Inside a Killer’s Web of Lies: The Disturbing Case of Letecia Stauch and the Murder of Gannon Stauch

On the morning of January 27th, 2020, 11-year-old Gannon Stauch was reported missing from his Colorado Springs home. His stepmother, Letecia Stauch, told authorities he had gone to play at a friend’s house and never returned. Police were called in. Neighbors were questioned. A search began. But what no one knew at that moment was that the story Letecia had spun was not only false—it was murderously deceptive.

Behind her calm demeanor and motherly concern was a horrifying truth: Gannon was already dead, and his body lay hidden in the very basement officers were standing above.

A Lie Begins with a Text

Letecia’s story began to unravel almost immediately. That morning, she sent a text to her job claiming she couldn’t come to work because her stepfather had been killed in a hit-and-run. Hours later, she texted again—this time claiming her stepson Gannon was ill and she had to stay home to care for him. But surveillance footage captured that lie in real time.

At 10:16 a.m., a neighbor’s security camera recorded Letecia and Gannon leaving the house in a red Nissan Frontier. She did not take him to the doctor. Instead, she went to a Petco. By 2:00 p.m., they returned—but Gannon was never seen again.

Letecia would later back the car all the way into the driveway, something her family says she never did. And shortly after returning home, she purchased cleaning supplies. These were small clues—but they would become vital in exposing a calculated murder.

The Missing Child Call

At 6:55 p.m., five hours after they returned home, Letecia called 911 and reported Gannon missing. She claimed he’d gone to a friend’s house and never returned. Her tone was unusually calm.

“My son was going to be home at 6:00 and it’s almost 7. He said he was going to be at his friend’s house, but he never showed up.”

Police responded quickly, but as they arrived and began investigating, they had no idea they were speaking to the person responsible for the child’s disappearance. Letecia offered vague and changing details, repeatedly redirecting the officers’ focus. She kept them to specific areas of the house—the living room and Gannon’s bedroom—and discouraged them from searching the basement, where burnt carpet and suspicious stains would later be discovered.

Strange Behavior and False Leads

Letecia tried to control the investigation from the start. She claimed Gannon had several jackets, that he might have gone to another friend’s house, and even mentioned that someone reported seeing a child on a bike. All these details would later be disproven.

At one point, she mentioned a text Gannon had supposedly sent to his dad asking about “bass salts,” which made little sense and appeared designed to confuse. Her statements rambled, often circling back to how responsible Gannon was, or how much they had done for him.

“We went all out for his birthday, took him to a Rockies game, let him bring friends.”

This kind of overexplaining is common in deception. She was building a narrative of herself as a loving parent to deflect suspicion.

The Basement and the Burn

Eventually, officers learned about an incident the day before Gannon’s disappearance involving a candle. Letecia claimed Gannon had accidentally knocked it over, burning the carpet. But what she failed to mention was that Gannon had sustained burn injuries to his arms. And instead of seeking medical attention, she recorded a video scolding him.

“Gannon, I promise this is the last time I’m going to ask you—are you sure you didn’t do it on purpose?”

The video is chilling. Gannon, clearly in distress, pinky promises that the incident was an accident. Letecia responds not with comfort, but with threats about selling furniture to pay for damages. Later, a forensic analysis of her phone revealed this was recorded the night before he was murdered.

Forensics Reveal the Truth

As police searched for clues, Letecia tried desperately to maintain control. But technology would betray her. A forensic analysis of her phone and digital behavior revealed:

She had made a phone call to her husband, Albert Stauch, admitting Gannon had been burned, but downplaying it.

She had looked up disturbing search terms related to “giving someone a painful death” and “body decomposition.”

Security footage placed her at various locations inconsistent with her statements.

And eventually, investigators found a blood-soaked area in the basement, a section of burned carpet, and the unmistakable smell of bleach. The evidence made one thing clear: Gannon never left the house alive.

Gannon’s Body and the Arrest

Letecia tried to stall the investigation further by refusing polygraph tests, providing changing stories to detectives, and eventually fleeing to South Carolina. But on March 20, 2020, nearly two months after she reported him missing, Gannon’s body was found stuffed inside a suitcase beneath a bridge in Florida—1,400 miles away from home.

He had been stabbed, shot, and brutally assaulted. It was the kind of violence that was as senseless as it was cruel. The suitcase had Letecia’s fingerprints, and fibers from their Colorado home were found with the body.

Letecia Stauch was arrested and charged with:

First-degree murder

Child abuse resulting in death

Tampering with a deceased human body

Multiple counts of false reporting

The Trial and Verdict

Letecia’s defense claimed she suffered from dissociative identity disorder, attempting to plea not guilty by reason of insanity. But prosecutors presented overwhelming evidence of premeditation, deception, and cruelty. The jury saw the videos. They read the texts. They heard the calls.

On May 8, 2023, Letecia Stauch was found guilty on all counts.

She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A Legacy of Grief and Justice

Gannon Stauch was just 11 years old. He loved Sonic the Hedgehog, playing with his siblings, and being with his family. His life was taken by someone who was supposed to protect him. The betrayal is unfathomable. But thanks to the relentless work of investigators and prosecutors—and despite Letecia’s many attempts to obstruct justice—his killer was brought to account.

This case is a haunting reminder that not all threats come from outside the home. Sometimes, evil wears a smile and calls itself “mom.”

May Gannon’s memory live on—and may justice continue to shine a light on lies too monstrous to ignore.

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