Found Deceased CO - Gannon Stauch, 11, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, 27 Jan 2020 **ARREST** #34

[Rosiebones]

If he died in the truck in the parking lot she might not want to say a word As sick as she is, if she didn't expect him to die it would have been shocking. Security cameras might have picked up her reaction when she got back to the car. She only talks about Petco in this situation, she doesn't mention him at all. So you're right that this is a weird example. She also left Gannon in the truck and didn't take him in with her which may or may not be considered child endangerment based on the circumstance. Especially considering that she stated he was sick and she had brought a vomit bag along.


It might also be she's avoiding incriminating herself with any of it. But the main point is that she went BACK to the same Petco 2 hours later. I think she did this to alibi herself by being seen again and making a purchase. She wanted to be recognized but wants to play low key about it because she knows she was in a panicked state and doesn't quite remember what she did.

All MHO

When she went back to the same PetCo to alibi herself after two hours, how does this provide an alibi? To me, it just tells me at those two specific times we know where she was. We do not know if Gannon was with her on either visit.

 

[Chewy]

Yeah, it's like she just keeps explaining her 'motive.'

Resentment, bitterness, frustration and hate.

Imo

I also get the sense that she's justifying her killing Gannon by blaming the parents for putting her in the situation in the first place. As if it's "their fault" this all happened. Mom didn't want to take care of her son for 2 years, dumped him on me. Dad kept going away and not giving me a break. They weren't my responsibility and they were dumped on me so really all of this is the fault of the bad parents.

She's irrationally angry towards them in a time most people would be feeling sympathy or embarrassment. If I was innocent and two parents thought I killed their child I'd be mortified and devastated not vicious and accusatory.

MOO

 

[MsBetsy]

A hint to the possibility of TS giving consent (the recording wasn't always audible). In the event of CO being a two-party consent state.

I think someone posted that only one party needs to consent. Jmo

 

[NuttMegg]

When she went back to the same PetCo to alibi herself after two hours, how does this provide an alibi? To me, it just tells me at those two specific times we know where she was. We do not know if Gannon was with her on either visit.

If she was there 2 times, then it limits her driving distance to where she may have dumped him. Plus the other stores she went to would limit driving distance/time even more.

 

[SleuthBee]

... because LE had already confiscated her phone and had been using it to trace her whereabouts. If LE had relied only on the data they wouldn't have known about Petco...

Its comforting to know that LE confiscated her phone. Clone it, recover then give it back. TS is a tupid, tupid girl.

 

[Chewy]

When she went back to the same PetCo to alibi herself after two hours, how does this provide an alibi? To me, it just tells me at those two specific times we know where she was. We do not know if Gannon was with her on either visit.

I think it was just a sort of irrational logic at that point. What was I supposed to be doing before all this all happened? Kind of like she was thinking to "restart the day" by going through the motions. Also because she wanted to be recognized. Lots of places have security cameras these days but they aren't always turned on.

So I think it was a disjointed attempt at an alibi to cover up the timeline also to "look as normal as possible."

I think what's key is that she never explains why it was ok to leave Gannon in the car both times, Petco getting dog sweaters isn't a priority type trip when you have a kid with you that's so sick you brought a vomit bag along. Why did she even go to the store at all if the kid was so sick? Why didn't she stay home?

 

[SleuthBee]

Do we know from source other than LS whether she contacted the school to report him out sick that day?

@Uninformant You ask a very good question. In the Christ Watts case, the answer became powerful evidence used against him.

 

[NuttMegg]

I think it was just a sort of irrational logic at that point. What was I supposed to be doing before all this all happened? Kind of like she was thinking to "restart the day" by going through the motions. Also because she wanted to be recognized. Lots of places have security cameras these days but they aren't always turned on.

So I think it was a disjointed attempt at an alibi to cover up the timeline also to "look as normal as possible."

I think what's key is that she never explains why it was ok to leave Gannon in the car both times, Petco getting dog sweaters isn't a priority type trip when you have a kid with you that's so sick you brought a vomit bag along. Why did she even go to the store at all if the kid was so sick? Why didn't she stay home?

The interviewer claims she has followed the case so intensely that she hasn't slept since he went missing. You'd think she would have asked TS if Gannon was in the car during the Petco stop. I would, anyway. Just to see what she would say.

 

[Rosiebones]

If she was there 2 times, then it limits her driving distance to where she may have dumped him. Plus the other stores she went to would limit driving distance/time even more.

That just narrows the search area which is to TS's advantage. If she never went back the second time, LE would have a longer window in which they would have to detirmine search areas. Makes no sense to me, in that it actually hurts TS's alibi.

 

[zenzen]

I think so. I think any of us would do the same thing if we had to. I know I'd be going down a checklist and the first thing I'd realize is that I was going to jail for killing a child -- period the end. So I'd try to find a way to cover up the head injury. Make it look like an accident.

That's the first thing that would come into my mind, especially if I was already trying to find a way to explain it away to my husband.

I'd drive with him in the car somewhere near a quarry or a train track an fling his body down immediately to make the injury and time of death as close as possible. (This all if I was an evil human being.)

Then I'd go back to the Petco to make it look like everything was completely the same. And another reason I'd go back is to buy something but also just in case the security cameras weren't working I'd go back to the same store to be seen twice in the same day thereby increasing the chance that I was recognized.

She did key things that totally point to her being quick witted that day in trying to cover it up. One was that she said she "didn't know where any of his friends lived" which is kind of nonsense. Who just randomly lets an 11 year old walk off with no idea where he's going? IMO that was an attempt to alibi herself when they find his body near a friends house. She'll say "how could I have put it there when I don't know where any of his friends live?" And the second one was the planted google search of "Can my parents find me if my phone is turned off" which served two purposes, made him look like a runaway and also gave her the ability to ask the question for her own phone.

She obviously shows plenty of savvy on her attempts to cover it up. IMO she was doomed when they found the blood in the bedroom. She didn't have time to cover it up but she was doomed by that anyway. That's why I don't think this was planned. She would know better than to leave blood in a bedroom. She would have either put down a plastic sheeting or she would have killed him in a way that left no blood. Ex suffocation.

One thing if someone could answer. Did she say that she took him with her to the story in the first place? Or did she only admit to that when the security camera footage from the neighbor came out?

Also very telling is she never feels the need to explain why she didn't bring Gannon into the store with her.

tbh i do not see savvy in her at all ... this was a very calculated but inept attempt to cover up G's disappearance.... savvy would have had much more realistic alibis and statements as to the circumstances leading to his disappearance
rather than divert attention from herself she immediately became a POI IMO

her coverup was a total fail.
she was consistent only in her inconsistency, her inability to maintain a single storyline or muster any kind of tangible fear or grief (fake or real) put the spotlight directly on her.

smart is not disappearing a child in broad daylight from a home and street that has multiple security cameras.... if she had left G in bed and removed him from the house to a vehicle late at night, to then drive off with him concealed in the car the next day would have been a little more intelligent.

thankfully for LE and G's family Tee wasn't very adept at a cover up and she has been lucky he hasn't been found because of the amount of countryside she had available and the horrible weather that she was able to dump him in... i wish people wouldn't call her smart or savvy ... nothing she has done since murdering Gannon has reflected that at all.

 

[NuttMegg]

That just narrows the search area which is to TS's advantage. If she never went back the second time, LE would have a longer window in which they would have to detirmine search areas. Makes no sense to me, in that it actually hurts TS's alibi.

Well I was saying that it helps her alibi. Going to several stores where she would be recorded or the GPS would tell tales. Limiting her time to dump a body. OTOH, if she went to dump his body after she/they got back from shopping, and after she got the girls off on their shopping trip, she could have had an hour or 2 to drive drive drive.

 

[jillycat]

tbh i do not see savvy in her at all ... this was a very calculated but inept attempt to cover up G's disappearance.... savvy would have had much more realistic alibis and statements as to the circumstances leading to his disappearance
rather than divert attention from herself she immediately became a POI IMO

her coverup was a total fail.
she was consistent only in her inconsistency, her inability to maintain a single storyline or muster any kind of tangible fear or grief (fake or real) put the spotlight directly on her.

smart is not disappearing a child in broad daylight from a home and street that has multiple security cameras.... if she had left G in bed and removed him from the house to a vehicle late at night, to then drive off with him concealed in the car the next day would have been a little more intelligent.

thankfully for LE and G's family Tee wasn't very adept at a cover up and she has been lucky he hasn't been found because of the amount of countryside she had available and the horrible weather that she was able to dump him in... i wish people wouldn't call her smart or savvy ... nothing she has done since murdering Gannon has reflected that at all.

It’s a case of evil is clever but it’s unintelligent.

 

[MsBetsy]

I also get the sense that she's justifying her killing Gannon by blaming the parents for putting her in the situation in the first place. As if it's "their fault" this all happened. Mom didn't want to take care of her son for 2 years, dumped him on me. Dad kept going away and not giving me a break. They weren't my responsibility and they were dumped on me so really all if this is the fault of the bad parents.

She's irrationally angry towards them in a time most people would be feeling sympathy or embarrassment. If I was innocent and two parents thought I killed their child I'd be mortified and devastated not vicious and accusatory.

MOO

Yes, I'm sure it's justified in her mind. It's obviously on her mind a lot since she can't seem to stop talking about what a burden it was to take care of those kids and how Landen wouldn't or couldn't take care of them while also hinting that Landen had something to do with it.

Everything she says is self serving and meant to point a finger in other directions.

I hope one day a jury hears all this played in court.

Unless, of course, Tee breaks down and tells LE all she has done and confesses.

She did say that she was confident the person who did this will "give in" eventually.

Imo

 

[HundredAcreWood]

I think you hit the nail on the head - she was extremely resentful. She married this man and probably thought she was going to have a a good life with him and her daughter. It's none of our business how custody came to be for Gannon and Laina. It's clear, though, from all the shade she continued to throw at LH and passively at AS, TS was angry and resentful that she had to take care of the kids full time (especially with AS traveling so much for work). All of her interviews/media posts constantly trying to put her as the hero for taking care of these kids... and yet no emotion, no caring, no concern for Gannon (not even able to fake any).

Who knows if this was abuse taken to the extreme resulting in his death or premeditated murder. Bottom line, she's responsible. Still praying that LE will somehow be able to get her talking and giving up Gannon's location.

I agree. Regardless of past circumstances, LH put her children in the trusted care of someone else (at least for a time) and instead of LS looking at her situation as a compliment, and being a positive influence, she chose to consider it a burden. Completely self-absorbed and self-centered. I can't even begin to know how Gannon's parents feel.

 

[Chewy]

tbh i do not see savvy in her at all ... this was a very calculated but inept attempt to cover up G's disappearance.... savvy would have had much more realistic alibis and statements as to the circumstances leading to his disappearance
rather than divert attention from herself she immediately became a POI IMO

her coverup was a total fail.
she was consistent only in her inconsistency, her inability to maintain a single storyline or muster any kind of tangible fear or grief (fake or real) put the spotlight directly on her.

smart is not disappearing a child in broad daylight from a home and street that has multiple security cameras.... if she had left G in bed and removed him from the house to a vehicle late at night, to then drive off with him concealed in the car the next day would have been a little more intelligent.

thankfully for LE and G's family Tee wasn't very adept at a cover up and she has been lucky he hasn't been found because of the amount of countryside she had available and the horrible weather that she was able to dump him in... i wish people wouldn't call her smart or savvy ... nothing she has done since murdering Gannon has reflected that at all.

Exactly. Every point you make is why I keep saying I don't think it was a planned murder. I think that the first "cover up" was covering up how badly she injured Gannon the night before when she slammed him over the head in a rage.

That's why half her "cover up" attempts don't look like a smart cover up for a "murder" because they weren't a cover up for a "murder" they were a cover up for Child Abuse which if she was accused of would 100% end her teaching career and most likely her marriage to AS. And even worse give LH a superiority as a mother which is something she's very resentful about.

Example "Not taking her phone" is not a "cover up" to cover up where you went that day if you are also wearing an Apple Watch and driving around in a car with a GPS system in it and also going TWICE to a huge chain store that likely has a security camera.

But it is a cover up of why she didn't speak to AS that day if he called. She wouldn't have to explain why Gannon was home from school. She's avoiding talking to AS.

Also when people say savvy or smart I think it's not meant to give her credit. Obviously someone who kills a child isn't savvy or smart in a decent way, it's meant more as conniving and self preserving evil.

No normal person would beat a child to death and even if it was some horrible explosion of rage and mental instability they wouldn't try to cover it up by degrading a dead child even further. They'd break down.

All of this is evil. And her cover ups are desperate. That's why none of them work. She reminds me of so many criminals I've seen in the past who think by "explaining away evidence" they are establishing "reasonable doubt" which will get them off. So her reaction to finding a piece of wood in the woods with Gannons blood on it wasn't OMG someone killed him or "how is that possible?" it's coming up with an excuse "it must have flown out of the truck, he gets nosebleeds and also hurt his foot."

So that's what you mean I think about her not being smart at all. And there I agree with you.

MOO

 

[NCWatcher]

I also get the sense that she's justifying her killing Gannon by blaming the parents for putting her in the situation in the first place. As if it's "their fault" this all happened. Mom didn't want to take care of her son for 2 years, dumped him on me. Dad kept going away and not giving me a break. They weren't my responsibility and they were dumped on me so really all of this is the fault of the bad parents.

She's irrationally angry towards them in a time most people would be feeling sympathy or embarrassment. If I was innocent and two parents thought I killed their child I'd be mortified and devastated not vicious and accusatory.

MOO

BBM

Agree with many of your points.

But was it only two years? That's what I had thought but in the phone call didn't TS say the younger sister had been with them since she was 2?

I agree with earlier posters TS sounds more resentful than jealous of LH. I think she didn't expect to be raising AS's kids. That's no excuse for what it appears she's done, of course. And she knew he had kids when she became involved with him and later married him. She also knew he'd be away alot being in the military. But I'm not sure the "jealous" label that's been so freely used really fits.
JMO

 

[MsBetsy]

The interviewer claims she has followed the case so intensely that she hasn't slept since he went missing. You'd think she would have asked TS if Gannon was in the car during the Petco stop. I would, anyway. Just to see what she would say.

I was hoping she would ask if Gannon was waiting in the car, too. There probably would have been a long silence before TS answered that one.

 

[Chewy]

BBM

Agree with many of your points.

But was it only two years? That's what I had thought but in the phone call didn't TS say the younger sister had been with them since she was 2?

I agree with earlier posters TS sounds more resentful than jealous of LH. I think she didn't expect to be raising AS's kids. That's no excuse for what it appears she's done, of course. And she knew he had kids when she became involved with him and later married him. She also knew he'd be away alot being in the military. But I'm not sure the "jealous" label that's been so freely used really fits.
JMO

I'm going by what she said in the back to camera video. Since they had moved I think she went from being a step mom who had kids sometimes to full time care giver. But I could be wrong about that.

 

[zenzen]

Do you think that the drive to Castle Rock to look for a bicycle to buy for Al is a crock, but a significant part of the story and a clue that might lead LE to Gannon's remains? I can't imagine buying a bicycle for an adult man. Bike's have to be fitted to the rider to find the right frame and then there are so many considerations .. like cleats & shoes or pedals, gears, road or mountain, tires, handle bars ... I wouldn't begin to assume that I knew what bike to buy for anyone over 10 yrs old.

Gannon Stauch stepmom reveals where she went the day Colorado boy disappeared [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

she didn't buy a bike so her story lacks any frame or wheels to back it up... it was simply away to paint her as a wonderful wife who would buy her constantly absent husband a very expensive toy....

 

[NuttMegg]

BBM

Agree with many of your points.

But was it only two years? That's what I had thought but in the phone call didn't TS say the younger sister had been with them since she was 2?

I agree with earlier posters TS sounds more resentful than jealous of LH. I think she didn't expect to be raising AS's kids. That's no excuse for what it appears she's done, of course. And she knew he had kids when she became involved with him and later married him. She also knew he'd be away alot being in the military. But I'm not sure the "jealous" label that's been so freely used really fits.
JMO

I thought it was 2 years in Colorado. And TS also referred to the grandmother (mother of Landen) (who she spoke highly of) helping care for the kids back in SC. Maybe that's why she felt she was caring for them all alone if there was no extended family near by in CO.