3 months, still no sign of missing toddler

After a three month investigation into the disappearance of 2-year-old DeOrr Kunz Jr., law enforcement is going back to the drawing board and re-interviewing everyone involved that day.

Parents of the missing toddler say Timbercreek campground was the last place they saw him, July 10.

Lemhi and Bonneville county sheriff’s offices have been working with the FBI.
Nearly 90 days, thousands of search hours, and hundreds of tips later, the whereabouts of the toddler still remains a mystery.

Phones are still ringing off the hook and flyers remain on the walls of Leadore’s post office and gas station.

“A lot of sleepless nights,” Lemhi County Sheriff Lynn Bowerman said, “You think about it 24 hours a day, you know, it never goes away.”

“Thursday evening just right around dark time they arrived, set up camp and then Friday morning, somewhere around 10:30 or 11 is when they went to Leadore,” Bowerman said.

A receipt and cashier proves the parents trip to the only convenience store in town, but was the toddler with his mother and father?

“Somebody said they thought they saw a child in the vehicle while they fueled up, but they’re not positive,” Bowerman said.

The family went back to camp and a few hours later the mother called 911 saying her son was missing.

Search and rescue, horseback riders, and divers began surveying a 3-mile radius of the campground.

“Then later that evening we had a helicopter up with a FLIR, which is a heat seeking source. They identified every animal that was in the region and if that child was in the that 3-mile radius, we would have found him,” said Bowerman.

However, there are still no leads on where the child is.

“I don’t feel like it’s an abduction,” said Bowerman.

Bowerman said initial reports make the abduction theory unlikely.
“Someone should have seen them either drive into the area or seen them camped in the area… or seen someone suspicious in the area,” the sheriff said.

Even after more than 40 years in law enforcement, Sheriff Bowerman is scratching his head.

“I can’t remember a case like this in my career. I’ve had some pretty major cases but this is definitely the most difficult,” Bowerman said.

It’s a mystery embedded in these western mountains.

“We want to give closure for the family, we want closure for the public, and we want closure for my office,” said Bowerman.

All four of the people at the campground that afternoon were interviewed by police.

They’ve also taken polygraph tests.

Now, the agencies are going back to square one.

Everyone is being re-interviewed, including the mother, father, the grandfather and a friend.

If you believe you have seen DeOrr Kunz Jr., call your local police department. Tips and information can be called into the Idaho Fusion Center(208) 846-7676