Stepmom accused of murdering 11-year-old in Colorado appears in Myrtle Beach court
A stepmom accused of murdering her son in Colorado was in Myrtle Beach municipal court on Tuesday.
It was Leticia Stauch’s first public appearance since she was arrested in Myrtle Beach on Monday morning.
Stauch is accused of murdering Gannon Stauch in Colorado, though his remains have not been found. Leticia Stauch reported on Jan. 27, that Gannon was missing after he did not return home, according to the El Paso (Colorado) County Sheriff’s Office.
A five-week manhunt started for Gannon with little progress. Members of Gannon’s family also pleaded for information on his whereabouts.
Colorado police have released few details of motive or what they believed happened.
Leticia Stauch faces charges of first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a deceased body and tampering of physical evidence. She faces life in prison if convicted.
During the hearing, Stauch agreed to waive extradition and return to Colorado. According to J. Reuben Long jail records, Stauch was booked in around 10 a.m. and released at 2:30 p.m. - presumably to the custody of Colorado police.
Her extradition hearing last only a few minutes as the judge explained the process and Stauch asked a couple of questions.
Stauch also implied that her Myrtle Beach arrest was during a traffic stop as she referenced a paper license plate on her vehicle. Police declined to say where they arrested Stauch.
“Yeah I didn’t run from you guys,” Stauch said. “I didn’t have any trouble from you guys.”
Coworkers remember Stauch
Christy Suggs’ intuition warned her about Stauch when the two worked together at the Giant Crab Seafood Restaurant on Myrtle Beach’s Restaurant Row in the summer of 2014.
“I never really liked her,” Suggs said from her Florida home.
Suggs, Stauch, their children and others also went to Disney World together on vacation. Suggs described Stauch on the trip as “selfish” and “self-absorbed.” Stauch ignored what her daughter wanted, demanding they do the things she wanted instead.
There was also a dinner where Suggs’ teenage daughter wanted to pay for herself. Stauch demanded to pay because she had a discount and told people how much they owed, Suggs recalled. However, the total was more than they owed even without the discount.
That led to an argument that included Stauch yelling and cursing at Suggs’ daughter.
“After we had that, I was done with her,” Suggs said.
Suggs stayed Facebook friends with Stauch and when Gannon went missing in January, the stepmom posted on social media.
“I went to work and I told them, ‘This is fishy,’” Suggs said.
Stauch often talked about being a “hero” by saving her husband from a failing marriage, Suggs said. When Gannon went missing, Suggs clung to a sliver of hope that he would be found because Stauch liked being that “hero.”
But, Suggs’ intuition knew it was unlikely that Gannon was still alive. That was confirmed with Stauch’s arrest.
“I knew it was coming,” Suggs said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story referred to Leticia Stauch as his mom.
This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 9:03 AM.
