Letecia Stauch, Al Stauch's second wife, and a special needs teacher - who had a 17-year-old daughter - reported her stepson Gannon missing to the police while Mr. Stauch was on a work trip as a member of the National Guard.
Police soon found grim evidence in the boy's bedroom, bloodstains covered the walls, mattress, and carpet, seeping through to the concrete below his bed.
This, and the fact his wife picked him up on his return in a rental car, caused the father suspicions. He expressed concerns to the police that his wife might know something about his son's disappearance. He cooperated with the FBI to record calls with Letecia.
During the recordings, Letecia's account of events shifted. She alleged that a carpet fitter who had worked at their house had invaded their home, assaulted her, and abducted Gannon.
When questioned by Al about the lack of evidence of an intrusion, she claimed she had "cleaned it up". Confronted with the question of whether she had harmed Gannon, she responded, "The answer is no," adding, "I can't believe you asked me this. I would never want to hurt Gannon."
However, investigators were skeptical and found out that prior to calling 911 to report Gannon missing, Letecia had instructed her daughter to purchase rubbish bags, baking soda, and carpet cleaner. As speculation grew that she was hiding information, she messaged her daughter claiming she was being framed and urgently needed a lawyer.
On 2 March, Letecia was apprehended. Despite not having recovered a body at that time, authorities presumed Gannon was deceased and charged her with first-degree murder.
Then, on 17 March, a worker found a child's body under a bridge in Florida , over a thousand miles away. The boy had suffered multiple stab wounds, blunt force trauma, and a gunshot to the head, and was stuffed into a suitcase before being discarded off the bridge. An autopsy confirmed the victim was Gannon and the stepmom confessed to first-degree murder on the grounds of insanity but was ultimately deemed fit to stand trial.
The prosecution alleged that Gannon had been killed in his bedroom by his stepmother, who cleaned up the scene, and then deceived everyone before discarding his body off a bridge. They argued that Letecia harbored resentment "about being used as a babysitter" and expressed her desire to harm his father because she intended to end their marriage.
She had even searched the phrase "I hate my stepson" on the internet.
Her defence claimed that she experienced a "psychotic crack" due to trauma from enduring abuse during her childhood. However, her actions that day were deliberate.
Gannon suffered stabbings and was struck with a blunt instrument.
In May 2023, she was convicted of first-degree murder among other offences, including tampering with a deceased body.
Letecia, aged 39, was handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The judge expressed that she had displayed no regret and her actions were driven by "hatred and jealousy" towards Gannon's mother and resentment over having to look after the young boy.
"I would say without hesitation that the facts in this case are the most horrific I have ever seen," the judge said.
Mr. Staunch revealed his heartbreaking final words with his son. He told his child, before he left for his work trip: "You're always going to be in my heart, and I'm always going to be in your heart."
His late son replied, "I'm going to finish watching Pokemon."
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