OLIVIA PRENTZEL olivia.prentzel@gazette.com
Feb 6, 2020
2 hrs ago
“The search for Gannon Stauch, an 11-year-old boy who has been missing for more than a week, has moved from appeals for leads to his whereabouts to checking bodies of water near his Lorson Ranch home, authorities said Thursday.
A ‘remote-operated vehicle with sonar and video’ will be used to retrieve evidence from a small pond near the boy’s home, according to a tweet by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. CPW's Marine Evidence Recovery Team, which routinely assists searches for missing people and evidence, provided the vehicle after receiving ‘a mutual aid request’ from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, the tweet said.
The device will be used to look for ‘key pieces’ in the boy’s disappearance and does not suggest that investigators suspect Gannon is no longer alive, said Sgt. Deborah Mynatt, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office.
‘It’s not an indicator that we are searching for him in an unfortunate capacity of him being possibly dead. At this time, we have the hope that he is alive,’ Mynatt said.
Mynatt also said the use of the device is not in response to new information regarding Gannon.
On Thursday, searchers continued combing the area surrounding the home where Gannon lives with his father and stepmother. More than 100 volunteers, four deputies on horseback and three dog teams searched the area near Powers Boulevard and Bradley Road, spanning a 1½-mile radius, Mynatt said.
Initially, searchers spread out over a five-mile area near Lorson Ranch, but some places could not be searched without specialized equipment like the underwater device, she said.
Mynatt said she has no ‘specifics’ on what evidence the device is being used for.
‘We came back to the area to ensure we have 100% covered it and we didn’t miss anything,’ she said. No divers are being used in the search, she added.
Gannon was last seen Jan. 27 by his stepmother, Letecia Stauch, who told investigators the boy was headed to a friend’s house and didn't return home. Since his disappearance, the Sheriff’s Office has devoted 2,500 hours of manpower searching for him, according to a news release this week.
Still, there is no criminal investigation and no arrests have been made, Mynatt said.
‘This is fluid, it could change any minute of the day,’ she said.
[SBM]”
Much more at the link:
Gannon Stauch: Search for missing Colorado Springs-area boy, 11, moves to nearby pond