Gannon Stauch Search: El Paso County Suspends Search For Missing 11-Year-Old
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- Investigators in El Paso County have suspended their search for a boy who has been missing for nearly four weeks. Eleven-year-old Gannon Stauch was first reported missing Jan. 27 after he didn't return home.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office has spent thousands of staff hours and received more than 715 tips in the case, so far. Deputies continue to investigate what happened even though no active ground search is happening.
The Metro Crime Lab was parked outside of Gannon's home on Friday.
El Paso County Sheriff's spokeswoman Jacqueline Kirby urged the public to use compassion, especially on social media.
"They are continuing to live a parents' worst nightmare, a family member's worst nightmare, knowing that a child is not home safe with his family where he belongs," said Kirby.
Gannon was first reported missing Jan. 27 by his stepmother, Letecia "Tecia" Stauch, who said Gannon left to go to a friend's house in the afternoon. Authorities called him a runaway when it first asked the public for help finding him. But the sheriff's office announced Jan. 30 that Gannon was considered a missing and endangered child because of the time he had been gone, his age and his reliance on medication.
The FBI and other agencies, including the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, have joined in the search for Gannon before search efforts were suspended on Friday.
If you see him, please call the El Paso County Sheriff's Office right away at 719-390-5555 or 911.
If you have any information that can help in this case, call EPSO's tipline at 719-520-6666 or email shrtips@elpasoco.com.