DeOrr Kunz Family Members Remain Hopeful Two Months After Toddler Disappeared

by Nate Eaton

IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO – September 12 (EastIdahoNews.com) – It’s been two months since DeOrr Kunz Jr. disappeared but his family is holding out hope that the two-year-old is still alive, according to EastIdahoNews.com.

“You hope for him to come home,” said a tearful DeOrr Kunz Sr. in an interview with EastIdahoNews.com. “You hope to find him but you also hope to have closure. One way or another, you go crazy and you don’t know what to do next.”

The family believes little DeOrr was abducted from the Timber Creek Campground in Leadore on July 10.

Kunz said since his son disappeared, their family has spent thousands of hours in Lemhi County searching for any clue that could lead to the young boy.

“It was the last place we saw that baby so how can you not continue to go up there weekend after weekend?” asked Trina Clegg, DeOrr’s grandmother. “Our entire family has been up there doing everything we can.”

The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office also continues search efforts.

Sheriff Lynn Bowerman said his chief deputy and several k9’s were in the area Thursday.

Flyers are being posted all across Idaho pleading for hunters to keep an eye open for any sign of DeOrr.

“He’s so greatly missed,” Clegg said. “We’re just praying for answers and hoping that someone will come forward and tell us the truth of what’s happened. We would do anything for someone to just walk up and hand us that little boy.”

DeOrr’s family said the past eight weeks have been heartbreaking and they’re tried to stay out of the spotlight.

“We have become silent and we don’t want people focused on us,” said Clegg. “We want them focused on this baby.”

Right now the FBI is reviewing the case and a report is expected within weeks.

Detectives say DeOrr Kunz Sr. and Jessica Mitchell, DeOrr’s mother, have been cooperative.

Robert Walton, DeOrr’s great-grandfather, and Isaac Reinwand, a family friend, were both on the camping trip and investigators say they’ve been cooperative as well.

The Kunz family doesn’t want the public to forget DeOrr and they appreciate support they’ve received from around the world.

“Those of you with your kind words it does help,” said Kunz. “There’s been good people and I want to thank those people.”