Hey little skeletons, I’m Gina – and I’m Amber! And this is Weird True Crime!
Amber: Welcome back for part two of the Gannon Stauch case. If you missed part one, I highly recommend going back and listening to our breakdown along with the audio clips before you dive into this one. Before getting into what was written in the affidavit and talking about the trial, let’s quickly recap what we covered in the previous episode. 11-year-old Gannon Stauch was reported missing by his stepmother, Letecia Stauch, on January 27, 2020, after he didn’t come home from a friend’s house.
Gina: Letecia makes several strange choices in the days following Gannon’s disappearance, including renting a car for no apparent reason to pick up Al, Gannon’s father, from the airport, giving strange self-serving interviews to news media, and moving out of state just days after Gannon’s disappearance. After massive search efforts, interviews, and crime scene investigations, Letecia was arrested on March 2, 2020, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Let’s get right into it.
INTRO
Amber: We’re now going to break down the timeline from January 27 with the information from the affidavit. Gannon stayed home from school on Monday, January 27, 2020. This is one of the few things Letecia told police that is true. Letecia texted Al letting him know Gannon was up the night before with stomach issues, and that he was staying home from school. She also let the school know he would be absent and texted her new employer, Leslie Hicks, at 4:37 a.m. to tell her she wouldn’t be at work because her Stepdad had been hit and killed by a car. We don’t know why she made up such a strange excuse to get out of work, but I’m assuming it’s because she had a plan and knew she wouldn’t be returning to work for several days. Interestingly enough, her Stepdad was hit and killed by a car, but it happened several years prior. Letecia took pictures of Gannon, who appears to be asleep in bed, at 8:13 and 8:17 a.m. His prized Nintendo Switch can be seen lying next to him. It was never found after his disappearance.
Gina: Thanks to a neighbor’s security camera, we know Letecia and Gannon left their home at 10:16 a.m. in Al’s red Nissan Frontier. Phone records indicate that Leticia left her phone at home during this outing, which is notably strange because she is an avid user of social media and spent multiple hours per day on Facebook and Messenger. A text was sent from Gannon’s phone to Letecia’s daughter, Harley’s, phone at 10:37 a.m. that said “Tecia left phone at home if you need her text me.” Surveillance footage at a Petco about 30 minutes away from Letecia’s home captured her completing a purchase around 11:22 a.m. She bought three dog sweaters. Gannon is nowhere to be seen in the footage and employees stated that Letecia kept looking out the front windows to the parking lot. Two hours later, at 1:22 p.m., Letecia is seen once again at the same Petco making another purchase. No one knows where she and Gannon went during the two-hour gap. I have a theory, but I’ll save it for later.
Amber: At 12:06 p.m., Al sent Gannon’s phone a message that said, “Hey buddy.” The text wasn’t answered until 1:21 p.m. with a message that said, “Can I play Zelda at least,” to which Mr. Stuach replied, “Not today.” Gannon had been grounded from his Switch, and this is such a kid’s way to respond to a message from a parent. An interesting event occurred on Gannon’s phone at 1:43 p.m., before Letecia and Gannon returned home. There was an internet search on his phone that said “can my parent find my cell phone.if its off.” This stands out for a few reasons. One – the search is strange for an 11-year-old boy. Two – the phrasing of the search is questionable – “parent” alludes to one parent, are we referring to Al being able to find the phone if it’s off? Three – there is a typo in the phrase. A period is where the space should be between the words “phone” and “if,” which is a frequent occurrence in the search history found on Letecia’s phone. This led investigators to believe it was Letecia who made the search, not Gannon. The phone was later found at the Stauch residence, so Letecia’s search probably made her realize there was no clean way to get rid of the phone.
Gina: Letecia and Gannon return home around 2:20 p.m. Her phone, which had been at home and locked all day, wasn’t unlocked until 2:45 p.m., 25 minutes after they returned home. Considering how attached she was to her phone, investigators found this odd and out of character. While she may not have been on her phone during that time, motion sensors throughout the home indicated movement both upstairs and downstairs. Laina, Gannon’s little sister, returned home from school around 3:15 p.m. Letecia told Laina that Gannon was asleep in her bed and she couldn’t see him, and sent her outside to play. Gannon’s dad, Al, sent him another text that read, “Hey buddy,” at 3:55 p.m., but this message wasn’t read until 7: 40 p.m. – after Gannon had been reported missing. Harley, Letecia’s daughter, returned home from work at 4:42 p.m., picked up Laina, and left again. Letecia sent Harley a text message about 15 minutes asking for carpet cleaner, baking soda, and trash bags. The text didn’t mention cleaning anything, so the assumption is that Letecia asked Harley to go buy some items from the store and then texted her with additions to the list after she left. As we know from the original reports, Letecia called EPSO to report Gannon missing at 6:55 p.m. No one showed up at the home to speak with her until after 10 p.m.
Gina: During the initial investigation of the Stauch residence, body cameras capture Letecia’s Volkswagon Tiguan in the garage, which had been backed in instead of pulled straight through. Detective Bethel, who wrote the affidavit, states that the placement of the SUV is significant because of later findings. The officers also walked through Gannon’s bedroom in the basement of the home. Images captured from the body cam footage show significant differences between the photos taken of Gannon in bed that morning and the appearance of the bed that night. The bedding has been changed, and the pillowcase, if not the whole pillow, is different. Investigators searched the home five times and never found the bedding Gannon was sleeping on that morning.
Amber: If you recall from part one, Al Stauch rushed back home on January 28th after he learned of his son’s disappearance. His loving wife, Letecia, picked him up from the airport – but not in the Volkswagon Tiguan. No, she rented a 2019 Kia Rio from Avis Rent-A-Car around 8:50 a.m. and left the Tiguan in the short-term parking lot at the Colorado Springs airport. When Al asked Letecia why she rented the car, she told him she was concerned about putting miles on the Tiguan because it was a rental and they would be driving around to look for Gannon. This doesn’t make sense for a couple of reasons – why would you be thinking about your car mileage when your child is missing? And also, Al later said that once they returned home, they left the Kia at the house and drove the Nissan Frontier around to look for Gannon.
Gina: Letecia also lied to Al about where the Tiguan was and told him she left it at French Elementary School. On the stand, Al spoke to this when he explained that he drove around the school several times looking for the Tiguan, but never saw it. Letecia didn’t return to pick up her Tiguan from the airport until approximately 8 p.m. on January 28 and returned the Kia Rio the morning of the 29th. Surveillance cameras show Letecia being picked up from the Avis rent-a-car by a white Jetta, which matches the description of Harley’s car. Letecia showed up nearly two hours late to her interview at the EPSO on January 29th, in her freshly washed Tiguan. The vehicle was seized and the Evidence Response Team conducted a forensics search. Blue Star Reagent, which is similar to luminol, revealed traces of blood on the rear bumper, step plate of the rear bumper, back passenger seat, front passenger seat, and an area near the glove box. The traces of blood on the rear bumper and step plate are significant because if you remember, the body cam footage from the initial search of the home showed the Tiguan had been backed into the garage. Forensic testing also revealed blood on the floor of the garage in the same location where the rear bumper would have been located.
Amber: A receipt from the Dollar Store timestamped January 27, 5:17 p.m. was found in the Tiguan, as well. Listed on the receipt were trash bags, baking soda, vinegar, and other items. As mentioned earlier, Letecia texted Harley a message that contained a list of various cleaning items around this time. A quick internet search will show that baking soda and vinegar are common household items used to clean blood stains. Of course, just because someone buys these everyday household items doesn’t mean they’re trying to clean up a crime scene. But given the date, time, and circumstance, it’s more than coincidental. While these items were being found in Letecia’s Tiguan, she was busy telling investigators one of her many stories about what happened the day of Gannon’s disappearance. This is when “Eguardo” and the sexual assault and kidnapping come to fruition. Letecia told investigators that when Laina got home from school, her attacker let her go upstairs to greet her and tell her to go out and play before returning downstairs and resuming the assault. Not only is this statement outlandish, but security cameras from neighboring houses did not show anyone besides Letecia and Gannon entering the home that afternoon.
Gina: The motion sensors inside the Stauch residence didn’t pick up any movement between 10:16 a.m. and 2:14 p.m., proving that no one was in the house during that time. To make this story even less plausible than it already is, cell phone records show Letecia texted Al several times and made a phone call during the time of the alleged assault. Yep, an intruder would absolutely let you text your husband and call someone while attacking you without any fear that you will call the police. Makes complete sense. Not only did she wait two days to report the attack, but she also said she cleaned up the areas where it took place, including Gannon’s room and the utility (or laundry) room. Investigators found cleaning brushes that contained carpet fibers in the dishwasher. While the brushes were obviously used to clean the carpet, it’s clear she was trying to explain away their presence with this so-called assault. It’s at this point in the interview that Letecia feigns illness and hitches a ride to the hospital, where she escapes before the warrant is executed for her DNA. She was encouraged to do a SANE exam, which is the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, but refused. You would think that a woman who just went through a sexual assault and had her child kidnapped would do anything to help find the person who did this. This is another big tell that the assault didn’t actually happen.
Amber: While Letecia was busy tweaking her story for the investigators, the Metro Crime Lab was at the Stauch residence, doing one of many forensic investigations. Blue Star Reagent (which is similar to Luminol) was applied to Gannon’s bedroom, the hallway leading to the utility room from his bedroom, the utility room itself, the staircase and landing leading upstairs, the pathway to the garage from the stairs, and the garage itself. Investigators found positive results for blood in all of the locations I just mentioned. In Gannon’s bedroom, in the corner where his bed was positioned, there was an area where suspected blood had seeped through the carpet and stained the concrete. There were also blood stains and projected blood spatter on the walls in this location. Crime scene inspectors suspect someone had attempted to clean up the blood because of the way the Blue Star Reagent reacted to the blood on the walls. Even worse, Gannon’s mattress was seized as evidence because of red stains consistent with blood in the same area as the stain on the carpet and the blood cast off on the walls. The blood found on the walls, floor, and mattress was determined to be Gannon’s blood. It was obvious to investigators that Letecia had attempted to clean up the scene because residual blood was found on the baseboards, an electrical outlet cover, and soaked through the carpet that had been cleaned. When the outlet cover was removed, a blood stain was visible along the outline of the cover, showing that Letecia had attempted to clean but there had been so much blood it seeped under the outlet cover.
Gina: Tom Griffin, a Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst, Bloodstain Pattern Analyst, and Crime Scene Reconstructionist, examined the blood stain on Gannon’s walls. He preliminarily reported that the stains were consistent with one or more blood-spatter-producing events, which could include gunshot, blunt force, or a stabbing. Just saying that outloud makes my skin crawl. On January 29, a piece of rolled-up carpet was found in the utility room with what appeared to be blood stains on it. During this search, investigators found carpet brushes in the dishwasher with suspected carpet fibers on them and an empty gallon size bottle of vinegar. Al, Gannon’s father, said that the bottle had been half-full when he left for Oklahoma on January 25. Vinegar was also purchased on January 27. I think we mentioned this before, but vinegar, along with baking soda, is a popular combination used to clean up blood. All in all, Gannon’s DNA profile was found in blood samples taken from the garage, on the outside of size 8.5 Nike shoes (that belonged to Letecia), and in Gannon’s bedroom. These preliminary findings led investigators to believe that Gannon was killed in his bedroom, brought into the garage, and loaded into the back of Letecia’s Volkswagon Tiguan in order to be disposed of in another location.
Amber: The GPS tracker on Letecia’s Tiguan showed the vehicle left the Colorado Springs airport around 7 p.m. on January 28, 2020. As mentioned earlier, Letecia parked the Tiguan in the short-term parking lot around 8 a.m. that morning before picking Al up from the airport in a Kia Rio. After the Tiguan left the airport that evening, it made a 10-minute stop in the parking lot of a King Soopers (a grocery store chain) and then a Wendy’s. The raw data from the Tiguan then showed it in the area of Highway 105 and South Perry Park Road between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. The car stopped for approximately five minutes before driving back toward the Stauch residence. Letecia’s cell phone data shows that her phone was either turned off or in airplane mode during this time period. The GPS tracker on the Nissan Altima that Letecia drove after the Tiguan was seized on January 29, was in the same area near Highway 105 and South Perry Park Road on January 31 between 4:15 and 5:15 p.m. Letecia had no family or friends in this area, and investigators found it odd she traveled to this location multiple times. On February 15, 2020, a piece of particleboard with what appeared to be blood on it was found near the location where the Tiguan idled for five minutes on January 28. The particleboard tested positive for Gannon’s blood. Gannon’s remains were not found in the area, and investigators initially believed they had been scattered by animals. We know that this is not where Gannon was found. A clear assumption would be that Letecia dumped his body near Highway 105 and South Perry Park Road on January 28, and then went back and got him on January 31 and left the piece of particleboard with his blood on it, behind.
Gina: It is so messed up to think that the same day Letecia gave that ridiculous interview with her back to the camera, she picked up Gannon’s body from the middle of nowhere and kept him in a trunk while deciding what to do with him. Of course, this isn’t the only messed up thing Letecia was up to during and before this time period. Her cell phone records from January 25 – January 29 do her absolutely no favors. While there’s nothing included in the records that provide a motive for murder, it does help to paint a picture of her mental state during this time. She was obviously unhappy in her marriage and did not enjoy her role as a stepparent. Here are some of the Google searches from Letecia’s phone:
- Find real military singles (1/25/2020)
- Parenting should be 4 people not one (1/25/2020)
- Im over doing all the work for my step kids and their mom doesnt help (1/25/2020)
- Mom advice from stepmom (1/25)
- If you aren’t involved it your kids life are you shitty (1/25)
- My husbands ex wife does nothing for her lids (1/25)
- I wonder if my husbands ex wife is sending me a valentines card since I.raise.her.kids (1/25)
- One day some people will.wish they treated you differently (1/25)
- Find me a rich guy who.wants me to take care of his kids (1/25)
- Find a guy who wants me to take care.of.his.kids.and get paid (1/25)
- My son.burned the carpet how.do I fix.it (1/27)
- Will.humidifier.help if exposed to smoke (1/27)
- School is out.is it okay for my kid to stay home alone? (1/27)
- Son is sick but I have to.go.to.work (1/27)
- El paso sheriffs office number (1/27)
- What is the process for our runaway child (1/28)
- Can nintendo find my switch (1/28)
- They are asking for our sons tooth brush but said nothing is wrong (1/28)
Amber: The thing that stood out most to law enforcement was the typing errors in Letecia’s search history. She frequently tapped the period symbol instead of the space bar. This error was found in a large percentage of her search history, and is the same error that was in the “can my parents find my phone if it’s off” search on Gannon’s phone the day he disappeared. None of the other search history from Gannon’s phone had the same typing error, which lead to the belief that Letecia was responsible for that specific search. Investigators also found several deleted Google searches on Letecia’s phone. Date and time stamps could not be recovered, but they’re still an interesting look into her mental state in the time leading up to and potentially following Gannon’s murder. These searches include:
- Find me a new husband book
- I feel like im just a nanny not a step mom
- Husband uses me to babysit his kids
- Are there any free money to move away from bad situation
- My husband never post about me but does everything else
- My husband only cleans up for the army not me
- Im just a glorified babysitter
- Find a new husband
- Sent my husband sexual messages and he ignores them
- Make my husband want me more
- I feel like my husband uses me to babysit his kids
- Find a guy without kids
All of these searches tell us that Letecia was obviously unhappy in her marriage because of Al’s lack of affection or attention, and she did not enjoy taking care of his kids. From his time on the stand during the trial, it’s pretty clear that his job takes priority and he was traveling for work frequently. Anyone who is married with kids and a spouse who travels for work or works long hours on a consistent basis can speak to how lonely and overwhelming that situation can be. Like we said, none of these searches prove Letecia killed Gannon, but they do help with showing her mental state in the days leading up to the murder. Another red flag is a text message that Letecia sent to Detective Bethel on January 28, just 24 hours after Gannon was reported missing. In the message, Letecia already believed she was a subject in his disappearance even though she had not been notified as such or given any prompt from law enforcement. Why would she think she was a person of interest in his disappearance so soon after he went missing if she had nothing to do with it?
Gina: Once Al realized that Letecia lied to him about Gannon’s whereabouts on the day of his disappearance, he began working with police to gather more information. He allowed phone calls and emails with Letecia to be recorded and monitored. In my very expert opinion, the number of times her story about his disappearance and the days leading up to it changes makes her shady as fuck. During a conversation with Al on February 13, Letecia stated that Gannon was burned so badly by the candle incident that his skin bubbled and that Gannon peeled the skin off his burns and wiped the blood on the walls of his bedroom. Al hadn’t asked about blood on the walls during this call, and the fact that she provided information about blood on the wall indicates she was aware of what the scene looked like and was trying to explain it away. The next day, on February 14, Letecia told Al four more stories explaining what happened to Gannon on January 27, 2020. Four. More. Stories. Before we break them down, we’re going to play audio from one of the recorded phone calls between Letecia and Al. By this point, Al had been coached by authorities on how to coax information out of her during their conversations. It’s a long clip but gives great insight into Letecia’s manipulation and Al’s attempts to stay calm during a conversation that would make most people lose their cool pretty quickly.
(Start at :39 seconds)
‘Did You Kill Gannon?’: Ex-Husband Calls Out Letecia Stauch for Allegedly Killing Son
Amber: Al Stauch comes across as a saint during this phone call. Letecia is going on and on with her woe-is-me tactics and saying there’s no way she would hurt Gannon and that nothing happened to him intentionally or unintentionally. Letecia is beside herself that Al would ask her if she killed Gannon and doesn’t believe her stories. Let’s break them all down and why Al might question her. Letecia’s initial statement to police was that Gannon left to go to a friend’s house between 3:15 – 4 p.m. on January 27, 2020. When he didn’t return home for dinner and she couldn’t locate him at his friends’ house, she reported him missing. Her second statement to police on January 29, was that she was held at gunpoint and raped by a man named “Eguardo,” who then kidnapped Gannon. On February 14, 2020, she told Al about the third version of events. According to Letecia, “Eguardo” was still inside the house when investigators arrived on the day of Gannon’s disappearance. Apparently, she tried to signal to the police that there was somebody in the residence. We know that the home was searched during that visit and no one else was found inside the home. On the same day, Letecia told Al the fourth version of events. This time, she wasn’t attacked by “Eguardo” but by a man named Quincy Brown, who then kidnapped Gannon. She said she knew his name because of an ID card that fell out of his pocket during the attack. Who the hell is Quincy Brown and how did his name get pulled into the conversation? Quincy Brown was listed on El Paso County’s Most Wanted List on February 10, 2020, just four days before Letecia named him as the person who raped her and kidnapped Gannon. The photo of Brown that appeared on the KKTV website is the same photo that Letecia texted Al. He had outstanding warrants for failing to register as a sex offender and failure to appear. Quincy Brown is a black male, and up to this point, Letecia stated that her attacker was Hispanic. It doesn’t just stop there, though. The story then changes again, with Letecia stating that Quincy Brown saw her at Petco, followed her from the store, and at some point was laying in the middle of the road in front of her car. When she stopped to avoid hitting him, he jumped in her car, made her drive him to her home, where he raped her and then kidnapped Gannon. My head hurts just trying to keep up with the new details and we’re still not done listing out all of the twists and turns in her story. Remember, all of these new details about Quincy Brown emerged on the same day, during recorded conversations with Al.
Gina: In the last version of events from the day of Gannon’s disappearance, Letecia and Gannon were out near Highway 105 in northern El Paso County on January 27, 2020. Gannon was riding a bicycle in that area and fell off, hit his head, and then was abducted by Quincy Brown. In this version, Brown was driven by a man named Terence. Can you picture it – Letecia and Gannon are out in a rural area of the county and Gannon is riding his bike. He falls, hits his head, and then out of nowhere, Quincy Brown launches himself out of a truck driven by a man named Terence, scoops Gannon up, and leaves Letecia in the dust. It makes no freaking sense. Up to this point, the events of his disappearance took place in the Stauch home, and suddenly she includes the area of El Paso County that the EPSO had actively been investigating during that time period. She brought this area up without any prompt from Al, and is giving an alibi for why she would have been in that area. We know that her Tiguan places Letecia in this area on the night of January 28, 2020, and that a wooden board with Gannon’s blood on it was found in this location. She was adamant that attempts to search this area were futile, but it ended up being an extremely significant piece of the puzzle. Letecia’s statement that Gannon fell and hit his head is her attempt at explaining away why Gannon’s blood would be found in the middle of nowhere. Not to mention that after talking with Quincy Brown’s family members, they learn that Quincy Brown has been living in Mexico for the past two years. The investigators believe that Letecia initially left Gannon’s body at this location the night of January 28, and then went back and got him on January 31 in her aunt’s rented Nissan Altima.
Amber: On February 15, Letecia yet again provided additional conflicting stories to Al, including that the story she told him about Gannon falling off of the bike was a lie because it was what she believed he wanted to hear. She also told Al that the blood in the corner of Gannon’s room was a combination of her and Gannon’s blood because the abductor anally penetrated both her and Gannon with an object. Letecia’s blood was not found on the walls in Gannon’s room. Besides all of the outrageous stories she told Al, Letecia told other friends and family members different stories about what occurred the day of Gannon’s disappearance. During a phone call with a friend on February 16, 2020, she said she had given Al numerous false stories because she knew he wouldn’t believe anything she said. The next day, February 17, she told another person that she had considered flying to Colorado to take a lie detector test to prove her innocence. She also said that she knew a lie detector test wasn’t admissible in court and that law enforcement wouldn’t be present during the test. I’m not sure how this can get any more unbelievable than it already is, but here we go. On February 18, Letecia called a customer service number associated with fakepolygraph.com. During this call, Letecia stated that she never received confirmation for a test she paid for. The representative asked for her name, which she provided, and said he would resend the results to her email. About an hour later, Letecia called customer support again. Here’s the audio recording of those conversations played at Letecia’s trial.
(Begin at: 37 seconds – “Ok Can I have your name…” )
Accused Child Killer Letecia Stauch Calls Fake Polygraph Test Website
Gina: Letecia is told she won’t receive her fake polygraph test because it was blocked by management due to the content and illegal nature of the questions. She asks what happens now – do they just delete the report and go on about life and keep the money? You can practically hear the panic bubbling to the surface of her voice. According to the testimony, she had already told Al that she passed a polygraph test at this point and it proved she had nothing to do with Gannon’s disappearance. Did she really think investigators wouldn’t find out that she visited a website called fakepolygraph.com? Also, anyone who is dumb enough to use a site like this in order to lie or prove false innocence deserves to be punished for their misbehavior.
Amber: She calls customer service again and tries to explain that she didn’t ask anything illegal and thought questions about infidelity could be used in the test. The poor representative is trying so hard to remain neutral about the situation. I’m sure he can see exactly what she asked and is just like.. Yeah I’m sorry that’s not what’s listed here, I don’t know what to tell you, lady. So – what were the questions Letecia asked herself in her legitimate polygraph test? Let’s get into it.
- Question 1: Do you intend to answer these questions regarding your stepson truthfully?
- Answer 1: YES
- Question 2: Is your birthday August 4, 1983?
- Answer: YES
- Question 3: Did you participate in any way in causing harm to your stepson?
Answer: NO - Question 4: Did your stepson return with you to your home?
Answer: YES - Question 5: Did you participate in any way in causing the death of your stepson?
Answer: NO
Yeah… not seeing anything related to infidelity, here. She also tells the customer service representative that one of the questions on her test was, Are your eyes blue? Which is also not in this report. An innocent person wouldn’t go through the process of paying for and writing a fake polygraph test to prove they did nothing wrong. It’s just another red flag to add to the growing pile.
Gina: Letecia never provided a fully truthful statement about Gannon’s disappearance to the authorities at any point during the investigation. She changed her story multiple times, rented a car under suspicious circumstances, put her phone on airplane mode or left it home on multiple occasions in an attempt to hide her location, and gave unprompted explanations for why Gannon’s blood would be found in multiple locations. She went to great lengths to make herself look innocent, including the alleged rape story and attempting to buy a polygraph test from fake polygraph.com. These reasons, plus the others that we have discussed in in part one and part two and all of the physical evidence that Gannon was killed inside of the house, were enough to approve the arrest warrant for Letecia Stauch. The charges in the arrest warrant included: Murder in the first degree for a child under 12 by a person in the position of trust, child abuse relating in death, tampering with a deceased human body, and tampering with physical evidence. Letecia was arrested in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on March 2, 2020, and extradited back to El Paso County, Colorado. During the cross-country trip, Letecia slipped out of her handcuffs and attacked a deputy who was part of the extradition team.
Amber: Of course, we’re all too aware of what else happened in March of 2020. The Covid-19 epidemic shut the world down. This impacted the courts, as well, and Letecia’s trial was delayed due to the pandemic. During this time, her lawyers did everything in their power to see if she was competent to stand trial. If she was found incompetent, she could be ordered to continue care with a doctor and then re-evaluated after 90 days to see if she’s fit to stand trial. The case took a huge turn on March 17, 2020. A bridge inspector in Pace, Florida, 20 minutes away from Pensacola, was doing a routine inspection when he saw an olive green suitcase in a marshy spot under the bridge. Out of pure curiosity, he opened the suitcase and was immediately overwhelmed by the strong smell of decomposition. He then saw two small feet wearing football socks and a body wrapped in a blanket. It was at this point that he called authorities. The body in this carry-on sized suitcase was determined to belong to Gannon Stauch. I’m now going to describe the injuries Gannon had, so if this is something you don’t want to hear, please fast forward for about a minute. During examination, Gannon was found to have a fractured skull, sharp force injuries to his chest and back, defensive wounds to his hands, cuts on his arms and hands, and a bullet wound in his jaw. A bullet was found in the back of his head, along with two more bullets in the pillow found in the suitcase. A sergeant with the Rosa County Florida Sheriff’s office said that the blunt force trauma and bullet wound were both lethal on their own and occurred before death. The wounds found on Gannon fall in line with what blood-spatter experts found on the walls of Gannon’s room. His body had been in the suitcase for over a month, though it’s not clear how long it had been under the bridge. If you remember from the first episode, Letecia and her daughter, Harley, left Colorado to go to Myrtle Beach at the beginning of February and made a pit-stop in Pensacola.
Gina: In August of 2020, she wrote a letter to the Judge on her case, saying her constitutional rights were not being met. However, none of her statements were true and all of her rights as a inmate were in fact being met. She also wrote in this letter that the guards were poisoning her food and that she was receiving threats on a consistent basis, including on a note she found in her peanut butter. Not only did she make false allegations about her treatment, she also attempted to escape from jail by enlisting the help of her cell mate. She promised this inmate that one of her family members would deposit $75,000 into her account if she would help Letecia by getting her a broom handle so she could break out a window. The cell mate, afraid of getting in trouble and hurting her own case, told guards about Letecia’s offer. When the guards searched her cell, they found a letter she had written to Harley telling her not to worry if she saw on the news that Letecia had escaped or was missing. This woman did anything and everything to get out of the situation she was in – even when she was already behind bars. Letecia’s trial started at the beginning of April 2023, and her defense argued that Letecia did love Gannon, but the trauma she had experienced in her life, including assault as a child at the hands of Letecia’s mother’s boyfriends, put her in an extremely bad and unsafe situation over and over again. There was a psychological crack that occurred to make her go from loving stepmother and teacher – to killer.
Amber: According to Letecia’s defense team, all of the stories she told about Gannon’s disappearance weren’t lies, but evidence of a broken mind and soul. Letecia didn’t know she was killing Gannon, but thought she was killing her own demon. Letecia was diagnosed with Disassociative Identity Disorder, or DID. People who have this diagnosis have multiple and distinct personalities and it is often brought on by tremendous amounts of childhood trauma. Even if she was insane at the time of Gannon’s murder, the fact that she showed no remorse even three years later is a huge sign that she truly had no care in her heart for Gannon or his family members. During the first week of the trial, the witnesses included Al Stauch, Letecia’s now ex-husband, and experts that spoke more about the olive-green suitcase found with Gannon’s body inside. Police who initially responded to the call about Gannon’s disappearance were questioned about Letecia’s mental state on that day and in the following weeks. They all stated she didn’t act like most parents would when their child goes missing. A neighbor of the Stauch’s was called to testify and told the jury that Letecia blocked her on Facebook after the neighbor questioned her about where they should be looking for Gannon. Prosecution also called the front desk worker for the Candlewood Suites in Pensacola, Florida, where Letecia and Harley checked in on February 4, 2020.
Gina: During week two of the trial, the jury heard testimony from a former neighbor of the family. Letecia tried to bribe the neighbor with money so she would tell police that she saw Gannon get into a car. Letecia said she didn’t do anything wrong, she just needed the information to get out there so police would start looking in other locations. The neighbor then contacted authorities and turned over her phone to investigators. The medical examiner who performed Gannon’s autopsy was called to testify regarding the injuries he sustained. In total, Gannon had 18 stab wounds to his body, four blunt force injuries to his skull that resulted in skull fractures, and one gunshot wound under his chin. All of the injuries were sustained prior to death. Notably, the doctor was not able to see any burns on Gannon’s arms due to the level of decomposition. A small amount of the drug hydrocodone was also found in Gannon’s system. Al Stauch testified that they did have some hydrocodone in the home due to a previous woodworking injury, but he and Letecia were the only people who knew where the medication was located. The theory here is that Letecia gave Gannon hydrocodone in an attempt to subdue him and make it easier to complete her plan.
Amber: It’s during week two of the trial that the recordings from Letecia’s customer service calls to fakepolygraph.com are played. She is obviously trying to hide her face in her hands at the defense table while the recordings are played. The fact that she tried to cover her tracks with a fake polygraph shows she was more than aware of what she had done and was now trying to scramble to prove her innocence. Spencer Wilson, the reporter who interviewed Letecia in the now infamous news report, took the stand to discuss her behavior during the interview. He stated that he talked to neighbors who had more concern for Gannon than she did. On Tuesday of week two, Letecia’s half-brother Dakota Lowry took the stand. He didn’t want to testify but was subpoenaed, meaning he had no choice. As soon as he took the witness stand, he broke down in tears. Dakota testified that while they were helping Letecia move out of the home, he saw Letecia struggling to carry an olive green suitcase to the moving van. When he saw the suitcase, he felt like something was off. When he asked Letecia what was in the suitcase, she told him it was softball stuff. He offered to help carry the suitcase for her but she refused. When Dakota was shown a picture of the suitcase that Gannon was found in, he confirmed that it was the same suitcase he saw Letecia carrying. Jessica Bethel, the investigator that wrote the affidavit for Letecia’s arrest, testified about the four-hour interview she conducted on January 29, 2020. This is the interview where Letecia showed up almost two hours late with a freshly washed car, a set of notes to read from, and the story about “Eguardo” attacking her and kidnapping Gannon. When trying to get Letecia to go to the hospital for a SANE exam, Letecia made every excuse she could think of for why she couldn’t and needed to go home. This is the point where she began stuffing tissues down her pants, saying she peed a little and that her pants were wet. Letecia also stated that she was having chest pains due to feeling claustrophobic and having anxiety. By the time EMTs arrived for her exam, she was having extreme chest pains to the point where she couldn’t answer basic questions.
Gina: It’s totally viable that extreme anxiety and panic attacks can cause chest pains and make you feel like you’re having a heart attack. As someone who has struggled with anxiety and panic attacks for the past 25 years, I can speak to this being a legitimate symptom. However, with Letecia’s propensity to lie and how all of this just suddenly came on once she knew she was being detained, it’s really hard to believe her. Especially considering she was suddenly fine when she arrived to the hospital and snuck out in order to avoid investigators taking her DNA. She then went on to complain that she was held against her will without food or water, but she was given a hot pocket and a soda while she was there. Detective Bethel also offered to contact someone who could bring Letecia her medication when she was complaining about her anxiety. The video shows a woman doing everything she can to be as difficult and non-compliant as possible. At the beginning of March, detectives found out she had fled to South Carolina and she was arrested. A small portion of the trip back to Colorado Springs was played for the jury, showing Letecia slipping out of her handcuffs and attacking one of the detectives with a monster energy drink can by hitting her in the face with it. The video shows Letecia eyeing the detective’s gun while trying to slip out of her cuffs. The car was moving down the highway at a speed of 75 mph when this happened.
Amber: Once Gannon’s body had been found, her story changed even more, and she started speaking in different accents during interviews. Detective Bethel testified that Letecia showed no sign of mental illness, but acted like a person doing everything they can to seem insane. An expert witness who was a senior firearms examiner testified that the bullet found in Gannon’s body was shot by a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun. The exact gun used was found on the dresser in the master bedroom of the Stauch residence. Week three of the trial was full of bombshell testimony, including Letecia’s daughter Harley’s account of events. It also came to the attention of the court that Letecia had been flipping off witnesses while they were on the stand. The judge told Letecia that if she continued, she would be removed from the courtroom and the trial would be continued without her. Letecia’s face, while the judge is speaking to her, says it all – she looks annoyed that he’s even acknowledging her and seems to roll her eyes when he chides her for her behavior. When Harley took the stand, she said she hadn’t seen Letecia since the day she was arrested. She spoke about her close relationship with Gannon, and how Al became like a father to her after her own father died in October of 2015. Letecia told Harley that her biological father died when someone broke into his house and killed him. A week before Harley testified, she found out that her father actually died from an overdose.
Gina: Harley testified about the candle incident, and that Gannon didn’t normally light candles or spend time in the basement alone, so the whole situation seemed very strange. Letecia’s story about how the fire started changed multiple times and she told Harley that Gannon was outside screaming about how much he hated his life. According to Harley, this wasn’t like Gannon at all. The whole story comes across like Letecia is trying to paint a picture of Gannon being unstable and under mental duress. The testimonial made it sound like Letecia was trying to set the scene of an accident or make it sound like Gannon was going to take his own life. On the day of Gannon’s disappearance, Harley returned home from work and Gannon wasn’t home. Letecia said Gannon was at a friend’s house and asked her to take Laina to the store to pick up the cleaning supplies mentioned in part one. When Harley got home, Gannon still wasn’t home, which was very unusual because Gannon is very good with time and Letecia was strict about the kids being home on time. After they all got in the car to see if Gannon was at his friend’s house, Letecia sent Harley to look for Gannon while she stayed home. She also instructed Harley not to open the door for anyone on Jan 28. For a large part of the day, Letecia was untrackable on the Life 360 app and wouldn’t tell Harley where she was, which is again, extremely out of character. At one point, she even told Harley to leave Laina, Gannon’s 8-year-old sister, at home, alone. Harley refused to do this, and it’s extremely strange that you’d already have one missing kid and then leave an eight-year-old home alone, unattended.
Amber: Harley testified that Letecia was acting extremely paranoid on the night of January 28 and asked Harley to pick her up from the hotel they were staying at around 10:30 p.m. Letecia left her Tiguan at the hotel. We know from the GPS data that Letecia drove to the remote area where Gannon’s blood was found at around 9:30 p.m that night. On the morning of January 29, Harley drove Letecia back to the hotel to pick up the Tiguan and noted that she was still acting extremely paranoid and out of character. Harley told the prosecution that she didn’t know where they were moving at the beginning of February, and that Letecia kept giving her different locations. They stopped in Trinidad, Colorado, so Letecia could get a new phone. Letecia spent a lot of time on the phone talking to her sister about how she was being set up with Gannon’s disappearance. Harley didn’t question Letecia about where they were going or what was happening because Letecia was known to be aggressive, and had previously backhanded her in the face for questioning her. This speaks volumes about Letecia’s character and what kind of mother she was. On February 3, the two stopped in Pensacola, Florida, and stayed overnight at the Candlewood Suites. Harley said she was a very deep sleeper and wouldn’t have known if Letecia had left at any point during the night or moved things around. She also testified she never went to the back of the van at any point during the trip because they had clothes in the front. Harley told the prosecution that Letecia seemed sad on the morning of February 4, 2020. Letecia also said she was worried they were being followed, and this is when it was decided that they would go to Myrtle Beach.
Gina: Upon Letecia’s arrest, Harley still believed her mother was innocent, but was forthcoming with the FBI about shopping for cleaning supplies and the information about Gannon’s disappearance. Harley stopped believing Letecia when she found out about the insanity defense because Letecia never showed signs of having multiple personalities and was very competent when it came to making hotel reservations and following the rules of the road. Harley got extremely emotional during cross-examination and said she felt manipulated when it came to Gannon’s death and the lies about her own father’s death. She was asked if she loved her mother and her lack of an answer speaks volumes. During all of this, Letecia was sitting there completely unemotional. Harley’s insights about Letecia’s personality and need for everything to go her way at all times really painted a picture of the type of person Letecia is. We can only hope that Harley has a chance to live as normal of a life as possible considering everything she’s been through in her short 17 years.
Amber: An investigator involved in the case testified that Letecia’s behavior and changing stories in the days after Gannon’s disappearance led them to focus more on her as a suspect and less on the possibility of a runaway child. All evidence and Letecia’s behavior kept leading them back to the home. Though they were dealing with what is called a “no body crime,” blood evidence in Gannon’s room showed that something violent had occurred in the home – including blood spatter on the walls and the seeping of blood through the carpet onto the concrete where Gannon’s bed was located. The investigator testified that Letecia was not cooperating, nor was she acting as a parent normally would during a missing kid case. Her efforts to throw police off the right trail hindered their ability to investigate Gannon’s whereabouts. Week three also included testimony from blood spatter experts and the description of what sort of instruments could have caused the stains found in the home. This is when we hear more about the findings of blood spatter from a gunshot wound, blunt force trauma, and trauma from a sharp object. We know from the autopsy that Gannon suffered from all three. The week wrapped up with more recordings from calls between Al and Letecia, where she continued to lie about what happened to Gannon and Quincy Brown’s involvement. When Al spoke to Letecia about Gannon’s injuries, Letecia would only refer to Gannon as “he” or “him.” Investigators say this was Letecia’s way of depersonalizing Gannon and separating herself from the situation.
Gina: Overall, the week was filled with explosive testimony, more details about all of Letecia’s lies, and hours upon hours of recorded phone calls and interrogations. There was even a new story concocted about a pregnant woman on the side of the road that Letecia and Gannon picked up on January 27, 2020. Once this woman got in the car, she pulled a gun on her. The woman made her go to Petco and told her she was going to help her with a money laundering scheme at a Mexican restaurant and then pulled out her fake belly full of money. This story is absolutely ridiculous and I’m sure everyone in the courtroom was tired of hearing these so-called accounts at this point. Letecia likes to pull her stories from the truth though, and there was an article about a money laundering scheme taking place across twelve Mexican restaurants in the area. A woman involved in the laundering scheme, wore a fake belly to transfer money between the restaurants. Letecia read this article and figured she would make herself a victim in the story. There was a slight problem though – the money laundering scheme was broken up in March of 2019. She was a year late. Honestly, my head has been spinning while writing out all of the different stories she told. Did she really think she could just keep making up stories and that eventually, investigators would be like, oh yeah, that one makes sense? And just…. Let her go?
Amber: Some of the most damming evidence was revealed during the fourth and final week of the trial. More of the interrogation video was played, and the detective asked Letecia more about the search history found on her cell phone. One was regarding how to get blood out of sheets, and another one said “can blood be spray painted.” We know Gannon’s blood was found on particle board – maybe she was going to try to paint over the stain and then decided to ditch it, instead. The two most disturbing searches found on Letecia’s phone were “blood is spurting from an arterial bleed” and “I hate my stepson.” Investigators knew these had been typed by Letecia because they contained the same spelling and grammatical errors found in the rest of her lengthy search history. When confronted about the blood on the wall in Gannon’s room and why she’d clean it if she didn’t do anything wrong, she had an excuse for that, too. Here’s a clip of the really strange things she said during this part of the interview.
(Begin at 11:32 – 13:30 (right when the interrogation clip ends)
Letecia Stauch Wk 4 Trial Recap: Letecia Confesses, New Lies & “Identity” Maria |Gannon Stauch Case
The whole part about Laina being a part of the cleanup is so disturbing. While we can hope this isn’t true, considering the kids could never say no to her, it’s not implausible to think that she may very well have been involved in cleaning up her own brother’s murder scene. Also, it’s a little ironic that Letecia is speaking about never having to work another day once the truth comes out. I mean, that part is true, because she’ll be spending the rest of her life rotting in prison.
Gina: DNA analysts took the stand during week four to talk about the DNA evidence found on multiple items, including Letecia’s shoes, a pink suitcase found in the home, carpet brushes, a blanket found in Letecia’s car, and much, much more. One of the biggest takeaways from this final week was the testimony from the mental health experts that came in contact with Letecia after her arrest. These experts worked with Letecia during several different time periods over the three years between her arrest and the trial. The first doctor to work with Letecia said the only symptoms she displayed were that of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, but no other personality or symptoms of dissociative identity disorder was ever seen. One doctor that worked with Letecia testified that she explained that at the time of Gannon’s murder, she had been taken over by one of her other personalities, Maria. Maria was a protector that watched over Laina and Gannon, but Letecia isn’t able to access Maria’s thoughts and feelings. However, Letecia recalled this “Eguardo” character who attacked her and said she saw some type of black, hooded figure standing on Gannon’s bed when she walked past his room. The doctor explained that if Letecia really did have DiD, she’d have much more loss of memory or blank periods of time where she couldn’t remember specific details. Letecia said that she, or “Maria,” didn’t realize it was Gannon on the bed, but Michael the Archangel. She grabbed a gun from “Eguardo” and shot the figure. It wasn’t until later that Letecia realized it was Gannon. She then supposedly drove around with Gannon’s body in her car, trying to find the man that could bring him back to life.
Amber: At no time does Letecia explain how Gannon’s body got from the lake area in Colorado to under a bridge in Florida. The doctor stated that if she really was disassociating, she wouldn’t remember these details about what supposedly happened. Also, if this Maria personality really did shoot Gannon, is she also the one who told Harley to get the cleaning products or called to report him missing? The defense focused a lot on this claim that Letecia had either DiD or borderline personality disorder. Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that that severely impacts a persons ability to manage their emotions. Disassociative Identity Disorder is a mental health condition in which a person has multiple, distinct personalities. No one in Letecia’s life has ever witnessed these other personalities, which is a huge sign that she doesn’t have DiD. Letecia associated several of her alternate personalities with characters from Twilight, and even named one of them “Jasper.” While this does sound ridiculous, there is a component to DiD where a person might name their alternate personalities based on characters from books or TV shows because they possess traits deemed helpful.
Gina: Letecia could very well have some sort of personality disorder, but it’s hard to diagnose a person with one of these mental health conditions in a short period of time. The doctors who spoke with her were only with her for a matter of hours, when it really takes months to properly diagnose these types of conditions. The defense did a poor job of proving that Letecia had DiD and it didn’t work in her favor. The expert witness for the defense only met with Letecia for three hours, which is not enough time to determine if Letecia does have DiD. We’re finally getting into the last week of the trial. This week was all more about the timeline, more text messages and 6,000 more Google searches. Some of these were:
- Spanish Girl Names
- Multiple searches about face transplants
- Need a fake ID legit
- What to do when they find a body in another state
- How long before a body starts to decompose in a bag
- Find an immigrant who will admit to a crime
- Shock from watching someone get shot
These searches are a nail in her coffin, in my opinion. What to do when they find a body in another state? Why would you be searching this if you had nothing to do with the fact that your stepson’s body is found in Florida? Letecia was also seen laughing and making heart signs at the defense table, which is completely inappropriate given why she’s there in the first place.
Amber: The defense called a Dr. Dorothy Lewis to the stand during the last week of trial. Letecia claimed to have sustained multiple concussions in her past, and Dr. Lewis requested for an EEG, MRI, and a neural psych exam to be done before she testified or made a decision about whether or not Letecia had DiD. However, these tests were never done, and Dr. Lewis still diagnosed Letecia with DiD. The prosecution honestly tore this defense apart. Dr. Lewis stated that the court refused to do the testing, however, the prosecution found an email from Dr. Lewis saying she no longer wanted these tests to be done. Dr. Lewis was confused and forgetful when it came to documentation included in the case, and tensions were high. By the time her testimony was over, all the jury heard was a lot of “I don’t know” and “I’m not sure.” It didn’t seem like anything Dr. Lewis said did Letecia’s defense any favors. Letecia decided not to take the stand, thank goodness, and the defense rested it’s case after closing statements on the Friday morning of week four. (Insert personal thoughts, here) The jury were sent to deliberate just after 1 p.m. on Friday, May 5 and it only took them eight hours to reach their verdict. The jury found Letecia Stauch guilty on all charges and she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Judge Gregory Werner addressed Letecia and the court before locking her up for life. Here’s an audio clip from his moving, but heartbreaking statement.
(Begin at 1:22 – 5:24)
‘Worst Nightmare’: Judge Locks Up Child Killer Letecia Stauch, Throws Away the Key
The way he puts her in her place and talks about all of the people she hurt with her lies and manipulation is priceless. Not only did she take the life of an innocent child, she has altered the lives of two other children who will struggle to recover for the rest of their lives. Al and Landen will never see their son grow up and they will forever be trying to support Laina through that loss.
Gina: At the time of her sentencing, she was being held in the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility, but requested placement at San Carlos prison in Pueblo, Colorado. I’m sure she’ll write a long letter about the violation of her rights if her request isn’t granted. I hope she gets daily threats in her peanut butter and has greasy hair for the rest of her life.
OUTRO
Amber: I don’t know about y’all but we’re exhausted from how much our heads have been spinning trying to keep up with all of Letecia’s stories and lies. What do you think? It’s not a question of whether or not she killed her stepson, Gannon, but was she insane or did she scramble to come up with a defense after the fact? I think it’s pretty obvious where we stand when it comes to this case. Hopefully Al, Landen, Laina, and Harley are able to eventually find some peace. To read the script, see pictures, and join the community, go to our website weirdtruecrime.com. We’re also on Instagram and TikTok @weirdtruecrime! Email us your thoughts about this truly horrific case at weirdtruecrime@gmail.com.
Gina: If you’re enjoying our creepy corner of chaos, please leave us a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app. We’ll give you a shout-out on a future episode! Come back next week for a very needed WTF Wednesday! Until next time, stay safe – and make good choices – bye! Bye bye.
Sources:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/disappearance-gannon-stauch-timeline-case/story?id=69052881
https://medium.com/crimebeat/the-heartbreaking-murder-of-gannon-stauch-a9515bcd0312
Arrest Affidavit: https://www.fox21news.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2020/04/Stauch-FINAL-redacted-040120.pdf
Letecia’s Interview with Spencer Wilson on January 31, 2020
https://www.kktv.com/2021/11/04/letecia-stauch-enter-guilty-or-not-guilty-plea-death-stepson-gannon/
Body Cam footage of Leticia talking with police officer on Jan 28:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrdCRNQU98U
Life Insurance Policy: https://www.newsweek.com/usaa-tries-keep-woman-murdered-stepson-cashing-life-insurance-policy-1802173
Law and Crime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=156pDEMPyD4
Leticia’s statement on Feb 11(?)
https://kdvr.com/news/local/exclusive-gannon-stauchs-stepmother-releases-statement-about-boys-disappearance/
