Father of missing Deorr Kunz Jr. hires attorney

Deorr Kunz Sr. has hired an attorney, after being name a suspect in his son’s disappearance by the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office.

Local News 8 has learned that the toddler’s mother, Jessica Mitchell has not hired an attorney at this time.

Lemhi County Sheriff Lynn Bowerman says the mother and father are the top two suspects into the toddler’s disappearance.

The last time the parents say they saw Deorr Jr. was on the afternoon of July 10th at the Timbercreek campground near Leadore.

Attorney Allen Browning is representing Kunz. He also believes the father is being truthful about the disappearance of Deorr. “Every time he goes to talk to the police about what they know, about leads as to what happened about his son, where his son might be. They try and get him to confess to being responsible for the disappearances of his son.” Browning says this is a common tactic used by police.

“Where someone who is innocent of a crime will tell police exactly what they know and if it’s not a confession, then the detective will come back to them and say this doesn’t make sense. You know what I think happened was and then they’ll give them a story and they’ll try to get them to agree to it” It’s known as the read-interrogation technique.

Browning says even in some circumstances detectives will blatantly lie to get the answer they want.

“We have information from some other source that you’re responsible for this crime. And they just make it up just to make someone scared that if they don’t confess to a crime they didn’t do that something terrible is going to happen to them.

Browning says Mr. Kunz believes the investigation has not centered on finding out what happened to his son. Kunz is holding out hope that Deorr is alive.

The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office tells localNews 8, no warrants for arrest have been issued at this time.

Sheriff Bowerman stated that Jessica Mitchell and DeOrr Kunz Sr. have been “less than truthful” since the beginning of the investigation. Bowerman tells Local News 8 and KIDK 3 Eyewitness news that both parents have been “continuously untruthful” and that their stories about what happened have changed multiple times.

“Due to concerns about Double Jeopardy, and making sure that we investigate this properly, and charge the proper people with the proper crime,” Bowermen said.

Under the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a person cannot be prosecuted for the same offense twice.

In addition to that, the investigation needs to hold up in court. The evidence police need to arrest someone is different from what a prosecutor needs. Police need probable cause to arrest someone, where as, a prosecutor needs to prove a case beyond reasonable doubt.

“That’s a different amount of evidence, a different quantity and quality of evidence,” Bonneville County Prosecutor Danny Clark said. “So anytime the prosecutor and police can work together toward that goal of prosecuting a case beyond reasonable doubt, or proving it beyond reasonable doubt, I think that’s the best way to proceed.”

The family we talked with continue to stand behind with the Father and Mother of Deorr Jr. Jessica’s mother Trina Bates Clegg says she will stand beside her daughter and Deorr senior one-hundred-percent until there is evidence and proof.

Kunz’s sister, Tanisha O’Neal Tompkins says they’re innocent. “They have no motive at all. They would gain nothing out of doing anything. I just want people to not be judge mental anymore and until there’s fact just please be quiet”

Tanisha says the public keeps demanding answers and while she believes they deserve those answers, her family isn’t getting them either.

“I agree that the public needs answers. But I feel like at the same time the family needs answers before anybody else does. We knew him personally. So it’s on a whole different level with us. We don’t know any more than anyone else does

Jessica’s mother Trina also says “I want everyone to please remember my grandson Deorr is still missing and there is zero evidence of his whereabouts. Please stay focused on the main focus, three-year-old Deorr Kunz Junior.

The sheriff is asking the public to come forward with any information concerning the disappearance. You can contact either the Lemhi County Sheriff’s office at 208-756-8980 or Bonneville County Sheriff’s office at 208-529-1375.