or the law not like I’m our sons’ father.”
• Letecia: “My hands were tied … all I could hear was Gannon screaming.”
• Al: “The guy was still there when police searched the home?”
• Letecia: “Yes, yes!”
• Al: “Where was he at? Where was he at when they searched our house?”
• Letecia: (unintelligible)”Anything until I get immunity.”

February 15, 2020

• She told Al Stauch that her story about Gannon falling of his bike was a lie and and said that the blood in the corner of Gannon’s room was a combination of hers and Gannon’s and a result of the abductor sexually assaulting her and Gannon.
• Investigators retraced Leticia rented Altima route and located a piece of particleboard during their search. It had a stain that appeared to be blood. Blood profile matched Gannon. Gannon’s blood found near Highway 105/Perry Park Road.
  

February 17, 2020

10:14 AM

• Leticia Stauch called 321-247-6876 a phone number associated with “ fakepolygraph.com”. The website states that she would receive a certificate proving that a real polygraph test was completed, in which the customer can choose the questions and results. Letecia tells caller she never received confirmation for test she paid for, unknown male said he’d send her an email

11:16 AM

• She called a second time, a man told her that her report was blocked by management based on the content of the questions.
  

According to the website, Stauch submitted five questions, including: “Did you participate in any way in causing harm to your stepson” and “Did you participate in any way in causing the death of your stepson?” She submitted “No” as answers to both.

1:53 p.m.

• Letecia told Laura Abernathy that she was thinking about flying out to Colorado to take a lie detector test to prove her innocence. She said, “they think I’m still in Colorado”

4:11 p.m.

• Letecia told an unknown female that she is going to take a lie detector test, but the test wouldn’t be admissible in court and no law enforcement would be present.

February 21, 2020

• Douglas County search suspended. Sheriff’s office says there remains the potential for search efforts to start up any time.

February 28, 2020

• Arrest warrant issued for Letecia Stauch for Murder in the First Degree – Child Under Twelve – Position of Trust, § 18-3-102(1 )(t); Child Abuse Resulting in Death, § 18-6-401 (1 )( a), (7)(A)(Q; Tampering with a Deceased Human Body, § 18-8-610.5; and Tampering with Physical Evidence, § 18-8-610(1 )( a). Warrant

March 2020

• Autopsy Results: Susan Ignacio, an associate medical examiner from Florida performed Gannon’s autopsy.
• Cause of Death:
• 18 stab wounds
• Blunt force trauma to the head
• Gunshot wound to the jaw
• Defensive Wounds: Suggest Gannon tried to protect himself.
• Toxicology Report: Hydrocodone (an opioid) found in his system.

March 2, 2020 (Arrest Warrant Issued):

• Letecia arrested in Myrtle Beach, SC and extradited to Colorado.
• Murder in the First Degree – Child Under Twelve
• Child Abuse Resulting in Death
• Tampering with a Deceased Human Body
• Tampering with Physical Evidence

March 4, 2020:

• Letecia reportedly attacked a deputy and was held in a Kansas jail, according to a source.

March 5, 2020:

• Letecia arrives in Colorado Springs for a video advisement hearing.

March 11, 2020:

• March 11, 2020, the Chair of the State Board summarily suspended Letecia H. Stauch’s South Carolina educator certificate. Order
  

March 18, 2020:

• A tuft of hair was recovered from an unrelated residence.

March 20, 2020:

• Gannon’s remains were found in a suitcase beneath a bridge in Pace, Florida
  
• Gannon body found inside a suitcase 
• Gannon’s body was wrapped in blankets. 
• Body of young man with injuries to the body, a fractured skull, a gunshot wound to the lower jaw, and eighteen sharp force wounds, and what appeared to be defensive wounds on the hands.
  

May 20, 2020

• Letecia Stauch spoke to inmate about using the broom handle to bust out the window in her cell to escape jail.

May 20, 2020

• 7:00 PM: inmate at the El Paso County Jail told deputies she has received a couple letters from Letecia Stauch which contained written plans for Letecia Stauch’s escape. Stauch said she was planning on breaking out her cell window and measured herself. Stauch said that she will fit through the window. Affidavit

December 28, 2020

• December 28, 2020 South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) sent another letter informing Letecia Stauch of the pending action against her educator certificate and her right to a hearing. The SCDE has verified Ms. Stauch’s address. Under the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure 5(b), Ms. Stauch has been given fair notice of constitutional due process. Order
  

Key Evidence Against Letecia Stauch:

Physical Evidence

• Blood in Gannon’s bedroom:
• Blood soaked through the mattress, carpet, and onto the concrete.
• Blood spatter on the walls.
• Blood in the Garage:
• Consistent with where the Volkswagen Tiguan was backed in.
• Volkswagen Tiguan:
• Luminol tests detected blood on:
• Rear bumper
• Rear step plate
• Passenger seat
• Cleaning Supplies Purchased:
• Baking soda, trash bags, carpet cleaner, vinegar.

Digital & Video Evidence

• Search History:
• “Can Nintendo find my Switch?”
• “Can my parent find my phone if it’s off?”
• “What do they do with stolen bodies?”
• Neighbor’s Surveillance Footage:
• Captured Letecia and Gannon leaving home at 10:16 AM on Jan 27.
• Cell Phone Data:
• Letecia’s phone was left at home intentionally.
• Location history placed her near Douglas County on Jan 28.

Investigators believe Stauch, 36, killed Gannon sometime after 2 p.m. Jan. 27, while her husband and Gannon’s father, Al Stauch, was deployed with the National Guard.

September 20th, 1982

• Eugene Albert “Al” Stauch is born

August 4th,1983 

• Letecia Hardin (Stauch) is born

May 1st, 2002 

• Harley Hunt, Letecia’s daughter, is born

2003

• Al Stauch and Landen begin dating

2005 

• Al Stauch and Landen marry

September 29th, 2008 

• Gannon Stauch is born four months premature and receives prolonged medical care.

2008 – Letecia and Chance Hunt, Harley’s father, separate

November 2010 

• Letecia is first employed with Horry County School District

January 22nd, 2012 

• Laina is born prematurely

2013 

• Al Stauch and Letecia meet; they play softball together. Al does not have custody of the children; he shares custody. They live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

January 2014 

• Al and Letecia begin dating; Al later says they started dating in Spring/Summer 2014.He is separated from Landen at this time.

2014 

• Al meets Harley; Letecia and Al move to Charleston, South Carolina, with Harley and Gannon and Laina visit.

September 2014 

• Al Stauch and Landen are legally separated.

October 2, 2014 

• Chance Hunt, Harley’s father, dies of a drug overdose. He and Letecia have been separated / divorced.

January 2015 

• Al and Letecia marry

June 29, 2015

• Letecia resigns from her teaching position with Horry County.

2015 

• The family moves back to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where they own a home.

May 11, 2016 

• Leticia’s teaching license is suspended in North Carolina following conflicts between her and the district ; the official reason is due to unprofessional conduct for breach of contract Order

June 9, 2016 

• Al takes a new assignment in Alaska

2017 

• Al moves to Alaska by himself; the kids visit him in the summer. Landen has custody most of the year. Letecia was unhappy with Al’s career move

March 2017 

• Al petitions for modified custody; Al seeks more custody of the kids as he feels Landen’s home is less safe due to suspected drug activity and the history of her new partner.

March 2018

• A new custody arrangement is approved by the courts.

2018 – 2019

• Letecia greatly dislikes Alaska. She tells Harley they are going to have a last dinner together because she has “already taken them” (assumed to be pills). The next day, Letecia is alive and they don’t speak of this incident again.
• While visiting Al, Letecia is allegedly sexually harassed by his fellow soldiers. She files a complaint. The situation is handled by reassigning Al to Colorado.

January 2019 

• The family moves from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Letecia and Harley move first with Laina and Gannon following.

January 2019 

• Letecia, Gannon, and Laina move to a rental home in Colorado Springs.

February 2019 

• Al moves to Colorado Springs for the first time to be with the family

May 2019 

• Al cuts off the tip of a finger while woodworking. He receives a prescription for hydrocodone which he does not finish and keeps in his nightstand.

2019 

• Gannon and Laina enter counseling. Gannon’s therapy is focused on dealing with “his issues” with Letecia which include him allegedly threatening her.

Fall 2019

• Letecia is “paranoid” about an alleged car accident she was in involving a hit and run. Police say it wasn’t her
• Letecia claims that there has been a burglary at the home; she later says she made this up
• Letecia is employed with French Elementary School
• Letecia is having struggles with her job; Leticia is seeing a doctor for mental health issues. Al goes to one appointment with her.
• The family acquires two bulldog puppies named Sadie and Chance.

Christmas 2019

• The family celebrates an early Christmas; Gannon and Laina are with their mother for the holidays
• Letecia, having introduced herself as Harley on Facebook, meets neighbor Nicole Mobley to give her free clothes
• Letecia begins training to be flight attendant and takes a trip just after Christmas for this purpose.
• Letecia will later state that she couldn’t make it to training because she couldn’t find anyone to watch the kids as Al works at night; she is re-scheduled for February (2020).

January 2020

• Laina and Gannon return from their mother’s home.
• Al and Letecia go on a trip alone to Florida for their anniversary; Letecia hires a babysitter for all of the kids.

January 16th, 2020 

• Leslie Hicks, assistant principal of Mountain Ridge Middle School at the time, reaches out to Letecia regarding her interest in a resource teacher position for kids in special education or who have an IEP.

January 18th2020 

• Al’s mother comes to stay with the family; Letecia and Al have tension

January 22nd, 2020 

• Letecia is due to come in for her interview at the middle school; she begins her trial period working with students.