Gannon Stauch: Accused killer stepmom buys fake lie detector test, searches online for 'I'm over doing all the work for my stepkids' [Affidavit] - CrimeOnline

Posted: 03 Apr 2020 12:00 AM PDT

A newly-released affidavit provides graphic details regarding the death of Gannon Stauch, an 11-year-old Colorado boy found deceased in Florida last month.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Gannon disappeared on January 27 at some point between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. from his Lorson Ranch home off of Mandan Drive, near Colorado Springs. Gannon's stepmother, Letecia Stauch, claimed the boy left for a friend's house and never returned home.

Letecia Stauch was the sole caregiver at the time of the boy's disappearance. Gannon's father, Albert Stauch, was on a work trip with the U.S. National Guards in Oklahoma, and his biological mother, Landen Hiott, was in South Carolina.

In March, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office in Florida contacted the El Paso County Sheriff's Office in Colorado Springs to report a deceased boy found north of Pensacola, in Pace. The boy's body had allegedly been stuffed into a suitcase and left under a bridge.

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The remains were confirmed to be Gannon. Prior to recovering Gannon's body, authorities arrested Letecia Stauch in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on first-degree murder and several other felony charges in connection with the case.

Lie Detector Test

On February 20, CrimeOnline spoke with Stauch, who claimed she wanted to provide results of an independent lie detector test. Stauch said she wanted to meet in person and set up a time to talk at a Starbucks in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as she didn't want to transfer the results electronically.

A few days later, Stauch said she had a safety issue and asked to reschedule the meeting. After conducting a phone interview on February 24, a new meeting date was set up for Stauch to provide the test results.

"I have a safety delay," Stauch explained. "Nothing to do with the test or the agency representative. It's a major thing that has happened."

After rescheduling, Stauch promised to allow CrimeOnline to "evaluate [the independent agent's] credentials, law enforcement," along with the results of the lie detector test.

The morning of the day the meeting was to take place, Stauch canceled again. When offered to do the interview at a later time without the lie detector results, Stauch insisted that she had taken the test and passed but needed more time to coordinate with the independent agent to join her for the interview.

Around four days later, Stauch was arrested for Gannon's death.

According to the affidavit, Stauch bought a fraudulent lie detector test off of the site, "fakepolygraph.com." She was ultimately denied the fake test result when management blocked it, based on the "content of her questions." A representative with the company told her they reserved the right to not send the report if they believed it was in connection with illegal activities.

"I submit that if Letecia Stauch had nothing to hide, she wouldn't have to pay for a fake lie detector test," the affidavit read.

Letecia Stauch makes her first appearance in El Paso County District Court in Colorado Springs, Colo., Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Stauch faces several charges, including first-degree murder of a child, in the presumed death of 11-year-old Gannon Stauch. (KRDO-TV/The Gazette via AP, Pool)

Unhappy Marriage, Resentment

According to the arrest affidavit, Stauch made a number of alarming online searches, which indicated she may have been tired of taking care of her stepchildren. The searches also indicated that she may have been having trouble in her marriage.

Search queries included, in part:

find real military singles
parenting should be 4 people, not one
'im doing all the work for my stepkids and their mom doesnt help
I wonder if my husbands wife is sending me a card since I. raise. her. kids
why should my husband choose me over family
one day some people will wish. they treated you differently
find me a rich guy who. wants me to take care of his kids

"Based on Letecia's internet history, it's reasonable to believe she was unhappily married to Mr. Stauch and had some degree of resentment toward the family as a stepparent," the affidavit read. "Furthermore, days before Gannon's murder, Letecia appeared to be researching a move to another state to a two-bedroom apartment."

Letecia Stauch Arrest Affid… by Leigh Egan on Scribd

Crime Scene

Prosecutors allege that Letecia Stauch brutally attacked and killed her stepson inside his bedroom on January 27. Despite a neighbor who said his video showed Stauch leaving with Gannon on the morning of January 27 and later returning home alone, investigators believe that "Gannon likely did return home with Letecia that afternoon," and died inside the residence.

Evidence from inside Gannon's bedroom includes blood spatter on the walls, blood that soaked through the carpet, 50 droplets of blood on the wall, blood on wall sockets, and blood on the boy's mattress. Additional blood was found inside the garage.

"Based on the orientation of Gannon's bed, the vast majority of the blood would be in line with the position of his head and torso," the affidavit reads.

Prosecutors believe that Stauch disposed of Gannon's body off of Highway 105 in Douglas County on January 28 and "likely was nervous about the location she chose." It's unclear how Gannon's remains ended up in Florida.

Stauch remains behind bars without bond. Her next scheduled hearing is on April 14.

Check back for updates.

Additional Information

PART ONE: Tecia Stauch Interview

PART TWO: Tecia Stauch Interview

PART THREE: Tecia Stauch Interview

Neighbor Roderrick Drayton Interview

CLICK HERE to see all of our coverage on Gannon Stauch

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[Feature Photo: Letecia Stauch/KRDO-TV/The Gazette via AP, Pool, Gannon Stauch/Facebook]

Should I Take a Lie Detector Test at Work? - Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Posted: 14 Feb 2020 12:00 AM PST

When your boss asks you to take a lie detector test, do you have to do it? Should you do it? Read on to learn your rights and one lawyer's advice.

"Mr. Beaver, I am in upper management at a high-quality meat processing plant in the Midwest. Over the past several months we have experienced a significant loss of expensive sides of beef, but it has not been continuous, just time to time.

Until 1988, lie detectors were routinely used on employees and job applicants, and they still are for certain types of employment. Employers often asked employees and applicants questions about private matters — often having nothing to do with the actual job — and the lie detector would reach a conclusion as to their honesty. Even people who were truthful often appeared, to the machine, as deceptive.

Eventually the accuracy of polygraph tests came to be seriously doubted. The Federal Employee Polygraph Protection Act, passed in 1988, virtually outlawed using lie detectors in connection with employment. Under the act, it is illegal for private companies to:

Require, request, suggest or cause any employee or job applicant to submit to a lie detector test;
Use, accept, refer to or inquire about the results of any lie detector test conducted on an employee or job applicant, or;
Dismiss, discipline, discriminate against or even threaten to take action against any employee or job applicant who refuses to take a lie detector test.

The law also prohibits employers from discriminating against or firing those who claim its protections. Government employees are generally not protected by this law, however civil service rules offer some protection.

When Lie Detector Tests May Be Used

The Employee Polygraph Protection Act permits polygraph tests with jobs in security and handling drugs or in investigating theft or other crimes committed by employees. Before an employee can be required to take the test, a 48-hour notice must be provided, which states that you are a suspect. A provable, reasonable suspicion that you were involved in the theft or other conduct triggering the investigation must be established.

It is important to note that an employee may refuse to take the test. Additionally, the act's protections do not apply to employees of federal, state or local government, nor to certain jobs that handle sensitive work relating to national defense.

State laws often further restrict the ability of running an employee on the polygraph, so that is something important to look into.

Controversial at Best

Some years ago, the American Psychological Association issued this statement:

"The accuracy (i.e., validity) of polygraph testing has long been controversial. An underlying problem is theoretical: There is no evidence that any pattern of physiological reactions is unique to deception. An honest person may be nervous when answering truthfully and a dishonest person may be non-anxious. Also, there are few good studies that validate the ability of polygraph procedures to detect deception."

Our Own Experience

Years ago, I taught part-time at California State University in Bakersfield and invited the D.A. Office's polygrapher to demonstrate how the machine worked to the class. One member was selected. He was an "Army Brat," having lived in several countries, and spoke Spanish, French and German. We heard him speak those languages.

Hooked up to the machine, he was asked if he spoke those languages, and replied affirmatively. The machine said "Deceptive!" On it went, he gave honest answers, yet the machine called him a liar.

"So, how do you explain this?" I asked the polygrapher.

"Some cultures (or families) where guilt is a strong influence in the raising of children can dramatically influence how someone will do on a polygraph, and I've seen this before," he commented.

With that experience in mind, my advice to Jody would be to politely decline being tested on the polygraph. While innocent, that scent of suspicion could do him great harm.

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