Private investigator Philip Klein withdraws from DeOrr Kunz case
Published at | Updated atNEDERLAND, Texas — Philip Klein and his private investigation firm KIC Texas have formally withdrawn from the DeOrr Kunz Jr. missing persons case.
Klein was originally hired by the Kunz family in early 2016 to investigate the disappearance of 2-year-old DeOrr.
The Idaho Falls toddler vanished in July 2015 while on a camping trip in Lemhi County with his parents, great-grandfather and a friend of his great-grandfather. There has been no sign of DeOrr since that day, and nobody has been charged in connection to his disappearance.
Klein was later fired by the family, but continued to investigate the case after being rehired by another unknown family member.
On Monday, Klein issued the following statement to the media about his reasons for the withdrawal. He declined to elaborate beyond the statement, saying “it speaks for itself.”
MORE COVERAGE OF DEORR KUNZ JR
STATEMENT:
On Monday, November 13, 2017, KIC Texas provided formal notice to Steve Penner, Lemhi County Sheriff, that we would be withdrawing from the DeOrr Kunz case effective immediately. I would like to make the reasons for withdrawal very clear for the media and the general public:
- We believe KIC Texas can no longer move this case forward. It is our firm belief that until truthfulness comes from the persons that we, as well as law enforcement, have named as suspects, there is nothing further to investigate. All evidence leads to the death of Deorr Kunz, Jr., we do not believe a kidnapping or animal attack occurred — and all evidence supports this finding.
- We believe charges should be filed on the parents for child endangerment, at a minimum. We publicly ask the District Attorney of Lemhi County to strongly consider this charge.
- We have recently become aware that Vernal DeOrr Kunz and his father Dennis Kunz have filed another lawsuit against our firm. This suit, as well as the misinformation campaign by certain social media trolls, appears to be a coordinated effort to impede the investigation. We are unable to continue our efforts in this case while simultaneously defending against a suit of this nature. As we have said: “The Truth Is The Ultimate Defense.”
We would like to publicly thank the citizens of Idaho for their open hearts and minds. We thank the businesses that offered us food, shelter and warm wishes. We thank the family members of Baby DeOrr who have pure and clean hearts, and have helped us understand the parent’s dysfunctional family dynamic.
We would also like to thank the many who we have interviewed. You are in great hands with Lemhi County Sheriff Penner, Bonneville County Sheriff, and the FBI. We believe Deorr Kunz, Jr. will be found one day.
EAST IDAHO NEWSMAKERS: DeOrr Kunz’s Grandmother Trina Bates Clegg