Sheriff’s Office actively looking for 11-year-old Gannon Stauch, missing over 48 hours
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. -- UPDATE: New information is available by clicking HERE.
The Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help finding 11-year-old Gannon Stauch, who went missing from a Lorson Ranch neighborhood Monday afternoon.
Gannon has now been missing for over 48 hours. He was last seen in his home in the 6000 block of Mandan Drive by his stepmother between 3:15 p.m. and 4 p.m. Monday. He left to visit a friend nearby, and wasn't seen after that.
The Major Crimes detectives have assumed responsibility for this case, says the Sheriff's Office. They're actively searching for evidence and taking all witness statements at this time. The situation is being handled as a runaway case -- even though investigators have found no prior instances of Gannon running away from home -- until they find evidence that he was abducted or kidnapped.
EPCSO spokeswoman Sgt. Deborah Mynatt says the reason why the Major Crimes Unit was placed as the lead investigators is because Gannon is so young and there is some risk of him becoming a victim.
"It's not normal for an 11-year-old to just run away and not return," Mynatt says. "It's also because detectives with Major Crimes can focus more on this case and try to find Gannon before the weather worsens."
Mynatt says, "To just imagine the fact that an 11-year-old might be lost in the community, it's cold outside, we wanted to act quickly and not let any more time go by."
Investigators have been at Gannon's home since Monday evening. Organizers of a search for him Wednesday say his family made a brief appearance at the search checkpoint and thanked volunteers for their help.
More than 200 people showed up that morning at a vacant lot a few blocks from Gannon's home to look for him. Most of the searching was done on foot, but one volunteer drove an off-road vehicle to cover more ground.
The crowd broke off into several groups -- walking through neighborhoods, across open spaces and looking into drainage ditches -- but found nothing.
"We covered a ten-mile radius around his home," says Sara Robertson, an organizer of the search effort. "He left his phone at home, so he can't call anyone. He could be cold, hurt or lost. Some of these volunteers took off from work to be here. We just felt that we needed to do something."
A small group of volunteers searched an open area dotted with homeless camps near the intersection of Platte Avenue and Wooten Road in east Colorado Springs, around 10 miles from the main search area. No specific reason was given for that search.
The Sheriff's Office is asking for anyone with information regarding this case to call their Investigations Tip Line at 719-520-6666 or dial 911, if appropriate.
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. -- The El Paso County Sheriff's Office is asking the public to keep an eye out for an 11-year-old boy who went missing from a Lorson Ranch neighborhood Monday afternoon.
Gannon Stauch left home on foot around 3:15 p.m. to go play at a friend's house, his parents say, but never came home.
Editor's note: The Sheriff's Office has since confirmed that Gannon was last seen at his home in Lorson Ranch, not on surveillance camera at a Kum & Go gas station as was first stated. Authorities viewed recordings from the store's security cameras and found that Gannon was not there.
Gannon was wearing a blue hoodie, blue jeans and tennis shoes when he went missing. He has brown hair with brown eyes and weighs 90 pounds.
The EPC Sheriff's Office is asking you to call 719-390-5555 if you have seen Gannon or know of his whereabouts.
