The father of murdered Colorado boy Gannon Stauch has cited his son's killing as the reason for splitting with his wife in divorce documents, exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com.
Eugene 'Al' Stauch, 38, filed the papers on March 5 - three days after his estranged wife Letecia, 36, was arrested over his son's death in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
In the eight-page filing, the marriage is described as 'irretrievably broken' with Stauch noting that Letecia was 'in South Carolina awaiting extradition to Colorado charged with first degree murder of [his] son'.
Stauch, a member of the Colorado National Guard, also demanded the couple's French Bulldog, Sadie, be immediately returned to him and said he had no intention of paying Letecia spousal support.
Last week, ex-teacher Letecia appeared at court in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she was formally charged with her 11-year-old stepson's murder, as well as one count of child abuse and another of tampering with a corpse.
Eugene 'Al' Stauch, 38, cited the killing of his son Gannon as the reason for splitting with his wife Letecia (pictured together) - who stands accused of murdering her stepson
Colorado boy Gannon Stauch (pictured) vanished on January 27 and last Friday human remains discovered in Florida were 'tentatively identified' as the 11-year-old's
Last week, ex-teacher Letecia appeared at court in Colorado Springs, Colorado (pictured), where she was formally charged with her 11-year-old stepson's murder, as well as one count of child abuse and another of tampering with a corpse
She did not speak during the short hearing but listened in silence as the charges were read out. The 36-year-old is due back in court in El Paso County on April 3.
Gannon vanished on January 27, and last Friday human remains discovered in Florida were 'tentatively identified' as the 11-year-old's.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office said they were contacted by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office in Florida last Wednesday about the remains of a boy recovered in Pace, north of Pensacola.
A preliminary examination of Gannon's body has revealed the boy was hit by a blunt object, stabbed and then shot by his killer, who police have identified as Leticia Staunch, The Sun reported. A full autopsy is now underway.
Gannon was reported missing the same day he went missing by Letecia, who claimed he had disappeared while walking to see a friend.
But days later, footage emerged from the day Gannon disappeared that showed the boy getting into her red pickup truck and being driven off by her.
Hours later, the vehicle was seen returning with Letecia behind the wheel but Gannon nowhere in sight.
The footage was captured by neighbor Roderick Drayton, 49, who showed it to a devastated Stauch before handing it to police.
Stauch, a member of the Colorado National Guard, also demanded the couple's French Bulldog, Sadie, be immediately returned to him and said he had no intention of paying Letecia spousal support in divorce documents (pictured)
Drayton told DailyMail.com that the family had appeared happy and normal prior to the 11-year-old's disappearance and said he often saw the boy playing outside.
He said: 'I never saw any sign that he was being harmed. I'd see him outside playing or with his dad in the garage but that was about it.'
He also revealed the FBI possesses further footage taken from his security cameras over the week after Gannon went missing, which he believes will now form part of the case against Letecia.
Drayton said: 'It's a lot of video that I have. The FBI has it now so I can't say what's on it. But whatever she did from that Monday on is on camera.'
The 49-year-old told DailyMail.com that he and other neighbors had initially thought Gannon had been kidnapped by a stranger and said he was shocked when he looked at his security camera footage from the day of his disappearance.
He said: 'When I saw it, it was crazy shocking. Until then, I thought he had just gone missing. The whole neighborhood is full of cameras so if he had gone missing, somebody would have seen him walking.
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Share'But nobody [had] seen him walking so I knew something was wrong. We knew it was time to start searching.'
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office said they were contacted by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office in Florida last Wednesday about the remains of a boy recovered in Pace, north of Pensacola. Those remains are believed to be Gannon's (pictured)
Letecia (pictured) claimed her stepson disappeared while going to see a friend, but footage showed Gannon getting into her car and being driven off by her
TIMELINE OF GANNON STAUCH CASE:
Jan. 27: Gannon Stauch is reported as a runaway; last seen by stepmother Letecia Stauch between 3.15 pm-4 pm
Jan. 30: Case is upgraded to a missing and endangered child’s case due to his age, need for medication, winter weather and the length of time he’s been missing
Jan. 31: Letecia Stauch gives interview to KKTV saying deputies had threatened to shoot her and put her 17-year-old daughter in handcuffs
Feb. 4: Neighbor Roderrick Drayton shares surveillance video showing what appears to be Letecia returning home at 2.19pm without Gannon in her pickup truck; claims boy's father broke down in tears when he saw the video
Feb. 5: District Attorney Dan May visits Stauch’s home; Stauch family make YouTube statement to bring Gannon home
Feb. 7: Searchers use submersible remotely operated vehicle with sonar to scour a pond near Stauch family's home
Feb. 8: Candlelight prayer vigil is held at Lorson Ranch
Feb. 11: Letecia Stauch releases statement to Fox 31 claiming Gannon was in her truck on Jan. 27 and that later left with a 'friend'
Feb. 21: Ground search for Gannon is halted by investigation continues
Feb 28: Planned search for Gannon is called off without explanation
Mar 2 Letecia Stauch is arrested in connection to the case. Stauch was charged with murder of a child under 12 years of age by a person in a position of trust, child abuse resulting in death and tampering with a dead body. Authorities announce that they don't believe Gannon is alive, but they haven't found his body. The investigation is ongoing
March 5: Letecia is extradited from South Carolina to El Paso County, Colorado
March 18: Remains on a boy are found in Pace, Florida
March 20: Autopsy performed on child's remains tentatively identify the deceased as Gannon Stauch
<!- - ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/us/news/none/article/other/mpu_factbox.html?id=mpu_factbox_1 - ->AdvertisementHe added: 'I had no idea it would be her. My son likes to ride around the neighborhood by himself so a couple of weeks ago, he mentioned a car was driving around the neighborhood looking like it was trying to pick up kids.
'I was thinking maybe somebody picked him up or something so I was like let me search through here and make sure no car came by and picked him up. After that, I was like hmmmm.'
The Stauch family have now moved out of the property and have moved into a new home less than three miles away, helped by members of their local church.
On Sunday, Stauch released a statement through his church, saying: 'I would like to take this opportunity to reach out to the community here in Colorado and all over the nation to express my deepest gratitude and true heartfelt appreciation for the overwhelming support.
'Many of you have either requested or inquired about information from me or interaction with me throughout these past two months. As you can tell from the initial missing child report, to the arrest and charges in early March, and now the wonderful, yet gut-wrenching news that Gannon's body has been recovered, this has been a heartbreaking and absolutely devastating time period in my life.
'I am a very private person anyways, but balancing my desire to show my great appreciation and my need to cope with the continually evolving devastation has not been easy. I thank each member of the community and media that has respected my privacy and need to process everything that has happened.'
He concluded: 'To those who are loving, supportive, and peaceful, thank you a million times over and God bless you all. I will more than likely not give any public interviews or statements until the end of the case, but I thank you all in advance for respecting my approach.'
Meanwhile, police are continuing to build a case against Letecia and have filed a 20-page list of witnesses that includes workers from local gas stations, car rental agents and representatives for waste management companies.
Dave Bernal, of the Waste Management Transfer Station in Colorado Springs, was surprised to discover he was on the list and said he did not know why he was on it.
But Lucas Hale of Widefield Water and Sanitation told DailyMail.com that he did know about the witness list and added: 'I do not comment on open investigations as it is against the law.'
Others on the list, which included Leslie Hicks of School District 20 where Letecia worked, also declined to comment.
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