EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. — The El Paso Sheriff's Office has confirmed that human remains found in Florida have been "tentatively identified" as 11-year-old Gannon Stauch, who went missing from the Colorado Springs area on Jan. 27.
The 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office also filed new charges in the case against Gannon's stepmother, Letecia Stauch, who already had faced a murder charge in the boy's disappearance.
Stauch now faces a first-degree murder charge and eight counts of crime of violence, said Michael Allen, the chief deputy district attorney for the 4th Judicial District.
"Our job isn't done," Allen said, when asked about the investigation.
The sheriff's office said they were contacted by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office in Florida on Wednesday about a deceased juvenile male found in Pace, north of Pensacola. The District One Medical Examiner performed an autopsy and tentatively identified the juvenile as Gannon Stauch, according to the El Paso Sheriff's Office.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office officials said a road construction worker found the body just off Highway 90 in Pace, near the Escambia River bridge, WEAR-TV reported.
Stauch's stepmother, Letecia Stauch,was arrested on March 2 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and is accused of murdering the 11-year-old boy.
The El Paso Sheriff's Office is now asking anybody who was in the Pace or Pensacola areas between Feb. 3 and 5 to call them at 719-520-6666 or email tips@elpasoco.com.
Letecia Stauch now faces the following charges:
- First-degree murder (2 counts)
- Child abuse resulting in death
- Tampering with a deceased human body
- Tampering with physical evidence
- Crime of violence (8 counts)
Gannon Stauch went missing in late January
Letecia Stauch reported her stepson missing from their Colorado Springs home on Jan. 27. She told police that Gannon Stauch left on foot to play at a friend's house and never returned.
According to the El Paso Sheriff's Office, she made the report around 7 p.m. that day.
During the investigation, a neighbor shared a home surveillance video that he said showed the boy and his stepmother leaving their home around 10:13 a.m. on Jan 27. At 2:19 p.m. that same day, the stepmother returned home, seemingly alone.
Thirty-five days after he was reported missing, Letecia Stauch was arrested in South Carolina.
At a press conference following her arrest, El Paso Sheriff's Lt. Mitch Mahalko said authorities no longer believed Gannon Stauch was alive. Mahalko said they are not releasing information as to why they believe that, or why they have accused Letecia Stauch of first-degree murder. According to Denver7's news partners KOAA, the arrest warrant for Letecia Stauch was first sought by El Paso County authorities on Friday, Feb. 28.
Neighbors and friends created a memorial in the Lorson Ranch neighborhood where Gannon Stauch lived.