Interview Transcripts relative to DeOrr's disappearance **NO DISCUSSION**

EDITED VERSION - TRANSCRIPT - VIDEO PORTION
August 18, 2015

LEMHI SHERIFF OPENS UP ABOUT DEORR KUNZ CASE

http://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/08/lemhi-sheriff-opens-up-about-deorr-kunz-case/

Nate Eaton:
“The Lemhi County Sheriff tells me he’s confident Deorr Kunz will be found, even though it’s been five weeks since the little boy disappeared. Today, in an exclusive interview, the Sheriff sat down with me and told me what happens from here with the case.”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Absolutely nothing has been ruled out.”

Nate Eaton:
“Sheriff Lynn Bowerman has no idea what happened to Deorr Kunz, but he’s 99% sure the two-year-old was at the Timbercreek Campground on July 10th.”

“Do you believe it was an abduction?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Ya’ know personally, I think an abduction is one of the least likely events. Primarily, the information we have is…Grandpa is watching the child. He tells me he looks away momentarily. When he looks back, he’s gone, and he’s assumed he’s gone over the bank. Right where grandpa is sitting, he’s within 20-30 yards of the only roadway into the campground, and absolutely no one was seen at that lower campground coming or going, and when my personnel went in, nobody was seen leaving.”

Nate Eaton:
“Bowerman is opening up about the case that has so many unanswered questions. He says late on Thursday, July 9th, not Friday, Deorr, his parents, great-grandfather and a friend of grandpa named Isaac Renwand arrive at Timber Creek. The next morning Bowerman tells me Deorr goes with his parents to a store in Leadore, about 20 minutes from the camp site.”

“Was there any surveillance captured of this boy, surveillance video?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
1:28
“I don’t believe they have surveillance, but we have, uh…a receipt that we documented that they purchased certain items. They were on the receipt. The time was stamped on the receipt, and so, we believe, ya’ know, that’s where they went.”

Nate Eaton:
“Did they stop any other places on their way up to Leadore?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
”appears” to shake his head no but says nothing.

Deputy Penner:
“Yeah. They stopped to get diesel.

Nate Eaton:
“Diesel fuel… Any surveillance video of that gas station?”

Deputy Penner:
“No.”

Nate Eaton:
1:52
“After the Friday shopping trip, the family returns to camp. Deorr’s parents say they’re going exploring and leave the child with great-grandpa. “

“Where was Mr. Redwand during all of this?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
Using his hands to demonstrate…
“He was in the same general proximity. The creek…it’s just over the bank…um…He’s downstream. They’re upstream, uh…they’re all within probably (head nodding left to right) 100 to 150 feet of each other. “

Nate Eaton:
“The parents returned, can’t find Deorr, and call 911. Weeks of extensive searches focusing on a 3-mile radius around the campsite result in nothing. Meanwhile, Deorr’s parents, Deorr Kunz, Sr. and Jessica Mitchell, along with the grandfather, are questioned by Lemhi detectives.”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Those three have been very cooperative, uh…they’ve given us everything that we’ve asked for and…so I’m… I feel real good about…uh, the parents and…and the grandfather also.”

Nate Eaton:
“Another person questioned, Isaac Renwand.”

Sheriff Bowerman:
2:45
“Obviously there’s a relationship between him and grandpa. You know, um…You know, I mean…they’re…they’re friends…uh…but prior to that trip he had never met mom or dad. You know I’m not getting any uh…any feeling that he’s not being truthful. I…I think he’s been very truthful and I appreciate his help. He’s come up to the area on a 2nd occasion with me, and uh…until we find a piece of evidence or locate anything that tells me otherwise, I think he’s being very truthful.”

Nate Eaton:
Bowerman says everyone at the campsite has had their cars and homes searched multiple times. Now, Bonneville County deputies and the FBI are working with Bowerman’s team to try and solve this case.”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“All four have taken…voluntarily taken polygraphs and right now that...those have been turned over to the FBI. We’ve given them lots of items to analyze…uh…behaviorally, and we’ve given them some physical evidence. I can’t go into those details but…we’re basically uh…trying to cover all of our bases.”

Nate Eaton:
3:52
“Where do you guys go from here?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Well, we wait until we get our report from the FBI. That’s going to be critical…and…uh…We’re still asking the public, uh, to help us if they have any information.”

Nate Eaton:
“The Sheriff says it will be six to eight weeks until they receive information back from the FBI. Meanwhile, they will continue to search for Deorr until he’s found. Reporting in Salmon, I’m Nate Eaton, East Idaho News.com.”

UNCUT VERSION
TRANSCRIPT - VIDEO PORTION
August 18, 2015


LEMHI SHERIFF OPENS UP ABOUT DEORR KUNZ CASE


Nate Eaton:
“Let’s go back to the beginning. Can you kind of give us a timeline as to when the family arrived and what proceeded?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Well, the family, from what I understand, that we learned during the investigation arrived the evening prior to July 10th, sometime fairly close to dark on Thursday, July 9th, and then, uh, they went to uh…went to town in uh Leadore and upon returning they supposedly thought they were turning their child over to their uh, grandfather – the child’s great-grandfather. They went down to the creek which is right next to the campground, and within 10 to 15 minutes they go up to find their child to show him some fish in the stream and he’s nowhere to be found. Grandfather assumes he’s gone down to them because he was within their line of sight and uh, wasn’t too far from the campground. Uh, they started their initial search and eventually called 911 when they realized they couldn’t find the child. “

Nate Eaton:
1:05
“Where was Mr. Renwand during all of this?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
1:08
(Using his hands to demonstrate)
“He was in the same general proximity. The creek…it’s just over the bank. Um, he’s downstream, they’re upstream. Uh, they’re all within probably (head nodding left to right) 100 to 150 feet of each other. “

Nate Eaton:
“Very close proximity.”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Very close.”

Nate Eaton:
So they called 911. You guys arrive and begin searching.

Sheriff Bowerman:
1:30
“Correct.”

Nate Eaton:
“And, um, at this point were their vehicles searched, the tents, I guess everything out there was probably searched?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
1:38
“We did a…I think a very thorough investigation. We uh took two initial track dogs in. Uh, one of them being mine and one being Salmon Police Department. They’re trained to search for people who are lost. Um, they were given a scent. They went from the campground up to the reservoir and then back to the campground and we…we searched everywhere a small child could easily hide or climb into or fall into.”

Nate Eaton:
“But nothing…”

Sheriff Bowerman:
2:11
“And we found absolutely nothing.”

2:13
Nate Eaton:
“Talk a little bit about the cremains that were dumped into, because the dogs were getting a scent…”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Right! Unbeknownst to us while we were doing our grid search, someone came in and wanted to deposit cremains of a loved one at that site, and I’m assuming it’s a favorite site of their loved one, and without thinking, they deposited cremains, not realizing they were in the middle of a crime scene and what it would do. Within a couple days our dogs were telling us we need to spend more time up at the reservoir, and so we dove it for 2-3 more days and put side-scan sonar, and then we find out from one of our BLM (?) Rangers that they stopped this individual coming out and were informed they had deposited some cremains in the reservoir.”

3:04
Nate Eaton:
“Had he…had Deorr been in the reservoir, his body would have been recovered by now?”

3:11
Sheriff Bowerman:
“We believe so. Yeah. We really believe so. Mmm hmm.”

3:15
Nate Eaton:
“Okay. Uh, the store…did the family go down to the store there in Leadore and was there any surveillance captured of this boy, surveillance video?”

3:23
Sheriff Bowerman:
“I don’t believe they have a surveillance, but we have, uh…a receipt that we’ve documented that they purchased certain items. They were on the receipt. The time was stamped on the receipt, and so, we believe, ya’ know, that’s where they went.”

Nate Eaton:
“And was that Friday morning?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Yes, it was.”

Nate Eaton:
3:40
“Okay. Uh, do you know, did they stop any other places on their way up to Leadore?”

Deputy Penner:
3:45
“Yeah! They stopped to get some diesel fuel.”

3:49
Nate Eaton:
“Diesel fuel…”

3:49
Deputy Penner:
“Yeah!”

Nate Eaton:
“Any surveillance video of that gas station?”

3:52
Deputy Penner:
“No.”

3:52
Nate Eaton:
“Okay.”

3:53
Sheriff Bowerman:
“I’d be surprised if there’s a camera anywheres in Leadore (laughs).”

3:57
Nate Eaton:
“Well, yeah, it’s remote…”

3:57
Sheriff Bowerman:
“It’s a real small community.”

3:59
Nate Eaton:
“Okay, so um, as far as the private investigator told us a few days ago, that Jessica said there was an older gentleman (Note – Sheriff Bowerman is nodding his head in the affirmative) that may have been staring at Deorr. “

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Mmm hmm.”

Nate Eaton:
“Have you heard anything about that?”

4:11
Sheriff Bowerman:
“Just the report. I don’t know that we’ve confirmed who that individual is, but uh, you know if we had to go out and look for everybody that stared at…at you personally or anybody for any type of crime, you know, it would be a pretty difficult undertaking, you know, to check those stories out. But you know, um, yes, we have heard that information.”

Nate Eaton:
“How much of the area up there was searched. It was… I mean you guys searched for two to three weeks, didn’t you, before you officially scaled back?”

4:44
Sheriff Bowerman:
“Yeah! Absolutely! “

Sheriff Bowerman:
“It’s almost a three-mile radius. “

Nate Eaton:
“And no sign?”

4:55
Sheriff Bowerman:
“Absolutely none.”

4:56
Nate Eaton:
“Do you believe it was an abduction?”

4:58
Sheriff Bowerman:
“Ya’ know, personally, I think an abduction is one of the least likely events. Primarily, the information we have is…grandpa is watching the child. He tells me he looks away momentarily. When he looks back, he’s gone, and he’s assumed he’s gone over the bank. Right where grandpa is sitting, he’s within 20-30 yards of the only roadway into the campground, and absolutely no one was seen at that lower campground coming or going, and when my personnel went in, nobody was seen leaving, so I think it, You know, I mean I can’t completely rule it out, but it’s one of the least likely things that occurred.”

5:41
Nate Eaton:
“What can you say about Mr. Renwand?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Uh, at this point he’s still cooperating. Uh, um… You know I’m not getting any uh, any feeling that he’s not being truthful. I, I think he’s been very truthful and I appreciate his help. He’s come up to the area on a 2nd occasion with me, and uh…Until we find a piece of evidence or locate anything that tells me otherwise, I think he’s being very truthful.”

Nate Eaton:
“Uh, how about the parents and the grandfather?”

6:16
Sheriff Bowerman:
“You know, I think all three…Those three have been very cooperative, uh…they’ve given us everything that we’ve asked for and…so I’m… I feel real good about…uh, the parents and…and, and the grandfather also.”

6:29
Nate Eaton:
“Um, the FBI…Has… Has…Have they… Would it be correct to say they’ve taken over, or I guess they’re working with you?”

6:35
Sheriff Bowerman:
“They’re working with us. We’ve given them uh, lots of items to uh…analyze, uh, behaviorally, and we’ve given them some physical evidence. I… I can’t go into those details but…we’re basically uh…trying to cover all of our bases, and we’re looking for any clue whatsoever that might help us resolve this.”

7:00
Nate Eaton:
“And you said Bonneville is also assisting, mainly because the family lives there.”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Very much so! Very much so!”

7:04
Nate Eaton:
“Can you say anything about how Isaac ended up on the trip?”

7:10
Sheriff Bowerman:
“I hate to go into too many details. I mean, obviously there’s a relationship between him and, and grandpa, you know. Um…You know, I mean…they’re…they’re friends…uh…but prior to that trip he had never met mom or dad. “

7:28
Nate Eaton:
“The family says their vehicles and cars were searched, which it sounds like in any case that would be standard operating procedure.”

7:39
Sheriff Bowerman:
“You know, even though we searched them that night you know you always second guess, Did we miss something? Could he have been in another compartment ? Did we not search everything? So yeah, everything has been searched at least a couple times, if not more.”

Nate Eaton:
“For you guys, how has the department been handling this? That’s a lot of manpower and hours.”

7:58
Sheriff Bowerman:
“Mmm hmm.”

Nate Eaton:
“I’m sure a little bit of frustration trying to find this kid.”

8:01
Sheriff Bowerman:
“Well, it’s definitely been a challenge. We’ve got some fabulous volunteers. Our Search and Rescue is second to none uh, and they’ve been overwhelmed by this. We’ve had some issues on uh…on stress that we’ve had to deal with, and our office is uh…My Chief Deputy has spent endless hours up there. He’s climbed literally up to the top of some of the peaks up there. He’s walked into some of the old uh dens of some of the animals that live in those areas, and he’s been frantically searching for a clue and…and uh, it’s been overwhelming. There’ve been days I’ve been the only patrolman on the road because all my personnel are up there working at the scene.”

8:44
Nate Eaton:
“Have you ruled out a wild animal?”

8:46
Sheriff Bowerman:
(Shakes head negatively.)

8:46
Nate Eaton:
“I guess has anything been ruled out?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“No, absolutely nothing has been ruled out.”

Deputy Penner
“There could have been some interference from, you know, a predator at some time in this scenario whether the beginning or partway through or you know now…”

9:00
Sheriff Bowerman:
“We had bears and wolves running…literally through camp …(Nate interjects to Deputy Penner)

Nate Eaton:
“While you’re searching?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“…while we were searching. Absolutely!”

Nate Eaton:
“And there’s wolf dens nearby?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Well, some old ones. We haven’t found any fresh dens, but uh, just over the top of the divide there is Pahsimeroi , and we understand they’ve had some issues over there with some wolves, and they’ve taken out some of the uh…some of the wolves in order to eliminate the problem, so…”

9:27
Nate Eaton:
“Where do you guys go from here?”

9:30
Sheriff Bowerman:
“Well, we wait until we get our report from the FBI. That’s going to be critical…and…uh…We’re still asking the public, uh, to help us if they have any information to identify a 2 ½-year-old with blonde hair. I’m not sure that’s a positive thing for our office because every 2 ½ –year-old with blonde hair looks just like Deorr, and so I’m asking the public if they know a family and they didn’t have a 2 ½-year-old prior to this time period, that’s what I want to look at closely, but if it’s somebody they don’t know, to contact their local law enforcement and have them follow-up for us, because this is overwhelming for our small office.”

10:20
Nate Eaton:
“Yeah, have you guys just been bombarded with tips?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Absolutely! Absolutely!”

10:24
Nate Eaton:
“What are your thoughts about the private investigator? Is that just something the family is doing on their own to…?

Sheriff Bowerman:
Yep! Yep! Totally uh…Kuddos to them for, you know, looking for more help. Um, I can only do so much, and maybe he can turn up something that we’ve missed, uh, but I think, you know, he primarily thinks it’s an abduction, and I think that’s very remote.

10:47
Nate Eaton:
“And as far as the lie detector tests. You said you couldn’t say much about…”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“Yeah! Uh, you know what…all four have taken…voluntarily taken polygraphs and right now that...those have been turned over to the FBI along with the statements, and I would prefer to have them look at the reports and look at the evaluations on the polygraph to make sure we’re looking at everything correctly and that we didn’t miss anything.”

Nate Eaton:
“At this point would you feel comfortable saying something criminal happened?”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“No!”

Nate Eaton:
“Okay.”

Sheriff Bowerman:
“No! Not at all.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV-h82eVQ1M

TRANSCRIPT

True Crime Radio
Tricia Griffith

Guest: Sheriff Lynn D. Bowerman to discuss missing toddler, Deorr Kunz Jr., missing from Leadore Idaho, July 10, 2015

Thursday, October 15, 2015


01:30
Tricia Griffith (TG): Tonight we’re pleased to welcome Sheriff Lynn D. Bowerman, and Sheriff Bowerman, thank you for joining us tonight. I know you’re busy and we’ll try not to keep you very long, okay?

01:41
Sheriff Bowerman (SB): Well…I’ll see what I can answer for you.

01:45
TG: Thank you very much and first of all, the first question is, how do you pronounce your county, is it (typed phonetically as spoken) Lem’-eye or Lem-eye’ or

01:53
SB: Yeah. Lem’-high.

TG: Lem’-hi. Just exactly like how it’s spelled. I just made that way too difficult. Sorry about that, but anyway, Sheriff Bowerman, thank you very, very much. We have one question, one area that we want to clear up, and that is, and I’m hoping you can help us with that tonight, that is when Deorr was seen at the store, with his parents, do you know for certain if he was ever actually seen at the store? That just seems real ambiguous uh to any

SB: Well, initially um the store salesperson didn’t remember uh the encounter. When the father uh… I call him Vernal instead of Deorr, it’s Vernal Deorr Kunz…when Vernal and his wife came back to the store several days later then the salesperson said, “Oh, yeah, I remember you!”

02:45
SB: Now I’m not sure…I don’t recall her saying specifically that she remembered the child. She remembered them talking about their child, and they bought some candy and some other items, and we have a dated and time-stamped receipt, so we know they were in the store. And someone while they were fueling up said they thought they saw a child in the back seat, but that hasn’t been ever positively stated that there was a child there, but ya’ know at this point, I’m believing the family!

03:18
TG: Well, and the thing is, a busy day like that camping, nobody’s going to think, I better remember who’s in the store. It just doesn’t work like that.

03:26
SB: Yeah, exactly. It’s not uncommon. It’s a small community, and uh the salesclerk said she was really busy, and she was having difficulty remembering them being in the store, but when she saw them, she said, Oh, I remember talking to you.

TG: to the parents, right. So, again, that’s just something that’s ambiguous but not necessarily suspicious at all just because it was a busy time, and I’m assuming there is no video?

03:48
SB: Absolutely no video from the time they left Idaho Falls where they fueled up and…and you know their vehicle was seen and someone seen them getting out of the driver’s side to fuel up, but uh no child was ever seen so we don’t have any video.

TG: We’re talking with Sheriff Lynn Bowerman. Sheriff Bowerman is in charge in the investigation of missing toddler, Deorr Kunz, Jr., and we’re talking about uh right before the call was made basically uh before the 911 call was made that Deorr was missing, so now we have the parents back at the campground with Deorr after the visit to the store. Was Deorr seen at that time, after the store visit, do you know by anybody in the campground?

04:29
SB: Just…just the four people that were originally with him and that’s Grandpa’s...Great Grandpa’s friend, Great Grandpa and the two parents.

04:39
TG: Right! Okay! So, from about 1 pm, and this is…I’m not going to get very specific here because I know you can’t go into detail, but from 1 pm till about to when the phone call was made about 45 minutes later, um what you have to go on is what the parents, the great grandfather and the grandfather’s friend has… have said, right?

04:58
SB: That’s correct!

04:59
TG: Okay!

04:59
SB: That’s correct! The family came back to the campground. Uh the friend said he was catching some fish and, and the parents said, “Well can you show us the fish?” They start down to the creek which is about 50 feet below the campground, and it’s not very well observed from the campground, in fact you actually can’t see the creek. You can hear it.

05:19
TG: Mmm hmm.

05:19
SB: And they turned and looked at their son and asked him if he wanted to stay with Grandpa or go with them, and he said, “Grandpa,” and started walking towards uh Grandpa. So, mom and dad go down over the creek with…with the friend. They start doing some fishing. Grandpa says he’s watching the child. He’s looking at him momentarily. He looks away, when he looks back the child is gone, and he assumes that the child has gone back down to mom and dad, because it’s just over…just over the hillside, just a little ways.

05:
TG: Right! And boy that’s…you…you and I both know, Sheriff Bowerman, that’s all it takes is one second to look away and

05:57
SB: Exactly! Exactly!

05:58
TG: and it becomes every parent’s worst nightmare

06:01
SB: It does!

06:01
TG: Sheriff Bowerman, I know you’re very busy, but I’m going to implore you, we have to take a quick break. I just have a few more questions for you if we could come back. I want to talk a little bit, just a little bit more about the case and a few other things then, and I really want to get to your statement that you made about social media ‘cause I thought it was so right on, and I can’t wait to hear that as well so, could you stay with us for just like two minutes and then we’ll be right back?

06:24
SB: I sure will!

06:25
TG: Okay, thank you, Sheriff. We’ll be back in just a minute on True Crime Radio. This is the iHeart Radio Network, and we’re opening chat! Talk in a bit.

07:06
TG: And welcome back to True Crime Radio. We’re talking with Sheriff Lynn Bowerman. Sheriff Bowerman is in charge of the case of missing toddler, Deorr Kunz, Jr., who went missing while he was camping with his parents, his great grandfather, and his great grandfather’s friend on July 10, 2015 at the Timber Creek Campground in Idaho. Sheriff Bowerman, is this case, is Deorr’s case creeping towards becoming a cold case?

07:32
SB: Well…I mean it’s been exactly or just a little bit over three months, uh, you know we’re actively uh still working the case. Um we’re almost up there almost every weekend. Anytime we get a tip, well of course we’re working with other law enforcement agencies throughout the United States to make sure that we’re uh… that we’re following up on all leads and uh, you know it’s been a lengthy process, but I wouldn’t say it’s a cold case yet.

08:00
TG: Well, that is very good to hear! Do you know if the FBI is completely finished or do you still keep in contact with them?

08:06
SB: No, we’re still in contact with the FBI. I would actually say Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office in Idaho Falls probably has more contact with them because they’re over in that part of the state and they’re keeping in real close contact.

08:22
TG: Okay. Uh, you have said, about the parents, uh and all the adults basically that um that they’re not suspects but they’re persons of interest and that, that seems to be a little bit confusing. Can you explain that? I think I know what you mean but I would like to hear it from you. They’re not suspects. Do you suspect them of having anything to do with uh Deorr’s disappearance?

08:46
SB: No, at this time I don’t consider them suspects, uh, and the only reason I’m calling them a person of interest is because they were at the scene. Uh, they’re the only people at the scene other than one family that was at the upper lake that was from another county and…and the law enforcement in that jurisdiction, we talked about has vouched for them and uh they’re an older couple, and we’ve been reassured by law enforcement that they would not be involved in any abduction or any of that sorts so um…

09:16
TG: Mmm hmmm.

09:16
SB: The four people that we have, the parents, the great grandfather and the grandfather’s friend are the only people we have, so uh they’re persons of interest only because they were at the scene.

09:29
TG: Understood. Okay. Uh, are you able to comment on if anybody has taken a polygraph or not?

09:36
SB: Well, I can tell you that all four people have taken polygraphs. I’m not willing to discuss um um the uh…the findings of those polygraphs at this point. Uh we’re um having some including the FBI look at the results just to give us uh their impression and uh, you know um those are difficult uh interviews and uh you know the polygraph uh experts uh, you know, sometimes they don’t agree, so…uh we’re looking at those real close and we’re doing a behavioral analysis based on their statements uh at the time of their interview.

10:12
TG: Okay, thank you, and I certainly understand why you can’t comment, but I have to ask or people get mad at me, you know how that goes. Okay! Sheriff Bowerman, uh this is something I have not heard of, but in our chatroom, uh one of our members brings it up, Steelman85901 asks, uh, to ask you about the EMT bag that was mentioned during the parents’ interview and then never mentioned again. Do you know what that is about by chance?

10:37
SB: You know I believe that one of the uh volunteers was up in the area and their vehicle was broke into. It might have been left unlocked, but something…an EMT bag was…was taken from them

10:53
TG: Mmm hmmm

10:53
SB: while they were up doing the search and uh

10:56
TG: So…but it wasn’t anything to do with

SB:
I’m not sure if we ever determined uh who took it or what the circumstances were surrounding that.

11:02
TG: Right. And so there’s no reason to even believe it had anything to do with Deorr’s case or his

11:07
SB: Not at the time, no.

11:09
TG: Okay, and you have…you have searched at great lengths and great depths the reservoir and the stream…uh creek.

11:17
SB: Yes! We dove the reservoir at least four days. We put a side-scan sonar in on one day. We also uh flew a helicopter both in daylight and at night with the FLIR to illuminate for body heat, and we found absolutely nothing other than our canines alerted on it but we found that someone had come in behind us and had uh put some human cremains in of a loved one and that kind of threw our dogs off.

11:51
TG: Oh! So like spreading the ashes of their loved one and then the dog goes there and is like, hey, there’s human remains. Oh, boy! That must be frustrating!

11:59
SB: Right. And in the creek, from the…from the campground down approximately two miles, we literally walked that, waded it in hip boots and 20-30 people were removing every uh tree, limb, every branch. We had a device, a tubular device with plexiglass on it, that we could actually look down into the water and they reached under every embankment and literally uh tore that creek apart looking for uh Deorr.

12:31
TG: So obviously I think the first place everybody thinks is Oh my gosh, the poor kid fell in the water, was taken down, maybe stuck under a rock or something, but you feel confident that you have searched the creek and the reservoir enough that you feel confident that you need to start looking else… or continue to look elsewhere, right?

12:50
SB: Exactly! We had…we’ve had a total of uh I believe 18 dogs in there and those dogs should have alerted, you know even after the fact, after the length of time that we’d been looking should alert should that child be in there, but my two scent dogs that were in there initially, they should have found that child. They really should have.

13:13
TG: And so are there any more plans to use those cadaver dogs or any search dogs at the moment?

13:17
SB: You know, I’m still getting calls from volunteers from all over the United States offering to come in with their dogs. I’m not sure at this point we’ve uh…We’ve covered every inch literally 20-30 times. You know, I’m not sure how productive that would be, so I’ve asked them to use their resources for something that is maybe a little bit more um…fresh as far as someone going missing. You know keep their resources close for their own uh…for their own cases and uh and I feel like we’ve done an adequate and a complete search.

13:54
TG: Well, that’s true. Every day people go missing and those search dogs are definitely needed all over the country.

14:01
SB: Yes, they are!

14:01
TG: I’m...I’m glad that we had a chance to talk, Sheriff, because I … I feel confident now that you have searched every …everywhere in the creek and the reservoir. That was my main concern. Now um before I let you go, because I’m so thrilled that you’re here, you had a message. You made a statement, let me say that about social media, and I am obviously involved in social media. I have this podcast, I own Websleuths.com, and the one thing we always tell people on Websleuths is, your words have power. If you come on and just start throwing stuff out there like it’s a fact, you’re going to mess everything up, and then rumors get started, and then it’s a fact, and then everything is just a mess, and that’s one of the reasons why sometimes law enforcement won’t come and use what we have to offer. What did you tell that reporter about social media? It was just brilliant!

15:54
SB: Well, you know, there’s been all sorts of conversations on both Facebook and Twitter and…and everything else and it’s getting to the point now where it’s getting real confusing. It’s not real constructive, and uh I would like to concentrate on uh facts, help uh us look for um some evidence or some clothing or a valid sighting on some family that has never had a 2 ½ year old and then all of a sudden they have a 2 ½ year old in their …included in their family. Um…but all the negativism and uh all the rumors have been really not very constructive and it really kept my officers so busy chasing uh just uh shadows and uh that’s really complicated the investigation.

15:44
TG: Sheriff Bowerman, I agree with you and unfortunately I think sometimes just a few people get carried away behind their keyboards and they don’t realize what they’re saying and doing and how much it can cause a problem, so let’s just stick with the facts so when I go back to Websleuths I can tell the people, these are the facts, we’re not going to let you go off on wild and crazy tangents. No more, we’re done! The fact of the matter is uh that you are relying on, and you feel confident in, the statements given by Deorr’s parents, the great grandfather, and the friend. Uh, he could have been at the store that day, the little country store that day but the woman’s not sure because it was a busy day. You don’t feel that is any …that’s not indicative of something wrong, it was just a busy day, because she’s not going to remember people that come in.

16:35
SB: Exactly!

16:35
TG: Okay. The people that saw Deorr were the four adults, and again you feel confident in what they are saying. Um, you say they are not suspects, but everybody that was there is a person of interest because they may have something to offer, not necessarily because they’re guilty of anything, right?

16:55
SB: That’s correct.

16:55
TG: Okay. You did mention something earlier and I want to clear this up. You said something about a…a family, an older family that um…

17:03
SB: Yes, there’s the upper part of the reservoir, there was another family camped up there. They actually helped with the search on the first day and maybe even the second day and uh they uh disappeared before we got a chance to interview them but we were able to track them down. We talked to the law enforcement in their community and they helped us track them down and we uh chatted with them and we don’t feel like uh they were involved. It’s an older couple and they had some of their children come up and uh we’re fairly confident they never saw um the Kunz family, and we’re fairly confident they had nothing to do with uh the disappearance.

17:44
TG: Do you have any thoughts to a scenario where…I can’t imagine he was snatched by an animal since he was so close. I would think he would have screamed, people would have heard him, uh, are you thinking…again maybe you can’t even comment that perhaps it was a stranger who grabbed him or he ran off in the woods and you just haven’t found him yet?

18:07
SB: Now this is really rugged country. Uh real steep on one side and uh downhill and uh just a lot of rocky, rough terrain. You know we’ve got wolves. We’ve got mountain lions. We have bears. We have mountain lions…er…I mean wolves and bears in the campground on the first weekend of our search. We found both, so we’ve got a lot of dangerous animals in the area. The clothing he was wearing, I really think we would have found an article of clothing had an animal taken him and uh so you know I’m perplexed right now. I’m struggling to uh figure this one out, but we’re going to continue searching and we’re going to continue interviewing and looking for any evidence and uh we’re hoping for a break.

18:58
TG: One more question if I may, please, from our chat room. The parents have been criticized for not helping enough. Now that could just be they’re helping and not getting all the media attention. Do you feel the parents could do more or are they still helping and cooperating and is everything good as far as that goes?

19:15
SB: Well, they’re…they’re cooperating 100% and anytime we’ve asked them to come in. Uh we had them come in and do some sketches on the person that was seen at the store that they felt looked at Deorr suspiciously. We had them come in and do sketches on the man and we showed him around the community and Leadore and didn’t come up with any positive ID, but any time we’ve asked them they’ve come in. They were up at the campground for…quite awhile uh during the initial search. We asked them not to…to uh assist in the actual search, and they stayed just outside the campground and uh had their friends come up and family members and…and they did their own search outside the area we were searching and…and so… Yeah, they’ve been more than cooperative. Um…

20:08
TG: Ok. That’s very good to hear, and I…I apologize. I didn’t lie, I was mistaken. I have one more question. Um, sorry about that. Uh…do you… oh, no! I forgot my question! I was all kerfluffled here um…Heaven’s sakes I have totally, totally forgotten my question. Hold on, I’ve got it right here. This is very professional. This is how you do professional radio. O…kay! Well, I’ll tell you what. I can’t … I thought I had it in front of me and I didn’t uh, Sheriff Bowerman, thank you so much… Oh! I know what it was! What could… what can we do? I know you said that we can, you know, people can help by concentrating on the facts but, we have a large forum. You know, we have over 87,000 members from all over the world, a lot of them reading Deorr’s thread and information, what advice would you give them that could help? We have one minute.

21:01
SB: All right. Unfortunately, the child is a small, young child who looks like every other 2 ½ year old boy with blonde hair, so if you know of a family that you think you see a child that looks similar, um, and they didn’t have a child before, then call my office, but if you see a child you think resembles him, call the local law enforcement. Get them involved. They can contact me. They can get uh information from my office as far as uh height, weight, hair color

21:32
TG: Right!

21:32
SB: and everything that would …and including a birthmark that’s seen on his neck. He has a distinct birthmark and we put that out to the Polly Klaas Foundation…

21:40
TG: Sheriff Bowerman, I apologize. I apologize. My computer is going to cut me off.

21:45
SB: No problem.

21:45
TG: Thank you so much and uh now that you have my number, don’t hesitate to call if you have anything we can do for you, and you have cleared up a lot and it’s going to make a big difference. Take care, Sheriff Bowerman, and thank you so much!

21:55
SB: You, too!


http://www.truecrimeradio.com/radio...d-bowerman-john-kelly-radio-archive-oct-2015/

Video Transcript

January 19, 2016

Local 8 News ABC Speaks with Klein (KIC)

Jay Hildebrandt:
Welcome to our second half hour everyone. For tonight’s Closer Look we’re digging deeper into the case of missing 2-year-old Deorr Kunz, Jr. Local 8’s Chelsea Brunzel joins me now in the studio. Chelsea you were the first to write this story and now it’s become really a national headline and people want answers.

Chelsea Brentzel (CB): Yes, it has, and Jay, they do! The private investigator in this case opening up more tonight. We asked him the questions you want the answers to. Here’s what he had to say.

Klein: We’ve come to the conclusion that beyond a reasonable doubt that we do not believe Deorr Kunz is alive. We believe that uh…this case we are now investigating this case as an accidental or an intent death.

CB: Do you think it’s likely that you will be able to find a body?

Klein: Um, you know I’m not willing to speculate. That’s called crystal balling the case. I’m not willing to crystal ball the case. We’re just letting the case take us where it takes us. Do I believe we see light at the end of the tunnel on this case? Yes! I believe we’re…we’re getting there quickly. Uh, I’m kind of surprised how fast this case has gone. I thought it might go a little further, but uh, we seem to be making strides and a lot of headway right now.

CB: So, do you have a central theory that you’re following up on?

Klein: Uh, yes, we do have a central theory that we are following up on. Um, we are establishing, we’ve established that theory last Friday night in the war room down here in Texas. Um, the investigators all got together and we…we… we have come to the same conclusion. It was a 9 to 0 vote. Uh, we have sent our findings on to law enforcement. Uh, you know, as publicly said by um the Sheriff’s Department, up there, uh new evidence has come forward and this case is very fluid at this point. So we are there, we are getting there. Uh, I can’t say enough about the FBI uh where you folks live out there. I can’t say enough about the law enforcement in Leadore and also up into Idaho Falls. I can’t say enough about these guys. These guys are dedicated folks. Our team is dedicated, and we’re going to bring the citizens of Idaho the answers they…they’re asking.

CB: A lot of people of course on social media have all these questions, all these theories, and I know you’ve talked a little bit about that but one of the things we see a lot is that they say, “we need to bring in Jessica and Deorr and we need to have… we need to question them. “ But they’ve already… I mean that’s happened.

Klein: I can confirm that the parents…have been interviewed by the United States Department of Justice FBI. They have been interviewed by the Sheriff’s Department in Leadore. They have been interviewed by the Sheriff’s Department in Idaho Falls, and they have been interviewed by our firm. That’s the only statement I can make to you….the public right now as we are going through and we’re…we’re analyzing those statements.

CB: I mean as far as the results of those analyses coming together you can’t say anything about that?

Klein: No! Currently at this time it’s part of the timeline in this case. We have established a good and clean timeline and anything we make statements on what someone had said or someone had done uh would be inappropriate at this time. We are moving towards the prosecutorial phase uh in this case and uh we don’t want to jeopardize the case for law enforcement. Again, like I said, they are dedicated people and they are working very hard on this.

CB: Do you believe this will end in felony charges?

Klein: Uh, I can’t comment on that for the prosecutor up there nor can I comment for law enforcement any charges that they would file. As far as I’m concerned and my team’s concerned, that’s up to them. We’re just trying to find out what happened to this child, and we are sharing everything we’re gathering with law enforcement and…and…and…and this is a great example…a great example of public and private…public being law enforcement and private being private security board investigators working together as a team to come to a common goal and um, you know law enforcement and the prosecutor will make a decision if, when, and what those charges will be. Our job is to assimilate the information, get it to law enforcement and uh… let’s… let’s find little Deorr.

CB: And one thing that I know you’ve said is that you 99% feel he was on the mountain. Um…does that mean that he was at the campsite or just on the mountain, or can you say?

Klein: Let me…let me be clear about what I’m saying. I want to be very, very clear with everybody in the media. Okay?

CB: Okay.

Klein: My belief is, and our team’s belief is, Deorr is on the mountain or near the mountain. I will say this. We have interviewed the father. We have interviewed the mother. We have interviewed the grandfather. We have not interviewed Isaac Reinwand. He has hired counsel, which is his right to do. He has hired counsel. Uh, we have extended an arm in friendship to uh the counsel and saying let’s bring him in a room. You can sit there and you can tell him to answer or not to answer but let’s just… let’s hear his story. Let’s hear his story. We have not heard his story yet. We need to hear his story, and uh, so far we’ve been blocked from doing that. In fact we have not even received a return phone call from his counsel.

CB: Right. Is that counsel Kent Gauchet?

Klein: Yes! According to a document that is on file…

CB: Uh huh

Klein: he officially represents him. That’s all I can say.

~ ~ ~
CB: After multiple phone calls to the firm Kent Gauchet works at I decided to go and ask him what was going on in person. I was turned away saying that Mr. Gauchet knew I called and would get back to me if he wanted to speak to me about Isaac Reinwand. According to the Idaho repository, Gauchet has represented Reinwand in at least one other case, and I actually went to Reinwand’s house. I knocked three times and there was no answer so I did leave. Here’s what Mr. Klein has to say about social media.

~ ~ ~

Klein: Well, what I have to say to the people out on social media are a few things. #1) Some of the people out there on social media have hindered this case. Uh, witnesses have come forward after and only after they received assurances that their identities would remain anonymous #1, and #2 that their information would remain anonymous. And so, you know, once we were able to give them that assurance, they were scared their names and their information would be splashed up on Facebook, um…and that has happened in some cases uh from leaks from family members to people that have nothing to do with this case that don’t even live in Idaho.

Um, this case is a national case, so I guess my message that I’m trying to send to the people of Idaho, if not the United States and beyond – the people in England and all around that are watching this case is simply, before you write something and then you push that little button that sends it out for the world to see it, you know, let’s take a step back and take a breath and think about the main objective here is, and that’s finding little Deorr, and not to scare witnesses and not to put false uh conjecture out on the internet that they…that something should happen to let’s say the parents or the grandparents or Mr. Reinwand or the police or, in fact, our firm. Uh, you know we’re trying to say, take a step back, let us as the PSV investigators do our job, let law enforcement do their job, let the prosecution do their job. Give everybody just a little room here. Uh, we’re all working hard towards getting to the end of this. Social media has hurt this case, yet it has also helped this case. Social media is a very dangerous place. After all, you can… you know everything you read on the internet is right, right? Um, so that’s kind of the message we’re sending out there that everything you read on the internet folks is not necessarily true. Everything on the internet out there is sometimes um false, so before you take it as fact and gospel, take a step back and think about it and…and….and make a decision whether or not that you really want to say something . Words mean things, and words can hurt people, and words can hurt this investigation. So take a step back. That’s all we’re asking. Just take a step back! Think about what you’re going to say, and give everybody some room to do their jobs.

~~~
CB: Social media definitely playing a big role in this. You know I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the parents and they say they’ve been really upset with some of the things that have been said…some of the rumors that have spread as well.

Jay Hildebrandt: Yeah! It’s just amazing to me that this incident that happened in little Leadore, Idaho,

CB: Right…

Jay Hildebrandt: has gained national, even world-wide attention. Why do you suppose that is?

CB: I… I mean you put this cute little baby boy out there in a very mysterious disappearance and I think that, you know the world just takes it by storm and … But the good thing is and we talked about just a second ago is that law enforcement and the private investigator are all working together to figure this out.

Jay Hildebrandt: A lot of resources working on this all together and working together from what I can tell.

CB: And so hopefully we’ll let you know as soon as we find anything out.

Jay Hildebrandt: Yeah! Thank you, Chelsea.

http://www.localnews8.com/video/private-investigator-interview-on-deorr-kunz-jr-case/37525224

September 18, 2015

AUDIO TRANSCRIPTS

KID News Radio 590 AM – Interview with Family PI Frank Vilt

Private Investigator Says Missing Toddler Was Abducted

Audio 1 of 3

KID News Radio (KID): You’re listening to KID News Radio 590 AM and 92.1 FM. I had a chance to interview Frank Vilt, the Private Investigator for Deorr Kunz Family. I asked him a little bit about his background and the latest on the case.

FV: I specialize in recovering abducted or missing children and I knew Deorr, the boy’s father, because he worked at a body shop in Montpelier. I had some of my cars worked on there and I’ve seen the little boy and Jessica when I went to the shop a few times and then it was a month since he was missing and nothing was happening so I kind of got myself involved because I wanted to help out and find out what was going on.

00:41
KID: and…Okay. So, there are a couple of different really interesting things that are happening in this case right now. Uh a little boy down in California uh kind of was found wandering around, and a woman shows up and claims him. Now there’s a picture of this little boy. They put it side by side with a picture of Deorr. I cannot tell the difference between those two little boys. The resemblance is remarkable, so weigh in on…on that angle right now.

01:12
FV: Well, what I have learned… This happened at a Motel 6. A little boy with no shirt on and with a diaper was wandering in the parking lot of this Motel 6. So a motel employee brought him inside and put a, kind of a shirt on him and took his picture holding the telephone and notified the police of this,

KID: Mmm hmm

01:37
FV: …and when the Orange County Sheriff uh showed up, I believe they released him to a person without obtaining the proper identification as to who this person was. I’ve been in contact with a lieutenant down there, Lieutenant Roach (?) and his email to me was they were going to see if they followed the proper procedure, and I have not heard back. I have put them in contact with Detective Sergeant Noah of Bonneville Sheriff’s Office, and they were corresponding back and forth, and I believe that the person who the little boy was given to has left the area. I don’t even know if they have been able to find them, but I do know that they supposedly opened some type of a CPS case about this but I haven’t heard any results. I’m waiting to hear those results. Hopefully, I’ll get the results of that sometime today.

02:32
KID: Now we…

03:48
FV: Very strange, Phil (?).

02:35
KID: It is very strange and when, and when you look at the two pictures, since you’ve been involved in these abduction cases, was your response similar to mine that they’re close enough that this absolutely merits more attention?

FV: Oh, absolutely! That’s why I made the initial call down there, and yesterday when I called down there nobody knew anything about anything, and then, of course, the boy’s father called down there and he was quite upset and he was transferred to Homicide and then disconnected and then finally I just went through the proper procedures again and finally got an email back from the Watch Commander. Then I emailed him and um he advised me that he was in contact with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office up here, so hopefully, we’ll get some resolution and find out what actually did happen. Right now nobody’s saying anything about that but it’s very suspicious to me.

03:28
KID: Okay, let’s shift over to this other story. Uh, witnesses apparently have come forward and said that they saw, I guess this suspicious looking man in both the Leadore area and also in uh Swan Valley, of all places. So, give us the rundown on that particular part of this story.

03:47
FV: Sure! I established a national hotline, a Tip Line, because the Sheriff in Lemhi County didn’t put out an Amber Alert. So I felt it was best to get the public involved with their eyes and ears to help us solve this case, and so a lady called me from Swan Valley. She had been in Swan Valley. She lives in the Idaho Falls area, and she said that she has four little blonde boys and they were hiking in the Palisades Campground area, and her husband kind of lagged behind with one of their boys, and their children, all boys, 2, 4, 6 and 9, and she got back to the van earlier than her husband, and she saw this man who was in his mid 50’s with grey-white hair staring “obsessively” at her boys and made her feel very uncomfortable. And so when her husband finally got back she felt maybe I know this guy so she kind of waved at him and husband said Honey, Don’t that guy’s kind of kooky - Stay away from him. Let’s get out of here. Then the man followed them to an ice cream store. He was driving this “really expensive looking black Rubicon, Jeep Rubicon,” and so she called in the Tip Line and she said that this is what happened to me and I was concerned about this black Rubicon. This guy was just staring at my kids.

05:16
FV: So I called Deorr, the boy’s father, and I said, “Have you seen any vehicles outside the store in Leadore before you went back to the campground prior to the time your son went missing?” and he said, “Yeah, I saw a brand-new, brand new very expensive looking black Rubicon Jeep."

Audio #2 of 3

00:01
FV: (Continued from Audio 1)
and he also said he remembered when we were inside the store before we went back to the campground this man inside in his mid 50’s, white-grey hair who was staring “obsessively” at the little boy, Deorr -- Deorr Jr, and made the mother and father feel very uncomfortable. This guy was just looking at them. So, I kind of put two and two together, and, uh, I understand today that, uh, Deorr and his wife -- his girlfriend or wife, Jessica, went up to Lemhi County while a sketch artist was supposed to do a sketch of the person they saw inside the store, and so hopefully they can put that together with the lady and her husband who saw the uh…this man up there in the Palisades area. So that’s how that came to be.

00:51
KID: So, Frank, I know…When this story broke and we had this missing little boy there…and I talked to so many people about this. I…I can’t count the conversations that I had with people, and they all felt like… Something just is not…just isn’t right about this, and…and as somebody who has investigated these sorts of cases, what does your gut tell you? I mean you’re working on behalf of the family and I understand that but what, what is your gut telling you what happened to Deorr Kunz?

01:23
FV: I believe he actually was abducted because of the searches that took place, the specialized helicopters from the Montana National Guard with their special infrared equipment. Uh, they put some spots out to the ground troops and the ground troops checked those out. They were unfounded. I put together the assimilation…the reenactment last week or early this week. We put that together and I showed how a child could be abducted from the campground and I just, because the searches, the cadaver dogs, the search dogs, and the number of people up there searching, they would have overtaken the area that the little boy could have gotten to. He had cowboy boots that were too big for him. He liked those cowboy boots, so he was clumsily…sometimes walking he would step out of them, but it just didn’t make sense that all the searches that took place couldn’t find any parts of human remains, clothing, uh nothing! They searched you know dens, wolf dens, bear dens uh eagles nests.

02:25
FV: We checked all that and nothing came up. Nobody knows who was in the campground when they came in Thursday night because it was dark up there, and so very easily - there is a access road up above the campground where somebody could’ve been watching. It could have been this guy in the store in Leadore was obsessed with this little boy and followed them and could have snatched him up. So a lot of things are possibilities, and I know the Sheriff didn’t put an Amber Alert out originally because it didn’t fit the criteria originally because they’re thinking the boy got lost at the campground.

KID: Yeah.

03:00
FV: And when you don’t find the boy and all the searches going on, that’s why I kind of want to step in. I volunteered my time because I wanted to get the word out to you the general public.

KID: So what…what’s next? I mean what’s the next big step here, and what are law enforcement agencies doing?

03:22
FV: Well, right now law enforcement is doing the sketch of the…of the man they first saw in Leadore.

KID: Mmm hmm.

03:28
FV: So that’s going to take place, and hopefully they can show this then to the uh lady and her husband and the four kids that uh were up in the Palisades area in Swan Lake or Swan Valley, and so that will take place, and um… You know I’ve given some information to law enforcement to be followed up on. I’m impressed that law enforcement is doing their part. I don’t think law enforcement has made a really big mistake in this. I think law enforcement wants to recover this child, but initially they’re thinking he had to be lost. He wandered away from camp, but then when that’s not coming to fruition you have to think outside the box what else could have happened. So that’s why I’m a portion of this. I’ve gotten since I’ve established the Tip Line I’ve probably gotten over 150 calls. People have given me uh information, and I’ve checked that information. I know the Lemhi County says to call the State Police’s Fusion Center and that’s fine. They should do that but I had all these follow-ups personally, myself. I made calls to other locations, other law enforcement agencies. I got so many calls from people about black Rubicons with the description and I tried to put those together and tried to come up with a scenario that might be … warrant further investigation on each of the sightings.

Audio #3 of 3

00:01
KID: Mmm. Now, I wanted to ask about the Swan Valley um…uh…not sighting, but you know what I’m saying the…the tip that came out of Swan Valley. I know there was some criticism at least on social media. I understand that uh, they’ve wanted to remain anonymous in all of this. That caused some alarm. Why the anonymity for them? Why was that important to them?

00:25
FV: Because of retaliation. Uh, you never know if there is a person out there that did pick this boy up actually and if he’s a pervert he might retaliate against people, and the other thing is that social media now everything happens we go about it the next minute. There’s a lot of vicious people out there that said some nasty things, incorrect things, and instead of just remaining quiet until they know what they’re talking about they come up with an idea and they say it and then it’s damaging. There’s a lot of criticism against the parents of this little boy. People say, well the parents killed him. The parents paid to have his body disposed of and so forth. So a lot of stuff out there that in social media is what I call the kooks and they say things that are not true and not accurate, inaccurate, and pretty soon somebody repeats that and when you repeat something not knowing the full information then it becomes the real thing and then it hurts people. So that’s why people want to remain anonymous sometimes because they don’t want to have go through what the mother and father of this little boy.

01:28
KID: I know that there’s been a lot of talk about the grandfather. There’s also a family friend on that…on that camping outing when Deorr disappeared. Are you confident that both the grandfather and this family friend have been fully vetted and fully investigated?

01:45
FV: Yes. I’ve interviewed both of them and I feel that the grandfather was too ill. He’s on oxygen almost 24 hours a day, and I feel that he has…he’s not been a part of this. He’s just an older gentleman who has some health problems, and the other friend that was involved with this camping trip, I think he has a past criminal record and therefore he did attorney up. He did have an attorney because of his prior record and didn’t want to be accused of something but I’ve interviewed him and I feel that they had nothing to do with this disappearance. I feel the grandfather may have been a little, maybe possibly neglectful by stepping into the trailer for a moment and the little boy was outside, and I think this is how the person…he could have been abducted.

02:34
KID: Yeah, alright. Well, Frank we’re going to keep our eyes on this case. I sure appreciate you taking some time out of your busy schedule to check in with us, and we’ll keep in touch. If there’s anything that advances in this case, we’d love to have an update from you.

02:50
FV: Absolutely! Law enforcement’s doing all they can and I cannot fault the Lemhi Sheriff’s Office or Bonneville. They’re doing their very best. The FBI has some forensics that we should get results back soon and everybody wants the same result. We want to locate this little boy and I take my hat off to Lemhi County. They’re doing their very best and Bonneville is really helping out because the parents live up there in their county and all the departments up in Lemhi, but they’re good hearts and they want to recover this little boy so we just need to have the public be aware with their eyes and ears. It’s very important and everything that they call in either to my Tip Line or the Fusion Center will be checked out. So also I wanted to say I’m offering the reward up to $20,000.

03:36
KID: Oh, wow!

03:37
FV: I’m offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the location and recovery of the little boy.

03:43
KID: Frank, what is the hotline? If people see something suspicious and…and I would imagine if they see a black Rubicon then their interest will be peaked on that, but what should they watch for and what is the number they should call if they see something that looks suspicious?

04:00
FV: Well, my Tip Line is 888-852-6505. I do not have the Idaho State Police Fusion Telephone line, but uh they could get that, I’m sure.

KID: Okay.

04:15
FV: If they have something that’s very hot or if they see something it’s very important, of course, that you call 911 and local law enforcement agency will handle that, but the reward is up to $20,000 and 888-852-6505.

04:28
KID: All right, Frank Vilt, thank you so much for joining us this morning. We’ll be in touch.

04:33
FV: Have a good day! Thank you!

http://590kid.com/2015/09/18/tips-about-missing-toddler-forwarded-to-idaho-fusion-center/

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Monday, July 27, 2015

Nate Eaton's Brief Interview with IR

Nate Eaton (NE): Since Deorr has disappeared, many have had questions about the friend who was with the family that day at the campsite. His name is Isaac Reinwand, and today we’re hearing from him for the first time.

(Pans to Isaac’s front door)
0:12

NE: Isaac?

IR: Hi !

NE: How you doing?

IR: I’m doin’ okay.

~~~

NE: This is Isaac Reinwand, the family friend who was at the campsite the day Deorr Kunz disappeared.

~~~
(Back to Nate’s interview with Isaac at the front door)

NE: So he was just with you and the Grandfather when he wandered away?

IR: (Appears to shake head affirmatively up & down as he replies) “Mmm hmmm!”

~~~
(Pans back to Nate)
NE: We’ve heard Deorr’s parents explain what happened on July 10 at Timber Creek Campground.

DK Sr.: We decided we’re gonna’ go do a little exploring. He was gonna’ be good with grandpa. When I come back up to get him and I had yelled over to Grandpa uh, Where is… you know Where is little Deorr? He immediately shocked (sic). He says.. “He came up to you!”

(Pans back to Nate)
NE: Investigators tell us Jessica’s grandfather has poor mental and physical health, but we haven’t heard much about Reinwand at all. Police say he’s not a suspect and has been cooperating, but we want to know just what he saw that day, what he heard, and find out if he knows what happened to Deorr.

(Pans back to Nate knocking on Isaac’s front door)
1:01
NE: (You can hear Nate’s audible knock knock on IR’s front door)
So we went to his Idaho Falls House. Over (knock, knock) and over…

NE: Hello?

and over again… (audible knocking again). Finally, early Monday morning he answered the door.

1:13
NE: I’m Nate Eaton with East Idaho News.

IR: Yeah, I don’t have any questions. I’m sorry.

NE: You don’t have anything you want to say?

IR: No.

NE: All right, sorry to wake you up. We just wanted to see if you had anything to say about Deorr missing.

IR: I… I don’t.

NE: You don’t?

IR: No comment.

NE: Can you tell us what happened up there?

IR: Um….(pause) As far as I know he just disappeared is all…

NE: He just disappeared? Did he wander away? Do you know? Or…

IR: I’m not… I don’t have anything to say about it

1:40
NE: A lot of people have heard from the family and everything and I know a lot of people want to hear from you and the grandfather.

IR: Have you ever talked to the grandfather yet?

NE: I haven’t. So he was just with you and the grandfather when he wandered away?

IR: Mmm hmm!

NE: and then, you guys thought he was with the parents?

IR: …pauses….Yeah!

1:57
NE: And then the parents came back and he was gone?

IR: Mmm hmm!

NE: Okay…

Background reporter: Did you get our Facebook message? (to IR)

IR: I didn’t. I didn’t get your (inaudible) Facebook message but… Like I said, I don’t… I can’t… I don’t want to answer any more questions or anything.

NE: Okay!

Pans back to Nate
NE: Again, Reinwand is NOT a suspect and police tell us he has been cooperating with them. As of today, investigators tell us there are no new leads on where Deorr Kunz could be. In Idaho Falls, I’m Nate Eaton, East Idaho News.com

https: // www.youtube.com/ watch?v=01DB2lqpWcs

Note: Any/all grammar or punctuation errors are my own!

January 27, 2016

Article Title:
FORMER KUNZ INVESTIGATOR: DEORR KUNZ AND JESSICA MITCHELL LIED ABOUT SON’S DISAPPEARANCE

Video Transcript

(Nate Interview Speaks with Frank Vilt, former family PI)

0:01
Nate Eaton: All right, so Frank, this letter that’s been going around the internet, it looks like you wrote back in September.

0:05
FV: Well, basically I told that because of circumstances beyond my control. I dropped them as clients because of a breach of trust on their part, because they didn’t seem to trust me what I wanted to do. What I mean by that, I wanted to go public with this. I wanted to go national public, and I wanted to advertise we have this little missing boy. We need more eyes and ears to try to find this missing boy. I offered a $20,000 reward, and they did not want me offering the reward. They said that the Sheriff didn’t want it. They said the Sheriff didn’t want to go public, and the Sheriff never mentioned that to me and so… I started finding little…little things that they were inconsistent. Their stories didn’t jive. One was the timeline, and there was some overemphasis of Jessica, uh…stating that she knew the boy was in the campground because she kept looking back – “I kept looking back…I kept looking back…” and it seemed like this was like an overkill. Why would she keep saying this over and over and over again? She wanted to establish that the boy was in the campground. This was after they came back from town and um they saw some fish that Isaac and Bob, the grandfather, caught and so Deorr says, “Well show me where those fish are. Where’d you catch those fish?” And so they went off with Jessica, Deorr and Isaac went off to the creek where they caught fish supposedly, and Jessica kept saying, “I kept looking back to make sure Little Man was there. I kept looking back…kept looking back...” Why did she overemphasize that? And that was kind of one of the things, and she couldn’t answer my question as to why she kept saying that, like she wanted to establish like an alibi that the boy was there, and some other things that were just inconsistent and didn’t want to…were hiding things, like they weren’t coming forth with the truth. The timeline didn’t make sense.

02:05
Nate: When the news came out earlier this week, the Sheriff is naming them as suspects, were you surprised?

02:10
FV: No, I wasn’t surprised at all. When the…there’s a lot of reasons for that. The Sheriff is not going to just make wild accusations. They’re not going to do anything until you have some evidence. There’s always double jeopardy involved, too, so they name them as suspects, and they’re not going to make an arrest. Most law enforcement people aren’t going to make an arrest until they have the evidence to do so because of double jeopardy, because you don’t want to make an arrest and then the charges are dismissed with prejudice, so they want to avoid that. So when they know that they have suspects and they have some good, concrete evidence then they’re going to name them as suspects and move them up from persons of interest. That’s what they did in this case.

02:53
Nate: Why come forward with this information now?

02:57
FV: Well, because they spread the rumor they fired me, uh, and that’s not true, and I got that from the guys making the documentary on missing children. They told me that Deorr and Jessica told them that they dismissed me – that they fired me.

03:12
Nate: And it’s dated September. That’s when you actually sent it to them and mailed it to them?

03:17
FV: Correct! I followed up the same date of my e-mail. I sent them an e-mail the same date, September 25th. Basically, I said the same thing in my e-mail to them.

03:27
Nate: What do you think happened to Deorr?

03:31
FV: Well, I feel there’s uh…one possibility is a … scenario is that uh…it’s only because Jessica giving up custody of her other two kids and because she didn’t really want kids, and when she had Deorr that she was …her tubes were tied and for all intents and purposes sterilized so she could never be reversed. I believe that because of the laws, and Nebraska is an example and Utah, there are adoption laws that as long as the…even though the father may be on the birth certificate, as long as they were not married, the mother could basically have carte blanche to do what she wants to do as far as adopting out her child. So the one possibility was the child was adopted out – it was an out-of-state adoption which was arranged as a cover story so Deorr wouldn’t find out about the … they staged this possible stranger abduction or pre-arranged abduction or there was a problem where the boy is…was injured and could be deceased, so I kind of lean towards looking towards life rather than death. So I just feel there’s a possibility the boy could have been adopted out and didn’t want the father to know, and now because of them being named as suspects the pressure being put on between the two so uh, hopefully one will roll over on the other one, but it just didn’t make sense that this boy is missing , and I want to see a resolution to this case, a favorable resolution, but the more time goes by, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be that way. It could be that there was a homicide.

05:16
Nate: Did they ever pay you for any of your services?

05:20
FV: No. That’s another thing, too. They said that they paid me but they never paid me. Listen, this reminded me of the fact that in the very beginning when I said I’d work for them - cover my expenses and I won’t charge you for my hourly rate, and then Deorr said, “Well, I have a cousin in Utah that has a Go Fund Me and she has $1,900 and we’ll see you get some of that.” Then a few days later I found out that $1,900 was missing. So whoever this person was, this cousin in Utah, had misappropriated the money and used it for their personal use. One of the other reasons I dropped the case, too, I know that Deorr was uh… was pressuring people to donate money. He was getting money from these folks back in Maryland and these Go Fund Me accounts and then I hear there’s other missing money, and he was exploiting people and I just didn’t want to be involved with any of these things where somebody was exploiting money from other people. It just didn’t add up. It didn’t make sense to me. It didn’t seem like they were like normal people would be for their son being missing. It seemed like they were concealing something and hiding something, and their body language, too. They wouldn’t look you…particularly Jessica, would not look you in the eye. She always looked down, looked away, and even when I tried to go eyeball to eyeball with her when I’d talk to her she would look away and not look me straight in the eye and answer my questions.

06:49
Nate: Well, thank you very much, Frank.

Above is video transcript portion only. Article appears below video in link below.

http://www.eastidahonews.com/2016/01/former-kunz-p-i/

NOTE: All grammar or punctuation errors are my own!


January 28, 2016

True Crime Radio – I Heart Radio Network

Tricia Griffith (TG) with Guest: Sheriff Bowerman (SB)

RE: DEORR KUNZ JR CASE - Missing July 10, 2015, Timber Creek Campground, Leadore, ID


00:01
TG: It’s True Crime Radio on I Heart Radio Network. My name is Tricia Griffith. I am the proud owner of Websleuths.com, one of the coolest, if I do say so myself, discussion forums on the internet.

00:16
TG: I want to start out the show with this line: “Sooner or later the truth will come out.” That’s the last line in a letter from a private detective named Frank Vilt to missing toddler Deorr Kunz’s parents. Mr. Vilt believes the parents are involved in Deorr’s missing.

00:36
TG: Also, another PI, PI Klein, hired by Deorr Jr’s grandfather came out a little bit ago and said he felt that Deorr was dead and that one or more of the adults last seen with Deorr could be involved. It is getting so wild and crazy and bizarre because a few months ago we had Lemhi County Sheriff Lynn Bowerman on our show and he said that the people who were with Deorr on the day he disappeared were not considered to be involved. In fact, he was pretty emphatic about it. So, of course, being responsible people that we are on Websleuths, we told our members, hey, guess what? Parents are off limits. Sorry! They’re not considered suspects. The Sheriff doesn’t appear to be looking at them. Nobody is looking at them. They are victims.

01:26
TG: Well, it has all changed now. Sheriff Bowerman says the parents Deorr Kunz, Sr. and Jessica Mitchell are the main suspects. And, joining us tonight is Bessie, one of our incredible Administrators. She’s also the Administrator of Deorr’s forum – Deorr’s thread. Also joining us, and I am so glad he’s back with us, Lemhi County Sheriff Lynn Bowerman.
Sheriff Bowerman, thank you for joining us tonight. I really appreciate it.

Sheriff Bowerman (SB): You’re very welcome! Thanks for having me.

TG: Well, we have a ton of questions, but let me just start out with a basic question.

What changed your mind from the last time you were on the show not that long ago and you were pretty emphatic that, Hey, the parents they’re not, No, No, No, don’t – they’re fine, leave them alone. What changed?

02:13
SB: Well, after a pretty intense investigation and what I consider a lengthy investigation, we asked all the parties involved to take polygraphs. We were expecting a couple of them to come back inconclusive, and that would be the grandfather and the grandfather’s friend. However, the first polygraph indicated that the parents were being less than truthful, and that concerned me, but you know I take polygraphs with a certain grain of salt so… I sent out their interviews to the FBI, their Behavioral Team. They examined them and found multiple inconsistencies, and so we asked them to re-polygraph, and they said they would, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th polygraphs, the same conclusion was made by the experts that they are being less than truthful. They know what happened and where Deorr is currently.

03:17
TG: Are you certain that there’s no way Deorr could be in the water anywhere? That’s a big question that a lot of people have because …Couldn’t Deorr’s body be stuck under a rock or just possibly something like that happened?

03:35
SB: You know I dwelled on that fact for a long time but I have to trust the experts. They say when both people failed the same questions multiple times, there is something there and they’re being less than truthful, so I have to trust the experts.

03:54
TG: I understand. So you’re going with that and as you should. We have many, many questions from our members, and one of them… Here’s a good one that I think will help out a lot of our understanding of the situation.

04:09
TG: Prior the camping trip, when was Deorr last seen by someone other than his parents? Do you know?

04:15
SB: You know I know Bonneville County detectives have followed up on that particular aspect of the investigation, but to the best of my knowledge, from the time that they left Idaho Falls on July 9th which was in the early afternoon or early evening, uh, you know we have not had a confirmation-- an absolute 100% positive, that someone saw Deorr, but you know I still feel that he was at the campsite. I’m just not sure of the timeline now. Do we have 45 minutes from the time he disappeared that they called in? Do we have an hour and a half and when still have to figure out the length of time it took Search and Rescue and my office to get there. We’re talking about a remote area. You know it was almost 3 hours total, so, um… The new private investigator is saying he thinks it’s a four hour window there. I think it’s closer to 3, but it’s a long time, you know, so…um, but No, nobody has seen him prior to his going to Leadore.

05:27
TG: Another question from one of our members. Again, this will be very helpful.

05:31
TG: You have asked for people who may have witnessed interactions between the parents and Deorr to come forward. Is there any indication that Deorr was neglected or abused prior to this camping trip?

05:42
SB: You know, that’s a part of investigation I’m…I’m not willing to talk about at this point. I know that we’re getting tips every day, people that think there’s something that’s usually small but they think it’s important for our office to know, and we’re following up on those leads as fast as we can, but they’re coming in quite frequently, so uh, you know I’d rather not comment on any…anything of that nature.

06:13
TG: That’s absolutely understandable. We’re talking with Lemhi County Sheriff Lynn Bowerman. We’re discussing the case of missing Deorr Kunz. He went missing in July of this year – vanished during a camping trip supposedly with his parents, his great grandfather, and a family friend. They’ve done search after search after search and have not turned up anything. In the beginning, the parents were not considered suspects. Now – lie detector issues, issues with the parents and their stories changing and inconsistencies has led the Sheriff to say, Yes, they are now suspects. We’ll be back with Sheriff Bowerman in just a moment. You’re listening to the True Crime Radio on the I Heart Radio network.

07:03
TG: And we are back my True Crime Angels with True Crime Radio on the I Heart Radio network. I am so grateful that Lemhi County Sheriff Lynn Bowerman has come back to True Crime Radio to talk about the case of missing Deorr Kunz. It’s a very, very tragic case. It’s one of the hottest on Websleuths that we have right now. This cute little toddler went missing July 2015 on a camping trip and at first the parents and the two other people with the parents were not considered suspects, but a lot has happened since then. Lie detector issues, inconsistent statements, all kinds of things – things that the Sheriff is going to talk about and there are some things that the Sheriff cannot talk about.

07:51
TG: Also with us right now is Bessie. She is our Administrator extraordinaire, and Bessie, I’m going to turn it over to you for a little bit. I know you have a few questions for the Sheriff, so please feel free and go ahead

Bessie: Okay, Hi, Sheriff Bowerman, and thanks so much for coming back to talk with us. One of the questions – the timeline – you know, I’m sure you realize is important. Everybody is really curious, and you mentioned that 3-hour window. When would that have started and ended? Would that be from time they supposedly returned from the store to when they first responders showed up or…? Can you clarify that please?

08:33
SB: Sure. You know basically we’ve tried to narrow the timeline down from the time they actually realized he was missing or when they claim that he was missing and they didn’t find him, and from that time period of when they searched and then when they called 911. We’ve been trying to narrow that timeline down.

08:57
Bessie: Okay. So you think, you think perhaps then from the time that they say they saw or realized Deorr was missing and they searched and they actually called 911 that there’s been a 3-hour period in there?

09:10
SB: No, not exactly, but from the time that they’re saying he disappeared and until my office and Search & Rescue showed up, we have a 3-hour window, so there’s a lot of time in between to have something happen and when he possibly disappeared.

09:29
Bessie: I see. So…so, yeah! So theoretically something could have happened after they made the 911 call.

09:39
SB: Possibly, but I…I think it’s more likely that anything that occurred happened prior to the 911 and then the decision was made to call and to report Deorr missing.

09:54
Bessie: I see. Well, that…and then that would take us back to… This is a big question everyone here has. The trip to the store and the time-stamped receipt that we’ve heard exists, um, was that – was that a receipt that, and I don’t know if you can answer but, did the parents give that receipt or yeah, was your department able to…to get that receipt from the store independently of the parents?

10:26
SB: Well, I’m sure we got a copy from the store, but we went back and clarified from the store that that was a receipt from their store and for those particular items, and I think we were able to tell that most of those items were purchased. Um…I don’t think there was any question there, but then we also asked the clerk, did you see a child? Initially she didn’t even remember the parents, but when Vernal, the father, went back in there and quizzed her, she said, Oh, I remember you, but when he quizzed her about, do you remember seeing my son, she said, uh… I remember a child possibly, but I couldn’t tell if it was a male or a female.

11:10
Bessie: Right, I remember you telling us the last time. One of the other questions that comes up a lot is about the dog searches and the cadaver dogs, and we know that they were thrown off by the cremains in the reservoir, but before or after that did the…did either the scent dogs or the cadaver dogs alert or show any, you know, find anything that was relevant?

11:43
SB: You know, we had a couple alerts you know that were just kind of, we consider nothing major, but um a dog reacts unusual in a certain area and so we put more dogs in there and none of the other dogs alerted so, um…you know. Actually, it’s been not real positive from having those dogs in there. We didn’t have anything that really led us to a certain place within our 3 mile radius.

12:15
Bessie: Um…okay. Let’s see. I’ve got so many questions in front of me and I’m trying to, you know, kind of hit in on the ones that come up a lot.

12:27
TG: And Bessie, go ahead. Keep going. That’s fine, because you’re doing a lot… a much better job than I am and I’ll take all the credit, okay, so you just go ahead! You’re doing great!


12:36
Bessie: (laughs) Great! Uh, well, the dogs -- absolutely that was one of the big questions and of course the timeline, and that store receipt. Also, some people have asked…you know we heard that there was uh… some overalls and maybe an ax or a shovel that were seized. Um…I don’t know that that’s a fact but that’s come up. Is there anything you can comment on about that?

13:06
SB: Well, yes. There was a shovel at the scene. Somebody brought it out, I believe from the camp trailer, and um…you know a one point we were told there was a human hair on that but when it was brought out and displayed, it blew away in the wind so…you know. We had several people that say they thought they saw a human hair but we haven’t been able to collaborate that

13:33
Bessie: Okay. Um…

13:34
TG: Bessie, I have a question here and then, and then I’ll turn it back to you, okay?

13:39
TG: Sheriff Bowerman, when did you first suspect that the parents may be involved or that they weren’t being truthful? Did you kind of suspect it all along or did you feel that, you know, they were okay until all of the information came out about the polygraph?

13:54
SB: You know they’ve been very cooperative. They’ve been very willing to talk to me and to my office and to my detectives down in Bonneville County so…not until the first polygraph came out and there was some indication that they were being less than truthful. At that time I was somewhat suspicious but I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, so you know…just more recently once the FBI concluded theirs and said beyond any doubt they have knowledge and they are being less than truthful.

14:31
TG: That is just so frustrating and just so maddening, and I can’t imagine how it…how you and your deputies deal with this situation. Like I said, it’s so frustrating.

14:44
SB: We know little Deorr is the victim here, and we want to find him. That’s the most important thing, and if it’s an accident, we can live with that, and we can deal with that, but we need to have someone to step up, be truthful, and tell us what happened.

15:01
TG: Bessie, did you have any other questions? I can continue if you’d like or if you have some, please feel free.

15:07
Bessie: Um, I’ll turn it back to you for awhile, Tricia, and I’ll jump in if I think of anything else.

15:13
TG: That would be great.

15:17
TG: Do you feel, one of the private detectives, I believe it was Frank , he said that he felt that they were using, the parents, Deorr’s parents, were using this for their own personal gain? Do you believe that perhaps they were using this to collect money? Do you think there’s something nefarious that way going on?

15:38
SB: You know I honestly don’t have an opinion one way or another on that aspect um, you know because they have been very cooperative and very willing to talk to us, but I know they are doing fundraisers, and the public has been calling me and saying, Sheriff, we want to help. Do we donate money? Do we donate resources and that’s been a real struggle for me, and so that’s why I decided to go public because I want them to know the facts—the facts as we see them, that they are
being less than truthful, and then let them make an educated decision on whether they want to help at that point.

16:15
TG: Sheriff Bowerman, that is wonderful that you took into consideration the people that wanted to donate money because it’s true, people’s hearts are very big and they open up their wallets, especially when it comes to a child.

16:29
TG: If somebody wanted to donate, is there a fund perhaps that they could donate to your office perhaps set up for your Search & Rescue dogs or something like that?

16:37:
SB: You know I don’t take any donations. My Salmon Search & Rescue is a complete volunteer organization and they do accept donations. However, I try not to be a part of that. There’s a lot of wonderful organizations out there. If we don’t solve this one, don’t stop donating! These groups and individuals that have these canine dogs, cadaver dogs and search dogs—they’re fabulous! They’re unimaginable! Please donate to them and maybe we’ll find some other young child or another person that’s lost. I’m hoping still that we find Deorr but that’s about the best I can do.

17:24
TG: One of our questions has to do with when was Deorr last seen by Isaac. Isaac was one of the friends at the campground. Is there any way to determine when Isaac last saw Deorr?

17:34
SB: Well, you know he’s probably been the most consistent of all the witnesses on his interviews that have been more consistent than anybody else. Then he claims that they came back shortly around 1:00 or shortly thereafter and that was the last time that he saw him.

17:55
TG: Okay. So Isaac has been more forthcoming than anybody.

18:00
TG: What about the great grandfather, Deorr’s great grandfather?


18:04
SB: You know he seems like a really nice gentleman. He’s got some health issues and some memory issues so…to say to the best of his ability has he always been real clear with us? No. Um...I think he struggles, um…but I can’t say that he’s being deceitful. I just think he struggles with his memory.

18:30
TG: And when the parents went camping and, let’s see, the great grandfather and the friend. Did they have the appropriate camping gear to stay for those several days, do you think? Does that all pan out?

18:41
SB: You know one was in a camp trailer, one was in a tent, and the family was in the back of a motor vehicle, so…You know I’ve seen people camp like that, so that didn’t distress me. Food – they had food. They tried to buy other food, and then they went to the store the next morning, so yeah, I think …I don’t see any problem with that.

19:09
TG: Do you think the 911 calls will be made public soon? Can a citizen request copies of them now?

19:19
SB: I believe one has already been released and that was in the early stages of just him being missing, but now that we’ve determined that there’s possible foul play, I’ve asked my Dispatch Commander not to release any more copies of that but there are copies out there because I think it could be…it could be evidence.

19:41
TG: Exactly! One of our members said, “I noticed in your first comment this week, regarding the parents, you originally said they had been deceptive and then you changed that to less than truthful. Can you explain the reason for that change in wording?” Now, there could be absolutely no reason but that’s our Websleuths members, they get right down to the nitty gritty and really want the littlest details.

20:07
SB: Absolutely. I didn’t want them to think their whole polygraph was deceptive. It wasn’t. They passed portions of it, but the portions on whether they knew where Deorr was or knew what happened to him, they were not being…they were being less than truthful . So that’s why I changed it. I didn’t want them to think…normally you think when someone is deceptive everything they told you is a lie but that’s not the case.

19:30
TG: Okay, and from one of our members comes this. Was the dirty diaper ever found and proven to be from Deorr and was their blood in the diaper?

20:42
SB: You know I’m not aware of any diaper found outside of the camp, and I don’t recall any blood ever being observed on a diaper.

20:54
TG: And how about the toilet, the pit at the campsite. Was that ever fully drained and examined that you know of?

21:00
SB: Yes, there were actually two restrooms at the reservoir, one down where they were camped and one at the upper. We had them come in and pump both of them within a couple days of his disappearance.

21:15
TG: Okay. We’re going to be coming back here in just a little bit. We are talking with Sheriff Lynn Bowerman. We’re talking about the Deorr Kunz case--Deorr Kunz, Jr. missing since July of 2015 from a camping site. The parents at first not suspects. Now they are. Inconclusive or non-truthful answers to certain questions on their polygraph test. That has led to the change in the description of the parents, and Sheriff Bowerman, you have been fantastic. We have a few more questions left for you, and we’re going to be coming back right after this. From the I Heart Radio Network, it’s True Crime Radio. Back with Sheriff Bowerman right after this.

20:05
TG: Yes, indeed we are back, and we are learning a lot tonight from Sheriff Lynn Bowerman about the Deorr Kunz, Jr. missing case. Missing toddler since July of 2015. Parents went camping, took along the great grandfather and a friend, and now the parents are considered suspects in the disappearance of Deorr Kunz, Jr. He has not been found. Not anything of his has been found. No trace. He didn’t get taken by an animal. He didn’t drown. He vanished, and because of polygraph tests given to the parents and some of their answers where they were not truthful they have since been called suspects by the Sheriff.

22:52
TG: Now with us, in addition to Sheriff Bowerman, is Bessie our wonderful administrator on Websleuths. Bessie, you have some questions for the Sheriff so go ahead.

23:00
Bessie: I’d like to go back to the friend, Isaac Reinwand, and, if you can just tell us, you said that he said about 1:00 p.m. was the last time he saw them and that would include Deorr—little Deorr? Has he said that he saw Deorr alive and well about 1:00 p.m.?

23:24
SB: The mother said that they got back at 1:10 p.m. Isaac doesn’t dispute that. He’s not watching a clock or a watch or anything of that sort, but he concurs that it was around that time period. They got back shortly after 1:00 p.m. The parents decide to go down to the creek to go fishing. Deorr remains behind. He’s not real privy to what the conversation was between grandpa and the parents, but he knows that just the three of them go down to the creek—Mom, Dad & Isaac.

24:03
Bessie: …and Isaac. So we know at least as of around 1:00 p.m., 1:10 p.m. or somewhere in there…1:30 – 1:10 1:30, little Deorr was alive and well.

24:15
SB: Exactly.

24:17
Bessie: Okay. That’s really important (laughs) because that’s a big question. Some people you know have wondered if he was actually even at the campsite at any time.

24:29
SB: Sure…

24:30
Bessie: Um…and also, some people wondered because Isaac Reinwand in his interview with Nate Eaton said that he couldn’t answer any questions—that he was told not to answer any questions, and you know then Mr. Klein kind of disputed that so we have a question here, you know, Did you advise or instruct Isaac Reinwand not to talk to the media?

24:59
SB: No, in fact, you know from the get go, Isaac, you know it’s been included in our interviews and he chose at some point in time to contact an attorney, and I think that’s primarily due –he’s got a criminal record, and I think he’s had some issues in the past and so he felt like he’d been targeted in the past on other issues by law enforcement so I think he was trying to do the right thing and so he contacted an attorney.

25:30
Bessie: Well, that’s understandable. Let’s see – oh…about cell phones – was there anything unusual in their cell phone records? Was their texts or calls that afternoon during that 3-hour window?

25:57
SB: Sure. There were multiple calls, you know, and we’ve checked some of them out. Some of them were attempted and they didn’t go through. Some of them weren’t received. Some of them were made to them that didn’t go through. That’s kind of an area where the cell service is not consistent. We seized …we were actually given all cell phones and we gathered the data from those and have examined them extensively and still are.

26:29
Bessie: Okay.

26:32
TG: Bessie, I have a … yeah I have a question from one of our members and the question is:

26:37
TG: Did the four adults arrive at the same time at the camping ground on Thursday? How many cars were used and what cars? Do you have …do you know the make and model of these cars?

26:48
SB: I know one was a Suburban and one was a pickup. The Suburban was pulling a camping trailer that was driven by Grandpa, and Isaac rode with Grandpa. The pickup truck belongs to Vernal—Vernal Deorr, and his wife & child rode with him, and those were the two vehicles at the scene and one camping trailer.

27:15
TG: And the question continues. Did you get the impression that the great grandfather called the shots kind of with his friend and maybe the situation up there? Was he…do you feel like maybe he was kind of in control of the trip?

27:26
SB: Well, I think it was grandpa’s idea to take the trip, you know. He’d been in that country 25 years before and he liked to go camping and he liked to go fishing, so I think it was generally his idea. That’s what the impression is. Isaac has gone with him previously and so he was invited on the trip.

27:50
TG: And we do have this question, and I want you to be as truthful as possible, Sheriff, here. One of our members would love to know if you read our Deorr threads on Websleuths by chance.

28:04
SB: You know I…you know I read a few of them but I’ve chosen not to get involved in the social media because it’s a little frustrating you know and I don’t want it to lead me a different direction but we get some tips from social media, and we get some tips from these threads and other people are reading them I think better than I do so, you know I have to apologize, no. I…I want to keep my mind fresh and keep it concentrated on trying to find Deorr and not chasing a lot of rumors or things like that – that a lot of people you know…

28:47
TG: Sheriff Bowerman, please do not apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. You are obviously a very dedicated and humble man, and I, for one, I think I speak for everybody, we’re very grateful that you are on Deorr’s case. Deorr couldn’t ask for a better person to be on his side and looking for him. So you’re doing a fantastic job!

29:09
TG: Before we go to our last break, I have one more quick question. Are there a lot of interconnected roads and trails in that area thatare important to the investigation? Is that part of what’s making it difficult?

29:20
SB: Yeah, it’s a vast area. There’s just one way in and one way out, so, that helps and hurts, you know, I mean there’s a lot of timber up there and then there’s a lot of open country with sagebrush and lots of rocks so…

29:38
TG: Okay, Sheriff Bowerman, I apologize. We’re going to be back with our final segment with Sheriff Lynn Bowerman talking about Deorr Kunz, Jr. and his disappearance, along with Bessie, our Administrator. Oh, so much more right after this on I Heart Radio’s True Crime Network.

30:03
TG: Okay! That’s the drumbeat of our last break approaching. It’s True Crime Radio on the I Heart Radio Network. My name is Tricia Griffith. Joining us tonight is Sheriff Lynn Bowerman, and Sheriff Bowerman is searching for missing toddler Deorr Kunz, Jr. He went missing in July of last summer. Parents were with him at the campground along with his great grandfather and a friend, and everybody now in that circle is considered suspects, but mostly the parents, because apparently their polygraph tests came back, and they were not being truthful on crucial, crucial questions. Sheriff Bowerman, I’m going to turn it over to Bessie now. She has some great final questions for you, and then we’ll let you go and I’m sure you’ll breathe a sigh of relief. We’re almost done, I promise! Bessie, go ahead.

30:58
Bessie: Well, Sheriff, we’d just like to know, are there plans for any further searches?

31:03
SB: You know absolutely. Right now the National Association for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) have expressed an interest in coming back up with dogs so we’re entertaining that. Recently we were in on snowmobiles. There’s 4-6 feet of snow in there so right now, of course, that’s not possible. Basically, we’re just asking anybody that has firsthand knowledge of conversations that they either overheard or observed—some sort of dialogue between the parents and the infant that seemed unusual, please contact us with the information.

31:41
Bessie: And as far as the investigation aside from searching– where do you go from here?

31:48
SB: Well, we’re going to sift through some of our tips and maybe go over some of those again and make sure we didn’t miss anything. We’re still getting tips of sightings and of course that slows us down. We have to take those seriously and rule them out. Basically, we have some uh…some more evidence turned over to the FBI. We’re waiting for a report on that—some behavioral information so we just have to painstakingly go through everything and hope we can pick up on something and not miss something.

32:28
Bessie: One more real quick question,and it takes us back to Private Investigator Vilt. He said that uh… Vernal—the parents did not want him to offer the reward and said the reason offered and their reason is that you had advised against it. Is there any truth in that?

32:54
SB: That’s not true.

32:54
Bessie: Okay. Thank you.

32:56
TG: Boy that speaks volumes right there. What parent would not want national publicity for their child, and what parent would lie and say the police told us not to do that? That is not looking good. That is pretty, pretty bad. Sheriff Lynn Bowerman, as we spoke off the air, I’m going to say it publicly. I think you are an incredible man. Like I said, you are very humble. You are very honest. You are doing the right thing by Deorr Kunz. You are working for him–looking for him, and he is a very lucky little guy to have you on his side. Thank you from everybody at Websleuths, and Bessie, you agree, right?

33:39
Bessie: Absolutely, thank you so much, Sheriff Bowerman. Good luck to you.

33:45
SB: You’re very welcome. Thank you for having me.

33:46
TG: Thank you, Sheriff, you take care now.

33:49
SB: You, too.

33:49
TG: Bye bye.

33:50
TG: Bessie, isn’t he a great guy? I mean what a wonderful law enforcement gentleman. He’s a gentleman. He really is fantastic.

34:00
Bessie: He is a gentleman and very honest, and his candor was wonderful. I do sincerely feel, you know, that he is very dedicated, and probably, like I said, Deorr’s best friend right now.

34:14
TG: Absolutely! And he was very careful, even after he said the parents were not truthful on some questions on their polygraph test, he didn’t want to trash them. He didn’t want to say, Yes, they’re suspects and you know, we’re going to go after them. He said, I want to make it clear not every single question did they fail. He was still trying to kind of point out the good that the parents did and to me that’s fair, and I know that may make people angry, but that’s very, very fair.

34:42
TG: In case you’re just joining us, we just finished up a great interview with Sheriff Lynn Bowerman from the Deorr Kunz case—Deorr Kunz, Jr. He went missing I believe it was July 10, 2015 at a campground. He was there with his parents, his great grandfather and a friend of his great grandfathers, and when I say he went missing, he disappeared. He vanished. There is not a molecule of this child to be found. At first the parents, they were said to be cooperating. Everything was good. Everything was moving along and then their stories started to change it seems. They weren’t as truthful. We found out tonight that a private investigation had offered to put up a $20,000 reward—to have that put out nationally and Deorr’s parents said to that private investigator, No, No, No the police told us not to. Well tonight we heard from Sheriff Bowerman that he never told Deorr’s parents not to put that up. Who would do that? $20,000? Hell, yeah! You go nationwide. You go worldwide with that. That’s just obscene and ridiculous, and that, to me, I’m sorry. That just…that just makes me crazy.

35:58
TG: But, Bessie, I want to talk a little bit about social media and the part of Websleuths. Sheriff Bowerman said he really didn’t look at the threads, other people in his office did, however, but he didn’t because he didn’t want to go off on different directions. I firmly believe 100% that’s going to be changing and I believe it will be changing this year because Websleuths is involved in a new docuseries and that’s about all I can say, but I do believe this docuseries will change the way law enforcement deals with social media, and I am grateful and thankful that Websleuths can be a small part of that.

36:34
TG: Now, having said that, we have responsibility as owners or managers of websites or whatever not to let people run wild and say whatever they want. It’s really easy to say something horrible about a human being when you’re sitting behind a computer and the person is, you know, 7,000 miles away, but that person 7,000 miles away gets up in the morning having no idea that their lives are going to be turned upside down by people they don’t even know on the internet. That’s why Websleuths is very, very, very careful when it comes to accusing people of a crime. In the beginning most people on Websleuths wanted to accuse Deorr Jr’s parents of this crime. Because the Sheriff and law enforcement said they are not suspects, we did not allow that. We did not allow people to go there, and Bessie, tell us about that struggle. We have a few minutes left. If you can maybe tell us in about 90 seconds. How difficult is that?

37:33
Bessie: Well, we got a lot of flak for that. Personally, it’s really giving me headaches. I mean I see both sides, and I understand, you know, why people… members would be looking at the parents, and I understand their reasoning—the logic behind why they would consider them suspects, but then on the other side, what if they are wrong? Do we really want to do this, you know, we must…we have to err on the side of caution.

38:08
TG: Always.

38:08
Bessie: What if we’re wrong? What are we doing to these people if we’re wrong and it turns out they’re innocent parents? Do we really want to take that knife and twist it and turn it inside their backs if they’ve already suffered the loss of a child? I think that’s just horrible.

38:27
TG: It absolutely is.

38:27
Bessie: So I think he handled it very well and I would be… you know the way social media has grown and become more a part of…of these investigations and these cases, uh we have people inserting themselves and the public becoming involved in social media. I hope that we’ll look at it and continue to look at it in this new light and realize the danger and the responsibility that we have to innocent…especially innocent parents.

39:05
TG: Absolutely, Bessie, and that’s the key word there—responsibility. Remember, you own your words. Now there is a law, and I believe it is still current that protects web site owners from people who come on and say horrible and nasty things. I don’t care about that. To me, I would rather, like Bessie said, err on the side of caution. When you have a police force, a Sheriff saying these parents are not suspects, we’re not going to let you discuss it. However, there are exceptions to every single rule, and there could be a situation down the road where the Sheriff himself or herself is suspect in this case. I’m not talking about Deorr’s case, I’m talking about a fantasy case down the road, and then we might change it. We might allow a little bit of it, even though the Sheriff might be saying, No, No, they didn’t have anything to do with it. It all depends on the situation, but first and foremost, Websleuths needs to be responsible. We try our best. We don’t always do it, and sometimes we’re wrong, but I’ll tell you what. Try and go on another website where there aren’t any rules and see how quickly it dissolves into the name calling. In fact, if you go back and look at the old threads on Websleuths, go to Websleuths.com and search … I think they go back to 2003, even though the website started in 1997, I believe. You go back to those threads and I’m mortified. I mean there are thread titles like, you know, So and So is a Complete Idiot, talking about a member of Websleuths. It’s just shocking how far we’ve come, but we’ve had to come this far, and Bessie, there have been cases where people have been trying to discuss a parent or discuss somebody and they’ve turned out to be totally and completely innocent, and thank God we didn’t let them go there, right?

41:00
Bessie: Right! Absolutely! We saw that with Noah Chamberlin the past few weeks, and there was a time there, you know, when they weren’t finding the poor little baby and…you know…people were getting kind of tired and aggravated and frustrated because there was no progress, and we started to see a shift in the attitude. You know, you can see it in the post. You see the shift. Then one person kind of suggests it. Then it starts to pick up, and then it grows, and if you let it go, before you know, we would have had another full blown lynch mob. Let’s go hang those parents. Of course, we know now, that would have been wrong. So again, it’s important to err on the side of caution and be responsible and a commitment to do no harm. And that’s what I always say on Websleuths. People will make posts like, Well, you know WS can be liable blah blah blah and I always emphasize more than that there’s a commitment to do no harm to the innocent.

42:09
TG: Exactly, and we don’t always do that, Bessie, we don’t, but we do our best. Certainly we never do it on purpose. We never purposefully set out to say something mean and nasty, right?

42:21
Bessie: Definitely not. Absolutely not. It’s, you know, it’s a matter of reasoning. You have to make a judgment call here and there and I think we do a pretty damn good job of it.

42:30
TG: Our members are wonderful. I can’t say enough about them. They’re great people, but occasionally we do get the, you know, kind of out of sort member that we’ve been discussing that wants to trash somebody, and finally, I just want to leave you with this. Imagine one day you get up and you log onto Websleuths, and there’s a picture of your house, there is, oh, your divorce papers, there is your tax return, perhaps a bankruptcy. It’s all right there for everybody to see. Why? Because your neighbor two doors down turned out to be a serial killer and somebody decided to look at everybody in the neighborhood and see just how creepy everybody is because this person thought, Hey, this guy didn’t act alone. I bet all his neighbors were in on it, because this guy forgot to take his medicine and decided to go crazy. It would be awful. You’ve got to put yourself in the position of the person you are going to post about. You have got to put yourself there to understand how powerful your words truly are and nobody thinks of it. Nobody gives a second thought when they go on Facebook or say something rude and of course you can let go, it’s freedom of speech, blah, blah, blah, but, remember, your words have power. They can hurt people. We’ll be back next week with True Crime Radio. Bye Bye.

http://www.truecrimeradio.com/radio-archives/sheriff-lynn-bowerman-radio-archive-jan-2016/

Klein Investigations and Consulting Question & Answer Session with Bella's Friends: Unidentified and Missing Children FB
02 /02 / 2016


LJ If they suspect one or both parents, why hasn't there yet been an arrest?
Klein Investigations and Consulting LE will charge when they are ready. This is a complex legal situation - I do anticipate charges. I do not know when.


SK - My question is what shoe size is DeOrr and what size were his boots? I've never seen it asked or answered
Klein Investigations and Consulting The boots were three sizes larger than his foot.


KSE - Mr. Klein, when you stated the 17 minute window of the parents being gone to the creek has expanded to more like 4 hours, what exactly do you mean? Was he left with his grandfather for more like 4 hours or do you mean he was missing for 4 hours before the 911 call?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Very good question. We answered that in one of the many interviews - and I will got over it again. When we first started this case we thought we had the timeline down pretty tight - however - now we have four more witnesses that open the timeline to an extended period. That timeline is now 8 a.m. to 2:26 pm.


KSE - Is there any physical evidence to prove he's no longer here or is that assumed the only possibility due to ruling out animal attack and forced abduction?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Yes. We cannot release that at this time. Due to prosecution issues.


KB - Mr.Klein,,, have any other witnesses come foward? How many witnesses gave you information that was useful?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Yes. A total of 9 with very firm information.


KB - Is there any chance that anyone else besides the 4 at the campsite could be involved?
Klein Investigations and Consulting No not that we can see at this time.


SVDB - Was the parents being named as suspects a result of the private investigators findings? It seemed they were not suspects until the PI made a statement regarding his investigation into the case. Also, were they (Klein Investigations) aware of the letter the first PI wrote explaining the parents were not cooperating and not being truthful w/ him at the time of their investigation?
Klein Investigations and Consulting We were not aware of Mr. Vilt's letter. We see that as a side show - we are focused on Deorr and finding him.


AA: What vehicles were at the campsite when law enforcement arrived on July 10th. Were any of the vehicles diesel? Was diesel fuel purchased?
Klein Investigations and Consulting This goes to evidence - and we will not comment. We will say yes on the diesel fuel purchase.


AA: Was this case treated at all like a possible crime scene on the day of the alleged disapperance? If no, do you think this case would have benefited greatly had it been? Do you feel any important evidence could have been destroyed purposefully or by accident in the first few days?
Klein Investigations and Consulting No. I cannot and will not comment on the LE decisions that day. Hindsight in all of our lives would make things better. LE has done a great job in the team's opinion - I concure.


CB: It's been heard that Isaac has intellectual disabilities. His LDT came back inconclusive. What are the specific questions that were asked? Does Isaac get a 'get out of jail' free card? Is there strong evidence that makes Isaac innocent?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Isaac in our teams opinion is a person of interest with "direct knowledge".


ES: Did he pass the two questions the parents failed, know what happened and where he is, or was did that come back as inconclusive due to his disabilities? Is that the same for the grandpa?
Klein Investigations and Consulting ES he did not pass.


DN: Expanding on this question - did Isaac pass the control questions on the polygraph?
Klein Investigations and Consulting DN he did not.

DN: Sheriff Bowerman's reason for naming them as suspects seems to hinge entirely on the inconclusive polygraph results. Has Klein performed an independent polygraph or would he consider doing so?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Let's be clear - there has been 9 polygraph tests given to the parents, and four to the other two on the camp grounds. There has NEVER been any contradiction in this. As well, the parents have given over 11 statements to LE, FBI and our firm. Any other polygraph tests at this point would be a waste of time.


AA: When it's said that Vernal DeOrr Kunz went up above the campsite on a road to make his 911 call, is it the road to the south of the campsite clearly seen on maps or did he go above on the north side on a smaller road not seen well from maps?
Klein Investigations and Consulting I will only say that LE and now our firm has reviewed the "pings" and transmissions of the cell phones. We again come to the same conclusion. I cannot give details.

AG: Why does it seem like isaac is getting a free pass
Klein Investigations and Consulting AG he is not.


DN: 1. The store clerk DID see a child with Jessica and Deorr on July 10th and 2. There were 'a couple' of hits at the campground by the search dogs. Can Klein confirm these two things that Bowerman contradicted his earlier statements about?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Sheriff Bowerman in our opinion has been very clear in his statements. Please listen to them again and you will understand that this case is in progress. Things change by the hour right now.
Klein Investigations and Consulting DN There were no hits by the dogs. We will not comment on witness statements as they are now part of the prosectuional issues.
Klein Investigations and Consulting ES We cannot commment on this.


DG Did any, or all, of the adults go to the Silver Dollar Restaurant and Bar in Leadore on Thursday, July 9th?
Klein Investigations and Consulting As this is in the timeline - and outside any prosecutional questions - the answer is yes.
DG Was Deorr with them?
No answer from Klein.


BOS: Who made the 3rd phone call to 911. Was there a disposable phone in the hands of anyone while camping?
Klein Investigations and Consulting There were three calls made to 911. First, Vernal. Second, Jessica. Third, the grandfather.


LH: So the pictures of the 2 boys thay everyone says is 1 deorr and the other is not him. Thay boy in California I believe. .was dna done to prove he wasn't deorr and if not why not
Klein Investigations and Consulting We have asked and answered this over 10 times. Cali LE did their jobs. It is not Deorr.


MMW: Was it considered that they could have burned baby DeOorr?
Klein Investigations and Consulting No comment


RJ: They said they had his blanket, sippy cup and monkey in the car. But if his blanket was at the campsite, why didn't LE seize it as evidence?
Klein Investigations and Consulting We cannot comment on evidence that has been obtained.

DN - Sheriff Bowerman's reason for naming them as suspects seems to hinge entirely on the inconclusive polygraph results. Has Klein performed an independent polygraph or would he consider doing so?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Let's be clear - there has been 9 polygraph tests given to the parents, and four to the other two on the camp grounds. There has NEVER been any contradiction in this. As well, the parents have given over 11 statements to LE, FBI and our firm. Any other polygraph tests at this point would be a waste of time.


RJ: Mr Klein, in you opinion have the parents lied to law enforcement and/ or to your team?
Klein Investigations and Consulting: R - you just asked the 1 million dollar question. No comment at this time.


JLC - I just really want to know how long was his parents gone for when they went for a walk and also did they just wonder of without even asking grandfather to look after baby Deorr
Klein Investigations and Consulting Your question is under false pretence. The senario you lay out is myth.


JVR - Did Isaac confirm that he did see DeOrr alive at the camp site at any time and specifically after the trip to the store?
Klein Investigations and Consulting This goes to direct testimony. The only comment we will make at this point is that : "It depends on which statement you want to believe that came from Isaac."


DG - Did Jessica's mom arrive at the campground before Search & Rescue and/or Law Enforcement?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Mrs. C is not a suspect in this matter. Her arrival is in "other evidence" that is being placed into the timeline. Thus - we cannot comment.


PGB - Mr Klein, you have stated that you have new physical evidence yet sheriff Bowerman said there is no physical evidence. Can you elaborate on this? Or was the evidence you referred to the polygraph information?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Again - from the time of that statement to the flux of the case daily - we have turned over items to the FBI and it is being looked at in Q Virginia. We will not comment on what that is.


CB - Why hasn't there been an Official Press Conference by LE?
Klein Investigations and Consulting There will be in due time. Everyone is working very hard right now on this case. Give them some room and let them do their jobs. As with us.


KG - Is there any chance at all this little one might be alive?
Klein Investigations and Consulting No - not in our opinion.


MFG - Why weren't the parents suspects from day 1? Not that Klein Investigations had anything to do with it at that point, but do you know why law enforcement ruled them out?
Klein Investigations and Consulting We cannot answer that. We have only had the case since November 28, 2015. We are not prevy to that information and we consider it a side show. We have only one focus.


AK - Mr.Klein, if I remember correctly, there was something mentioned about someone dumping ashes in the area of the search, during the search. Were those ashes ever tested? Is there any possibility this is somehow linked?
Klein Investigations and Consulting We have found the link to the ashes. It is of no relationship to this case.


SS - Can you clear up the Disneyland rumor? Did Jessica and Deorr Sr. go to Disneyland shortly after little Deorr's disappearance?
Klein Investigations and Consulting We have no knowledge of this. Again - this is a side show and we don't have time for rumors.


NIDT - Did investigators find anything of Deorr's at the campground? ( A bag packed with clothes, toys, etc. stuff you would pack for a two year old going on a camping trip.) Why won't Issac say what Deorr was doing when he last saw him? ( playing, sleeping, eating) I don't see how that has anything to do with the timeline. I just want to know what he was doing?
Klein Investigations and Consulting We cannot comment on evidence that has been obtained.


KFP - DK Sr. mistakenly referred to Snake River a couple of times and I'm wondering if that would be considered leakage. I'm wondering if there's any chance they were at another location when the incident occurred and they may have buried the body in another location or put it in the Snake River.
Klein Investigations and Consulting Mr. Kunz (the grandfather) is not involved in any portion of this case. He has been very helpful with information to our team as well as LE. He is a distraught grandfather and I hope the public has some type of feeling for that. To answer the "Snake River" question - we have no evidence to indicate this. Again - a rumor.


PC: I have read all the questions I don't see this one if its been asked I apologize I would like to know if on the lie director test if they were asked if little deorr is alive? Its a hard questions to ask but important I feel.
Klein Investigations and Consulting We will leave that to the FBI and LE to announce


KFP - Why isn't there more emphasis being put on Great Grandpa? Was he really supposed to be watching little Deorr? Or is this entire bizarre story a complete sham they have concocted to make an abduction/wild animal theory sound plausible? Everything about their behavior screams guilty to me.
Klein Investigations and Consulting K - we feel your pain. In due time the story will come out. Today we cannot comment on this. As well - to all - we have ruled out abduction and wild animal beyond a doubt.


NR: Is there anything reason to believe PI Vilt's adoption theory?
Klein Investigations and Consulting In our opinion - none


CW - Thank you Bella's Friends: Unidentified and Missing Children for doing this. It does seem there are some "questions" on here by an individual that are not so much as a question, but an agenda. That is JMO
Klein Investigations and Consulting Bella's Friends: Unidentified and Missing Children CW - you bring up a great point. There are some which have created web sites, some that have created web pages, and some that simply talk to here themselves talk. We call these folks "hangers" that seemingly thing they know what they know based upon what they think. Let's be clear - there are now five groups that know the true story : LE, FBI, USDOJ Prosecutors, County Prosecutors (2 counties) and our firm. Anything other - is simple rumor. I have promised before and I know in our meetings with LE - when the time comes you all will hear the story. Right now we are all working.


AO - Can you explain how poligraphs work and the possibilities for incosistancies? Can we expect the forensic evidence aquired recently and sent off to take as long as the inital items sent?
Klein Investigations and Consulting I am not a poly guy - but the basis is simple. The machine creates a graph based upon sweat, blood pressure, and heart rate. There are control questions asked in the middle of all questioning - they rate the basis on a 1-99.9 scale. As stated in a question above - the number of polygraphs in this case is huge. Second part, you will hear nothing about the results until the FBI and LE want you to know. We will not comment as well.


DG: Do you think something happened to DeOrr before or after the time stamp on the store receipt?
Klein Investigations and Consulting This goes to timeline. I can say publicly that we have expanded the timeline down to 8 a.m. and between that hour and 2:26 p.m.


PM - Is it true that Jessicas mom disposed of a soiled diaper at the camp ground and was it ever found?
Klein Investigations and Consulting This is part of the timeline. We cannot comment.


NR: Sorry if this has been asked. When was the last time someone OTHER than Reinwand, Walton, Mitchell and Kunz saw DeOrr?
RJ: Yeah, and not vague "well, there might have been a child in store" sightings... When was the last time someone definitely saw him in Idaho Falls? The extended family have never said when they last saw him. And did he seem healthy and happy the last time he was seen?
Klein Investigations and Consulting There are none.


MHV- Why is Sheriff Bowerman saying there is no physical evidence while KIC is stating there is? Why such major discrepancies if they are all working so closely together?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Marie - as we have stated - this case is moving very fast. You need to go back and read again what the Sheriff said. What is said today is changing tomorrow as now witnesses continue to come foward and evidence is being processed.


NR - Is there anything reason to believe PI Vilt's adoption theory?
Klein Investigations and Consulting In our opinion - none.


DG - Do you think something happened to DeOrr before or after the time stamp on the store receipt?
Klein Investigations and Consulting This goes to timeline. I can say publicly that we have expanded the timeline down to 8 a.m. and between that hour and 2:26 p.


AA: Have they checked Jessica and Deorr's home? Or interviewed their other children?
Klein Investigations and Consulting No comment.


AA - Had they taken pictures or video with their cellphones up at the campground before the disappearance? or made calls to anybody?
Klein Investigations and Consulting No comment.


AA - The first private investigator had offered up a 20,000 reward i believe i heard, but the parents didn't want it. if they aren't guilty of anything, what could be their possible reasons for not wanting a reward at that time?
Klein Investigations and Consulting I cannot comment. Conjecture


DM: Has one of the 4 that were at the campsite come forward to what happened?
Klein Investigations and Consulting No comment.


GS: I don't think I've ever seen this question but to me, it is a huge red flag: Doesn't it seem odd that little Deorr's father states something like he hauled down the road in his truck to get a cell signal? It seems to me that, if a small child was thought to be wandering around, he would be afraid of driving too fast and running the child over.
DM I agree. So what was he really hauling down the road for?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Again - that is one statement made. There are 8 others as well. It depends on what statement you want to believe.


RHF - When and where was this picture taken? Has it been established beyond doubt that DeOrr was physically alive and well at timber creek on the morning of July 10th? What exactly was baby DeOrr doing when IR reports that he saw him at 1:00pm on July 10th? We have heard everything from getting ready for a nap, playing near the campsite with his hot wheel car, and sitting in a chair near the fire eating a candybar. Also, is grandpa too infirm to give a witness statement regarding baby DeOrr's presence at the campsite on July 10th at 1:00pm?
Klein Investigations and Consulting Lot's questions Robin. No comment of the details. The grandfather did give 4 statements. Again - it depends on which statement you want to believe.

Klein Investigations and Consulting Question & Answer Session with Bella's Friends: Unidentified and Missing Children FB
02 /02 / 2016

This Q/A was omitted by mistakeThank you Purplepixii!)

Q: Is it true that Isaac did a factory reset on his cell phone before giving to LE?
C: Great question.
C: Even if he did factory reset his phone LE can go to the phone company and get his phone records
Klein Investigations and Consulting We cannot comment on this. It goes to the prosecution side of this case.

ADDING:

This Q/A Was Accidentally Omitted

February 2, 2016

Q & A Session w/ Klein Investigations & Consulting on Bella's Friends: Unidentified & Missing Children FB Page



Q: ES: "Were drugs involved?" I will ask Mr. Klein, in your investigation, do you feel like drugs were involved?


Klein Investigations and Consulting
Caroline Klein Gear
A: No.

Klein Investigations and Consulting
A: As I stated previously, there were no drugs involved to our knowledge.

February 29, 2016

TRANSCRIPT: Local News 8 –KIDK3 - Interview with private investigator Phillip Klein on DeOrr Kunz investigation

Reporter: All right, so Mr. Klein, I guess just first comes first, I guess what led you to coming out with this press release earlier today?

00:12
Klein:
Well, we just finished Phase 3 of the operation. First Phase was to begin this case by not talking to any law enforcement and beginning the case over from scratch. We built the case up not talking to anybody, just building the evidence up, building through interviews, building through timelines, building through direct evidence that we were able to ascertain.

The second stage of the investigation was to prove or disprove certain elements of the case such as did an animal come pick up the child, was there a third party stranger danger or something like that. We were able to advise the public that there was no stranger danger and there was no animal that came and got the child.

The third thing we did was we began to rebuild the incident itself, which we are now calling a crime. Basically, what we did was, we worked the timeline from the time and the statements what the parents gave us all the way through towards the end of that day when the 911 call was made. We are firmly in commitment at this case at this time that it was either an accidental cover-up or it was a direct homicide. We make that statement not loosely. We make it very firmly. We make it for two reasons: 1) the parents, as I’m sure the public is quite aware, has uh…has changed their stories in some cases up to 9 different stories they’ve given us by one parent, the other parent gave us 5 different stories, and we can announce to the public tonight that the family, both Vernal and Jessica, have been given extensive polygraph tests by the state of Idaho local polygraph examiner and accordingly an FBI examiner, and they have failed all of their polygraph tests. So, we are in the position tonight making the statement that it’s time to bring this case to a close. We are publicly asking both Vernal and Jessica to come forward and tell the true story, to stop lying, to stop misleading investigators, and let’s bring this to conclusion.

We are announcing after the finalization of Stage 3 we now move to Stage 4 of this investigation. We will, when the thaw begins…we will be bringing in specialized dogs up to a certain area of Leadore. We do not want to give that location out at this time but we will be bringing in specialized dogs from Georgia into a certain area of the lower part of the campground. That’s all we’re willing to say at this point, and we will begin a ground search – we will begin an extensive ground search. Our understanding is that local law enforcement officials up there will also be conducting a search. We will coordinate with them. They are the lead on this case at this point in time since it is now a criminal case, and we will either follow or we will move out of the way regarding the direction they give us at this point.

I believe after the statements of Sheriff Bowerman this past week where he, too, has said that the parents are lying and the parents will not tell the truth in this case, and that they…he believes those two people know where the child is. We concur with their investigation. We also concur with the FBI’s investigation. I think for the first time I’ve seen in a very long time, we’ve got public and private investigators all coming to the same conclusion based on the same evidence, and the evidence is very clear.

Reporter:
Okay!

04:15
Klein:
So that’s where we are tonight, and we’ve made our statement, and we want to be very clear to the public as well – we want to be very clear to the public that we believe that the family members around Deorr, uh Vernal, excuse me, the family members around Vernal and the family members around Jessica are not involved in this whatsoever. We believe that they are in a state of denial, which is normal in any tragic situation with this so we want to make sure the public understands that. We believe that the families that surround these two young people have nothing to do with this. We believe that they are in a state of denial at this point. We have shared most of the evidence that we have with the family members and, you know accordingly, they can make their own statements as they wish, but as we told all the family when we first became involved in this, we’re going to follow the evidence, and we believe we’ve done just that. We followed the evidence and the evidence leads us to where we are today.

05:22
Reporter:
Okay! All right! Well, I appreciate you very clearly stated that, so I appreciate that. I do want to make one quick clarification. Vernal Deorr Kunz is the father,

05:34
Klein:
Yes!

05:34
Reporter:
Jessica Mitchell is the mother, and then

05:37
Klein:
Yes!

05:38
Reporter
…and then the…Mr. Robert “Bob” Walton, what is his connection?

05:43
Klein:
He’s the grandfather.

Reporter:
Okay! All right. We just wanted to make sure.

05:46
Klein:
Now, we want to make it clear that Isaac Reinwand, the fourth person up on that mountain, has changed. He has given us a statement. We are vetting that statement now. It will take us a couple weeks to vet that statement completely out and what he has told us. We want to make it clear that Mr. Reinwand is now cooperating with the police and now cooperating with our team. We’ve had an opportunity to visit with him on multiple occasions, and he has now come forward.

06:16
Klein:
So we are very uh…we’d like to thank, publicly thank Mr. Reinwand for that. We understand his fear, and we want to make sure that the public understands that he has come forward at this point.

Reporter:
And Mr. Reinwand, he is the good friend of the grandfather, or what was his…?

06:34
Klein:
Yes! That is correct.

06:35
Reporter:
Okay!

06:36
Klein:
He was the 4th person up on the mountain that day.

06:39
Reporter:
Okay! Very good! All right, well, you answered all of my questions and then some. Is there anything else on this topic that you want to say or that you feel needs mentioning?

Klein:
Sure, I do! I want the citizens of Idaho and I want the citizens around the United States to know that KIC Texas is not leaving this case until we find this young child.
We believe we have a good area we know this child may be at but we’re going to be focusing on that area as soon as the thaw comes, probably within the next 30-45 days, and we will begin the actual ground operation at that point at information and at the direction of Lemhi County and also the FBI.

07:25
Reporter:
Okay! Very good! We just have one more question. A fellow reporter of mine who has worked on this case, her name is Chelsey, she’s just going to ask you briefly.

Chelsey:
Hey, how are you?

Klein:
Hi, Chelsey! I’m great how are you?

07:37
Chelsey:
I’m doing well! I was just wondering…so, you guys, you’ve been working with Lehmi County, right?

07:45
Klein:
We have been in direct communication with the FBI. We have been in direct communication with the FBI Forensics team. We’ve been in direct connection with Lemhi County, and we’ve also been in direct connection with….I believe, what’s the county where you all…?

08:04
Chelsey:
Bonneville.

08:05
Klein:
…Bonneville County. We’ve been in direct connection with Bonneville County, Lehhi County, the FBI, and the FBI Special Team that has been assigned to this. I believe for the first time that I’ve seen in a very long time, we’re all on the same page!

08:21
Chelsey:
Okay! So, I mean, did they know that you were going to release this statement, and do they know about the search?

08:28
Klein:
There have been plans for a search for awhile. I think at this point we are in the process of combining efforts. We’ll be flying dogs in from Georgia, and we’ll be flying another specialized team of investigators in from Georgia that specializes in Search and Recovery. We will be working at the direction and with the permission of Sheriff Bowerman of Lemhi County. We will not get in their way. If they wish us not to search, we will hold back until they’re done, but my guess is we will be all working together as a team. Like I said before, this is the first time I have ever seen a team of professional investigators on the county level, the federal level and on the PSB level working together. This should be a model case for missing persons, especially missing children around the United States. That’s why this case is moving so fast at this point.

Reporter:
Okay! All right, well, thank you Mr. Klein…

Klein:
Now there is one other thing I’d say. Neither one of you asked the question so I’ll just say it straight out. My belief is charges will be filed. I do not know when. I do not know what those charges will be, but I do know that there is extensive conversation at this point regarding what those charges will be. I believe it will be uh…I don’t have a timeline for you because they do not consult me regarding that. We’re the team that’s trying to find the child, but my belief is that charges will be filed, uh, probably in the near future I would think.

http://m.localnews8.com/news/interv...ip-klein-on-deorr-kunz-investigation/38264866

Q&A with Chelsea Brentzel KIFI KIDK news. https://www.facebook.com/ChelseaBrentzelNews/?fref=nf

HERE ARE THE RESPONSES FROM MR. KLEIN.

16. When was the last time someone other than these four had eyes on Little DeOrr?

ANSWER : Great question - we have one witness at 6 p.m. on the night before.

ALLEN BROWNING RESPONSES

16. Vernal says there were people who saw DeOrr Jr. in a store in Leadore with him the day he went missing. Those people do not recall seeing him.