What Happened to DeOrr?

It has been seven years since 2-year-old DeOrr Kunz Jr. disappeared from a tent during a camping trip with his parents and two other adults and to this day, police still haven’t found any clues to tell them what happened to him. This handsome little boy lived just two short years. He never got the chance to experience life. He deserves justice now.

Many investigators suspect DeOrr’s family had something to do with his disappearance. Each of the adults on the camping trip gave conflicting stories and police discovered other inconsistencies in their accounts of the events leading to DeOrr’s disappearance on July 10, 2015. Both of his parents have failed multiple polygraph tests.

Vernal DeOrr Kuntz, his girlfriend and DeOrr’s mother Jessica Mitchell, DeOrr’s great grandfather Robert Orr and one of his friends took DeOrr on a last-minute camping trip at Timber Creek Campground in Idaho Falls, ID. The group arrived on the evening of July 9.

DeOrr Disappeared; Left Alone

The following day, the group split up. Although accounts of what happened vary according to who you ask, what is known is that DeOrr was left alone -and has never been seen since.

Jessica told police she asked Walton to watch DeOrr while she and Vernal roamed the campground and fished in a nearby lake. Walton told police Jessica never asked him to watch the toddler. Instead, he told police he was in the camper trailer relaxing. His friend claimed that he was fishing at the nearby river and had no idea where DeOrr had gone.

An hour later, the group made their way back together without DeOrr. Vernal and Jessica both placed calls to 9-1-1. Jessica told the 9-1-1 operator that “Little Man” always had his sippy cup, toy monkey, and blanket with him. All three were found at the campsite.

Police immediately organized searches for the missing toddler, using helicopters, ATVs, and boats and help from the community to ensure they thoroughly searched all possible places DeOrr could be.

There have been no traces of DeOrr’s whereabouts despite extensive searches of the nearby lakes, the wooded areas within the Salmon-Chalis National Forest, and nearby areas.

Stories Changed

During subsequent police interviews, Walton told police he had seen DeOrr near the river, looked away, and the toddler was gone. Walton has since passed away. The parents also changed their stories multiple times during interviews with the police. Both have been named as suspects in the case although no arrests have been made or charged related to DeOrr’s disappearance.

DeOrr’s Disappearance Remains a Mystery

On July 10, 2016, exactly one year to the day DeOrr disappeared, Vernal was involved in a serious but non-life-threatening motor vehicle accident. The same year, the camouflage jacket DeOrr was last seen wearing was among the items left behind in a home Jessica and Vernal had been evicted from.

Jessica and Mitchell split up soon after the eviction. Mitchell later married another woman. Both he and Jessica maintain their innocence in DeOrr’s disappearance and continue to claim they don’t know what happened to him that fateful day.

What do You Think?

What do you think happened to DeOrr? Could DeOrr have fallen into the river? Did his grandfather hurt him and dispose of DeOrr to hide his crime? Why would Walter lie about such an important piece of information? Do you think Jessica and Vernal were involved in the disappearance? Or, could DeOrr have wandered away from the family's tent and wild animals attacked him?

*Edited to add sources:*

Sources:

https://983thesnake.com/what-do-idahoans-believe-happened-to-missing-deorr-kunz-jr/

https://www.justiceforbabydeorr.com/

https://idahonews.com/news/local/investigators-find-missing-jacket-toys-at-deorr-kunzs-old-apartment

https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/year-after-idaho-toddler-deorr-kunz-jr-vanishes-speculation-questions-n606051

https://www.eastidahonews.com/2016/07/isp-investigating-crash-blackfoot/?fbclid=IwAR2_fxYedg5M49KQuPMk5knlq9zWviQbknCqbVXBRjEbSQ8-yqWT3gBZus8