DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Search teams returned Thursday morning to comb an area in southern Douglas County for clues in relation to the disappearance of 11-year-old Gannon Stauch, who has not been seen since Jan. 27.
On Wednesday, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPCSO) said they were searching "specific areas" based on tips. More than 80 trained people, including search and rescue team members, were involved in the 35-acre search near Highway 105 between Palmer Lake and Larkspur.
Some of them were on horseback, and K9s were also involved in Wednesday's search, according to EPCSO.
Letecia Stauch, who is Gannon's stepmother, told investigators she last saw Gannon at his home in Lorson Ranch between 3:15 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27. She told the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPCSO) Gannon said he was going to a friend's house. No one has seen him since.
However, on that same day, a neighbor captured surveillance video, which appears to show Gannon getting into a truck. The neighbor told KRDO, our sister station in Colorado Springs, the truck belongs to Letecia Stauch. Investigators with EPCSO haven't commented on the video except to say it's part of their investigation.
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Last week, Gannon's parents released a video statement through EPCSO. In it, they described their son as energetic and happy and said he loved sports. They also urged anyone with information to come forward.
"I don't even have answers for my feelings, other than I'm afraid," said Landen Hiott, Gannon's biological mother. "Afraid that I will never hear his voice, that I will never hear him run and say, 'Mommy!', that I will never hear those corny jokes that he always tells. I am afraid I will never see that again or hear it. I don't want to believe that because that means I'm giving up hope, and I'm not giving up hope."
The sheriff's office is still asking for tips from the public, with the goal of bringing Gannon home safely to his family. Tips could include something as simple as someone remembering suspicious persons or vehicles they saw in or around the area close to the date Gannon went missing.
As of Wednesday night, EPCSO had received 422 tips. If you have information you feel is pertinent to Gannon’s case or his whereabouts, please call the Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 719-520-6666, or email tips@elpasoco.com, if you have not already done so.
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