El Paso Co. Sheriff’s Office finds new information in 12-year-old cold case involving missing boys
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPCSO) is highlighting a cold case from 2011 in hopes of renewing the public's interest after new information has "come to light" in the case.
The case involves two missing boys who lived in Monument, Austin and Edward Bryant.
According to the EPCSO, they received a report of two missing children in January 2011. The reporting party said the boys lived at 18000 Granite Circle in Monument, Colorado with their adoptive parents, Edward and Linda Bryant. When the Bryants were interviewed in Texas, investigators were led to believe that the boys had run away in 2005. Edward claimed the boys ran away on separate dates while Linda stated they ran away at the same time.
The EPCSO said the Bryants were receiving monthly payments from Colorado DHS due to the boys having special needs. Both parents admitted to claiming the boys were still living with them in order to continue to receive the payments and were arrested on theft charges.
In January 2012, Linda pleaded guilty to 54 felonies, including four counts of theft, two counts of conspiracy to commit theft, and 48 counts of attempting to influence a public servant. She was sentenced to 42 years in prison. Edward Bryant pleaded guilty to five similar felony charges and nineteen other counts were dismissed. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Edward Bryant is currently out on Parole. Linda Bryant is still serving her sentence in prison.
According to the EPCSO, extensive searches in Colorado have turned up no indication of Austin or Edward Jr’s whereabouts, and authorities fear they may be dead. Their cases remain unsolved.
The EPCSO did not say what new information has come to light but hopes a renewed interest from the public could lead to the boys or their remains.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Austin or Edward Jr. is asked to contact El Paso County Sheriff’s Office at 719-520-7777.
