kali9/iStock(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) — The stepmother of a missing 11-year-old Colorado boy was arrested Monday morning, multiple sources told ABC News.
Gannon Stauch was last seen on Jan. 27, the same day his stepmother, Leticia Stauch, reported him missing. She told authorities he was last seen at home between 3:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. before leaving to walk to a friend’s house, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
Leticia Stauch was taken into custody Monday in South Carolina, according to sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the arrest had not been publicly announced.
Officials have not yet outlined the specific charges Leticia Stauch is facing. A spokeswoman for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office could not be reached Monday morning.
Leticia Stauch denied having anything to do with her stepson’s disappearance in an interview last month with KKTV, a CBS affiliate in Colorado Springs.
“I would never, ever, ever hurt this child,” she told the station.
Efforts to reach Leticia Stauch or her attorney on Monday were unsuccessful.
Gannon Stauch was initially reported as a runaway, but on Jan. 30 his disappearance was changed to a missing/endangered persons case.
A neighbor said footage captured by his security camera the day Gannon Stauch went missing showed Leticia Stauch driving away with the boy in the morning, and returning hours later alone. Authorities have said they are aware of the footage and have not disputed the neighbor’s description, but have described it only as “one piece in a very, very, very large puzzle.”
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said they’ve received more than 800 tips and put thousands of hours into search efforts that included drones and search dogs.
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