Overview

Date: July 10, 2015
Location: Timber Creek Campground, approximately 10 miles west of Leadore in Lemhi County, Idaho
Age: 2 years old
Status: Missing
NamUs: MP29726
NCMEC: 1251277
NCIC: M022730901

Circumstances: DeOrr was camping with his mother, Jessica Mitchell; his father, Vernal DeOrr Kunz; his great-grandfather, Robert Walton; and Walton’s friend, Isaac Reinwand. According to the account given by his parents, they left DeOrr near the campsite in Walton’s care while they went to explore or look at a fishing area. Walton reportedly believed the toddler had gone with his parents. When Mitchell and Kunz returned, DeOrr was nowhere to be found. Mitchell called 911 at approximately 2:28 p.m.

Main points: An enormous land, water and air search failed to locate DeOrr or establish what happened to him. Investigators later questioned inconsistencies in accounts of the day. DeOrr’s parents were publicly called suspects by a former sheriff in 2016, but later Lemhi County sheriffs have instead described everyone who was at the campground as a person of interest. No one has been charged.

Detailed Case Breakdown

DeOrr Jay Kunz Jr.: The Unsolved 2015 Disappearance at Timber Creek Campground

Two-year-old DeOrr Jay Kunz Jr., nicknamed “Little Man,” disappeared on July 10, 2015, during a family camping trip at Timber Creek Campground in remote Lemhi County, Idaho. More than a decade later, no confirmed trace of DeOrr has been recovered, nobody has been arrested or charged in connection with his disappearance, and the case remains open.

Last Seen: Date and Location

Date: July 10, 2015
Location: Timber Creek Campground, approximately 10 miles west of Leadore in Lemhi County, Idaho
Age: 2 years old
Status: Missing
NamUs: MP29726
NCMEC: 1251277
NCIC: M022730901

Circumstances: DeOrr was camping with his mother, Jessica Mitchell; his father, Vernal DeOrr Kunz; his great-grandfather, Robert Walton; and Walton’s friend, Isaac Reinwand. According to the account given by his parents, they left DeOrr near the campsite in Walton’s care while they went to explore or look at a fishing area. Walton reportedly believed the toddler had gone with his parents. When Mitchell and Kunz returned, DeOrr was nowhere to be found. Mitchell called 911 at approximately 2:28 p.m.

Main points: An enormous land, water and air search failed to locate DeOrr or establish what happened to him. Investigators later questioned inconsistencies in accounts of the day. DeOrr’s parents were publicly called suspects by a former sheriff in 2016, but later Lemhi County sheriffs have instead described everyone who was at the campground as a person of interest. No one has been charged.

The Camping Trip to Timber Creek

DeOrr lived in Idaho Falls and was two and a half years old when his family headed into the mountains of Lemhi County. On July 9, 2015, DeOrr and his parents traveled from Idaho Falls to Timber Creek Campground. Robert Walton and Isaac Reinwand traveled separately and met them there. The isolated campground is roughly 125 miles northwest of Idaho Falls.

The group arrived after dark. According to later accounts, Reinwand slept in a tent, Walton stayed in his camper, and DeOrr slept with his parents in the back of Walton’s vehicle. Reinwand later recalled seeing the toddler the following morning during breakfast, wearing oversized cowboy boots and walking around the campsite.

Around midday on July 10, Mitchell and Kunz said they drove DeOrr to the Stage Stop Junction store near Leadore before returning to the campground. After returning, the parents said they went away from camp to explore a fishing location.

DeOrr Disappears

The parents’ account was that DeOrr remained behind with his great-grandfather. Walton, however, reportedly believed the toddler had gone with his parents. Reinwand was reportedly away fishing in the creek. When Mitchell and Kunz returned, DeOrr was missing.

The parents searched before seeking outside help. Kunz attempted to drive to an area where he could obtain cellular reception, while Mitchell was able to obtain a signal at the campground. At approximately 2:28 p.m. on July 10, 2015, she called 911 and reported her two-year-old son missing.

DeOrr was described as approximately 3 feet tall and 28 pounds, with blond hair and brown eyes. He had a birthmark on the back of his neck. The clothing associated with his disappearance included a camouflage jacket, blue pajama pants, green-and-black checkered socks and brown cowboy boots with camouflage detailing.

A Massive Search Finds No Trace

Search-and-rescue personnel rapidly descended on Timber Creek. Searchers covered the wilderness on foot, horseback and ATVs. K9 teams, helicopters, divers and water-search equipment were used. Crews repeatedly examined the creek near the campground and searched Stone Reservoir.

Nearly 200 volunteers reportedly participated by the third day. Search teams performed organized grid searches in which people walked closely together through the area. The campground, creek, reservoir and surrounding terrain were searched repeatedly, yet investigators found nothing that conclusively established where DeOrr had gone.

The initial intensive operation was reduced after approximately ten days, but that did not end the searches. The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office later said additional searches occurred during the summer and fall of 2015 and again in subsequent years. The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and FBI also assisted investigators.

Abduction, Accident or Foul Play?

During the first days of the case, investigators considered numerous possibilities. DeOrr’s parents publicly said they believed someone could have abducted their son and pleaded for his return.

As the investigation progressed, however, authorities began focusing increasingly on the accounts provided by the people who had been at Timber Creek. Investigators repeatedly interviewed Mitchell, Kunz, Walton and Reinwand.

In January 2016, then-Lemhi County Sheriff Lynn Bowerman publicly identified Mitchell and Kunz as suspects. Bowerman said investigators had encountered inconsistencies involving timelines, locations and statements about DeOrr’s movements. Neither parent was arrested or charged, and both maintained that they did not know what happened to their son.

Importantly, that terminology has since changed. Former Sheriff Steve Penner and current Lemhi County Sheriff John Bennett have said they do not consider Mitchell and Kunz suspects. Their position is that the people present at Timber Creek are persons of interest because they were the last known people with DeOrr.

Private Investigators Reach Different Conclusions

The case has also attracted several private investigators, whose conclusions have sometimes directly contradicted one another.

Frank Vilt initially worked with the family and at one point believed an abduction was possible. He later ended his involvement and publicly accused DeOrr’s parents of being untruthful about the disappearance. Vilt died in 2023.

Private investigator Philip Klein subsequently conducted interviews and an independent investigation. Klein publicly concluded that DeOrr had died, describing the case as an accidental or intentional death and alleging involvement by the parents. Those allegations did not result in criminal charges.

Another private investigator, David Marshburn, has taken a substantially different position. According to the 2025 reporting, Marshburn was continuing to work with the family and believed DeOrr’s parents were not responsible. He has instead expressed suspicion that Reinwand may know more than he has disclosed. Reinwand has denied involvement.

These competing private theories should not be confused with proven facts or official criminal findings.

Years of Searches and Potential Evidence

The lack of physical evidence has remained one of the defining features of the DeOrr Kunz case.

Investigators and searchers have repeatedly returned to Timber Creek. Former Sheriff Penner estimated in 2025 that he had visited the campground approximately 100 times during the decade since DeOrr disappeared. Even after leaving office, Penner remained involved with Lemhi County Search and Rescue.

Potential remains discovered around the area have also been examined. According to Penner and Bennett, bones located around the campground over the years were evaluated with assistance from anthropologists at Idaho State University. They were determined to be animal remains. One bone was sent to the FBI laboratory in Quantico and was likewise determined to be from an animal.

Other potential evidence has been submitted for analysis, but investigators said in the 2025 ten-year-anniversary update that none of the material tested had produced the breakthrough needed to solve the case.

Where the DeOrr Kunz Investigation Stands

The most substantial recent law-enforcement update came around the 10th anniversary of DeOrr’s disappearance in July 2025.

Current Lemhi County Sheriff John Bennett and former Sheriff Steve Penner returned to Timber Creek Campground with East Idaho News. They continued examining the campsite, creek and reservoir area. Both indicated that the search for answers had not ended.

The Sheriff’s Office continues to welcome information about the case. Bennett and Penner have declined to endorse the competing conclusions reached by private investigators, emphasizing information provided directly to law enforcement.

There had still been no arrests, no criminal charges and no confirmed discovery of DeOrr or his remains as of the 2025 anniversary reporting. DeOrr remains listed as a missing child with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which currently lists him as age 13.

Another development came in November 2025, when the Doe Network added DeOrr Jay Kunz Jr. to its missing-person database as case 6873DMID, giving the long-running case another public reference point for missing-person researchers and advocates.

More than ten years after DeOrr vanished from a small campground in the Idaho mountains, the central question remains unanswered: What happened to DeOrr Jay Kunz Jr.?