Case Details
- Photo URLs:
-
- Missing Since:
- Missing Since 01/01/2003
- Missing From:
- Missing From Monument, Colorado
- Classification:
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Gender:
- Male
- Race:
- Race White
- Date of Birth:
- Date of Birth 01/29/1996 (28)
- Age:
- Age 7 years old
- Height and Weight:
- Height and Weight 4’2, 55 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description:
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Blond hair, blue eyes. Austin’s birth name is Austen Jean Bennett. He wears eyeglasses with thick lenses.
- Details of Disappearance:
- Austin and Edward, brothers with special needs, were adopted by Edward Eugene and Linda Kay Bryant in Colorado in 2000. The Bryants received substantial government payments for their care. In 2011, it was discovered that both boys were missing; Austin hadn’t been seen since 2003-2005, and Edward since 2001.
The other children in the Bryant household were told not to talk about the missing boys. The Bryants gave conflicting stories about the boys’ disappearances, initially claiming they were still home, then saying they’d gone to visit their biological mother. Finally, they admitted the boys hadn’t lived with them for years and said the boys had run away, but couldn’t agree on when.
Even after the boys were gone, the Bryants continued to receive government payments intended for their care. They also faked evidence to make it appear the boys were still alive. One of the Bryants’ adoptive sons and two foster children of their biological daughter eventually revealed Austin’s disappearance. They described abuse, including beatings, starvation, and being locked up.
The Bryants were arrested and charged with fraud for continuing to receive payments after the boys disappeared. They were not charged with the boys’ disappearance or alleged abuse. Linda received 42 years in prison, and Edward Eugene 30. Despite extensive searches, Austin and Edward have never been found, and authorities fear they may be dead. The case remains unsolved.
- Agency:
- El Paso County Sheriff’s Office 719-390-5555
- Source Links:
This person was missing Missing Since 01/01/2003