Letecia Stauch moved from South Carolina jail after arrest for stepson’s murder
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (KRDO) -- Letecia Stauch is no longer listed as an inmate at the Horry County jail where she was being held on a murder charge in connection with the disappearance of 11-year-old Gannon Stauch.
Letecia Stauch, 36, was arrested Monday morning on charges of first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a deceased human body, and tampering with evidence. She was booked into custody in Myrtle Beach, and on Tuesday morning she chose not to fight extradition to Colorado.
She first reported Gannon, her stepson, missing on Jan. 27 and claimed that he disappeared after walking to a friend's house in their Lorson Ranch neighborhood, which is east of Colorado Springs.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office labeled him as a missing and endangered child on Jan. 30, and national resources were utilized in a monthlong search for him.
Gannon's body hasn't been found, and we reported in February when surveillance video captured by a neighbor may have shown Gannon and his stepmother leaving their house around 10 a.m. on Jan. 27.
The neighbor, Roderrick Drayton, says a second clip shows Gannon's stepmother exiting the vehicle alone after 2:15 p.m.
Law enforcement said during Monday's news conference that they don't believe Gannon is alive, but they haven't found his body. Police said all of the evidence points to Gannon’s disappearance being the result of foul play, but there’s no indication that there’s any threat to other children.
Specific details about evidence weren't given, and an arrest affidavit was sealed. We likely won't learn more until a court hearing later in the year.
The sheriff's office didn't give a comment on Letecia's movement from the South Carolina jail, citing safety concerns while her extradition is ongoing.
"This person, the stepmom, that I even trusted, she will pay 100% for this heinous thing she did," she said.
Gannon's father, Albert Stauch, didn’t talk at the podium, but he did give a statement for officials to read. It was one that was difficult for El Paso County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Jackie Kirby to get through.
"The person who committed this heinous horrible crime is the one that I gave more to than anyone else on this planet, and that is a burden I will carry with me for a very long time," said Stauch in his statement.
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