ID DEORR KUNZ: Missing from Timber Creek Campground near Leadore, ID - 10 July 2015 - Age 2

1583707718907.png

DeOrr was last seen in Lemhi County, Idaho on July 10, 2015. He was with his parents, Jessica Mitchell and Vernal "DeOrr" Kunz Sr., his great-grandfather, Robert Walton, and Walton's friend Isaac Reinwand. The group was camping at Timber Creek Campground in a remote, mountainous area about ten miles west of Leadore, Idaho.

At 2:35 p.m. Mitchell called 911 and said her son had disappeared. According to her, she left DeOrr with Walton and she and DeOrr Sr. went to explore the campground, and when they returned about ten to fifteen minutes later, the child was gone. They looked for him for about twenty minutes before calling 911.

According to Mitchell, DeOrr never went anywhere without his blanket, his cup or his toy monkey; all these items were left at the campground. An extensive search of the area turned up no indication of his whereabouts.

Although DeOrr's parents speculated he had been abducted, police have named them as suspects in their son's disappearance. They had been engaged, but they ended their relationship after DeOrr's disappearance. Neither of them has an arrest record.

Investigators said there were inconsistencies in the parents' stories and they had both failed polygraph exams; they believe DeOrr was killed, either intentionally or by accident, and his parents know where his body is.

According to the sheriff, there was "no credible witness" to say they had definitely seen DeOrr at the campground, and it's possible he was never there at all. His case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.


Charley Project - http://charleyproject.org/case/deorr-jay-kunz-jr
NCMEC - http://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1251277
NamUs - https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/29726

1583707979549.png 1583707984808.png


Media - https://www.crimewatchers.net/media...near-leadore-id-since-10-july-2015-age-2.272/
 
Last edited:
Click to expand...
www.ktvb.com

KTVB Exclusive: The last people to see DeOrr Kunz Jr. alive talk about what happened to the missing toddler

DeOrr's mother and father were two of the last people to see the then two-year-old before he disappeared. After four years, he's still gone without a trace.
www.ktvb.com www.ktvb.com

KTVB Exclusive: The last people to see DeOrr Kunz Jr. alive talk about what happened to the missing toddler

In a NewsChannel 7 Exclusive, KTVB's Kim Fields talked with the three people who say they were the last to see the missing boy alive.

The three rarely talk to the media, but his mom and dad say after four years, they felt the public needed to hear something.

"I always think about what would he be doing or what would he be into or what things he would like," Jessica Mitchell, DeOrr's mother, said. "He was only two-and-a-half years old when he went missing and now it's been four years that he's been missing. And he's been missing longer than he's been, you know, he was with me. And so that's really sad to me."

KTVB's Kim Fields: "What do you think about?"
Kunz: "Just how he'd be now. I keep positive. It is positive. But the best thing I ever did has been a father and I've missed out on that."
There are three theories as to what happened to DeOrr - he was kidnapped from the campground, taken off by an animal, or someone on that camping trip did something to him.
Fields: "Do you have anything to hide?"
Kunz: "No, absolutely not. We had nothing to do with this and we don't know anymore. I understand how it looks and how it sounds, we just don't know anymore. And we wish we did, trust me. We wish we did. This is not a way for anybody to live."


Fields to Kunz: "Sheriff Bowerman he thought and said, 'I don't even know if DeOrr was up at that campground.'"
Kunz: "You know, eventually I'll be able to prove a lot of this, a lot of these theories wrong."
Fields: "What do you mean by that?"
Kunz: "That's just a theory that is wrong. My son was there. He was at the store, people seen him at the store."
Mitchell: "That's the hardest part about all of this is just not knowing if he's alive or if he's gone. And I need to grieve and mourn the loss of my son, or, because you know all of this, I feel like I can't grieve because I don't know where, you know, I don't know the situation. Because if I start grieving and mourning the loss of him, then it feels like I'm giving up."


Fields to Reinwand: "You're the one that can say whether or not DeOrr, baby Deorr was at that campground."
Reinwand: "As far as I know to my knowledge, he was there."
Fields: "He was there for the whole time?"
Reinwand: "The whole time we were up there and was camping with us, yes."
Fields: "What do you think happened to baby Deorr?"
Reinwand: "I have no idea. "Maybe it was an accident or something. I don't know."
Fields: "Do you think he's still alive?"
Reinwand: "I don't have a comment on that."
Fields: "Do you think Jessica had anything to do with his disappearance?"
Reinwand: "Ew, I'm not going to comment on that either."
Fields: "Why not?"
Reinwand: "I just feel like I just want to stay neutral in this situation, you know, I don't want to point fingers. "I don't think it's nice or it's right."
Fields: "Do you think Vernal DeOrr had anything to do with baby DeOrr's disappearance?"
Reinwand: "I have no idea."


Fields to Mitchell: "Are you lying?"
Mitchell: "Absolutely not. I just, yeah, I have nothing good to say about Klein in all reality because he was there for the money. He didn't care about my son. The minute he got that money he was, 'Oh, it's the parents.'"
Kunz: "In my opinion, I wouldn't hire him (Klein) to find a lost dog in an empty parking lot."
 

DeOrr Kunz went missing 4 years ago. Family says the day will ‘haunt the rest of our lives.’

There has been no sign of DeOrr since that day, and nobody has been charged in connection to his disappearance. Mitchell and Kunz were named as suspects in January 2016 by former Lemhi County Sheriff Lynn Bowerman but they have never been arrested.

While no major developments have occurred in the case over the past year, the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office closed part of the Timber Creek Campground June 28 to July 1 for a search. Sheriff Steve Penner declined to comment about what crews did at the site but said investigators will follow-up in the area “as environmental conditions change.”
 
I remember this case and see it off and on through the years. I have never known what to think. I do find that statement odd as well, "to the best of my knowledge"? I know people can word things oddly or even be nervous but that almost sounds like someone was told he was there but the person never actually saw him. Smh. How can you miss a two year old being somewhere, they are generally not exactly quiet and are quite active.
 
Saddened said:
Ya, I'm just really confused. 4 adults there and they can't prove he was there? The friend saying "to the best of my knowledge he was there"? I must be missing something.
Click to expand...

True, but it's not like there are security cameras in remote campground locations.
I don't know if you've seen any interviews with the friend. He's a bit kooky to begin with. There may have also been drugs or alcohol involved, but it's never been said outright.

GrandmaBear said:
I remember this case and see it off and on through the years. I have never known what to think. I do find that statement odd as well, "to the best of my knowledge"? I know people can word things oddly or even be nervous but that almost sounds like someone was told he was there but the person never actually saw him. Smh. How can you miss a two year old being somewhere, they are generally not exactly quiet and are quite active.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't know why he said that in this particular interview. In past interviews he has stated that yes, he did see Deorr.






[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrzdY1ck3Zk]
 
SheWhoMustNotBeNamed said:
True, but it's not like there are security cameras in remote campground locations.
I don't know if you've seen any interviews with the friend. He's a bit kooky to begin with. There may have also been drugs or alcohol involved, but it's never been said outright.



Yeah, I don't know why he said that in this particular interview. In past interviews he has stated that yes, he did see Deorr.



[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrzdY1ck3Zk]
Click to expand...


Thank you I will make sure to watch them shortly. I think I have seen them but it has been awhile and the details are fuzzy to me. I feel I remember the grandpa was supposedly watching him, that is one thing that I thought I recalled? Didn't mean for you to have to provide info, sorry about that. I do know, even though fuzzy on the details now, that I myself alternated back when from thinking the parents were innocent to guilty to wondering again, etc.
 
GrandmaBear said:
Thank you I will make sure to watch them shortly. I think I have seen them but it has been awhile and the details are fuzzy to me. I feel I remember the grandpa was supposedly watching him, that is one thing that I thought I recalled? Didn't mean for you to have to provide info, sorry about that. I do know, even though fuzzy on the details now, that I myself alternated back when from thinking the parents were innocent to guilty to wondering again, etc.
Click to expand...

No worries at all! Just discussing the case. :) Happy to provide info. It also helps jog my memory to what has been said.

I've also heard what you said, that grandpa was back at the campsite supposedly watching him. But he may have thought Deorr was off with his parents and wasn't actually looking after him.
 
SheWhoMustNotBeNamed said:
No worries at all! Just discussing the case. :) Happy to provide info. It also helps jog my memory to what has been said.

I've also heard what you said, that grandpa was back at the campsite supposedly watching him. But he may have thought Deorr was off with his parents and wasn't actually looking after him.
Click to expand...

Yes, now that you say that, I remember that thought as well or speculation, that they thought he was one place and grandpa thought he was with them. Thanks for the info, this is one of those cold cases I had forgotten about that sadly no justice yet but knew the name immediately and just have to remember the details too :)
 
SheWhoMustNotBeNamed said:
True, but it's not like there are security cameras in remote campground locations.
I don't know if you've seen any interviews with the friend. He's a bit kooky to begin with. There may have also been drugs or alcohol involved, but it's never been said outright.



Yeah, I don't know why he said that in this particular interview. In past interviews he has stated that yes, he did see Deorr.



[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrzdY1ck3Zk]
Click to expand...

Thanks, I was not familiar with this case at all.
 
www.eastidahonews.com

Bone found at Timber Creek Campground is not tied to DeOrr Kunz, sheriff says - East Idaho News

LEADORE — A small bone discovered at Timber Creek Campground last summer does not belong to missing Idaho Falls toddler DeOrr Kunz Jr. Lemhi County Sheriff Steve Penner found the bone in June and sent it to the FBI office in Quantico, Virginia, for testing. DeOrr vanished at the campground in...
www.eastidahonews.com www.eastidahonews.com

Bone found at Timber Creek Campground is not tied to DeOrr Kunz, sheriff says

A small bone discovered at Timber Creek Campground last summer does not belong to missing Idaho Falls toddler DeOrr Kunz Jr.

Lemhi County Sheriff Steve Penner found the bone in June and sent it to the FBI office in Quantico, Virginia, for testing.

“Preliminary testing couldn’t rule it out as being human, but tests at Quantico did not find any human DNA on the bone,” Penner tells EastIdahoNews.com. “It’s likely the remains are from an animal.”
 
www.ksl.com

Idaho toddler vanished 5 years ago today. Here’s where the investigation stands

Five years ago today 2-year-old DeOrr Kunz Jr. disappeared while on a camping trip in Lemhi County, Idaho.
www.ksl.com www.ksl.com
Idaho toddler vanished 5 years ago today. Here’s where the investigation stands

Five years ago today DeOrr Kunz Jr. disappeared while on a camping trip in Lemhi County, Idaho.

The 2-year-old from Idaho Falls vanished July 10, 2015, while visiting Timber Creek Campground with his parents, Jessica Mitchell and Vernal DeOrr Kunz. DeOrr’s great-grandfather, Robert Walton, and Isaac Reinwand, a friend of Walton’s, were also on the trip.

There has been no sign of DeOrr since that day, and nobody has been charged in connection to his disappearance. Mitchell and Kunz were named suspects in January 2016 by former Lemhi County Sheriff Lynn Bowerman but they have never been arrested or charged. The parents have claimed from the beginning that they do not know what happened to their son. Reinwand and Walton have also said they have no idea where the boy is. Walton died in June 2019.


Despite the lack of developments, Lemhi County Sheriff Steve Penner says the case is still open and active.

“We did a K9 deployment on June 4 in the area of Timber Creek Campground,” Penner tells EastIdahoNews.com. “We are waiting for environmental conditions to change and there will be some follow-up as a result of that.”

“It’s hard to believe it’s been five years. It still feels fairly fresh to me. I’m not sure why that is. It doesn’t seem that long,” Penner says.

Penner says he and other investigators will not stop looking for DeOrr until he is found and the case continues. There are no public vigils or events planned for the missing boy but family members say they will honor him in their own way.

“One thing I know 100% – he does exist,” Tompkins says. “He is destined to do great things in this world and all I can hope for is that he’s alive and I will see him again one day. We love baby DeOrr with all that we are and truly do appreciate every single person that has searched and may still be searching for my nephew. We appreciate law enforcement for never, ever giving up! We will never give up until sweet baby DeOrr is found. We love you, buddy.”
 
newsradio1310.com

Former Deorr Kunz P.I. Team Gives Update; Says Case 'Solvable'

Earlier this month, Klein Investigations and Consulting gave an update on the case on its Facebook page.
newsradio1310.com newsradio1310.com

Former Deorr Kunz P.I. Team Gives Update; Says Case ‘Solvable’​

A Texas private investigation firm that once explored the case of an Idaho Falls child who went missing from an eastern Idaho campground has given its first update in the case in quite sometime. While they are currently not actively involved in th case, team members are still optimistic the case can be solved.

To this day, no substantial clues have materialized in the case. Earlier this month, Klein Investigations and Consulting gave an update on the case on its Facebook page. They acknowledged no one associated with their team is actively investigation the matter, but did say that they have "been contacted by some concerned family members." The update was also shared on the website justiceforbabydeorr. A representative for Klein Investigations also wrote on the Facebook post that they believe the case is "solvable."



www.facebook.com

Klein Investigations and Consulting | Nederland TX

Klein Investigations and Consulting, Nederland, Texas. 25,456 likes · 130 talking about this · 6 were here. Looking for Investigation needs? Contact us today! We do process serving, background...
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
Public Statement :
We have received some media calls this evening regarding the suggestion, once again, that we may reenter the missing person case of Deorr Kunz, the two-year-old boy that went missing in Idaho.
As we do not want to mislead anyone, Mr. Klein has confirmed to us today that he has been contacted by some concerned family members and that they are "talking" about the firm returning to the case.
If, or when, the decision is made to return into the case it will be formally announced. Until that day and time, we are not in the case but still obtain case information and share it with LEO's.
We would like to thank all of you in Idaho for your trust in our firm and the support over the past years. This case is solvable.
Staff
 
Philip Klein has a podcast, and today he released Part 2 of a 3-part series on the DeOrr Kunz Jr. investigation. There are a few points that he makes, which he says were never before made public.

It’s very interesting, being able to hear from the man himself, the details of his thought processes and observations. It’s worth a listen:

 
Steve said:
Philip Klein has a podcast, and today he released Part 2 of a 3-part series on the DeOrr Kunz Jr. investigation. There are a few points that he makes, which he says were never before made public.

It’s very interesting, being able to hear from the man himself, the details of his thought processes and observations. It’s worth a listen:

Click to expand...

I was listening to it and I accidentally bumped it and it went back to the beginning. But I listened to most of it. I’m not gonna go back because it’s too hard to move a little line on my phone right now but it’s really interesting! The preliminary investigating that they did with the family Was informative not only about why they think their parents are lying, but the way they do their investigating.. Wow.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
3,006
Messages
240,471
Members
964
Latest member
ztw1990
Back
Top Bottom