ID MICHAEL VAUGHAN: Missing from Fruitland, ID - 27 July 2021 - Age 5 *ARREST* (12 Viewers)

Search continues for missing and endangered 5-year-old in Fruitland, Idaho

Michael Vaughan was last seen near SW 9th Street and S. Arizona Ave. in Fruitland on Tuesday evening. Crews and neighbors were out all day looking for the boy.

www.ktvb.com

Search continues for missing and endangered 5-year-old in Fruitland, Idaho​

Michael Vaughn was last seen near SW 9th Street and S. Arizona Ave. in Fruitland on Tuesday evening. Crews and neighbors were out all day looking for the boy.

The search for a missing 5-year-old-year-old boy intensified Wednesday as it entered its second day.

Michael Vaughn was last seen near SW 9th Street and S. Arizona Avenue in Fruitland around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The Fruitland Police Department said Michael is considered missing and endangered.

Michael is about three feet, seven-inches tall and weighs 50 pounds. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. He answers to the nickname "Monkey."

Michael was wearing a light blue shirt with a Minecraft picture on it, dark blue boxer briefs and sandals.

Idaho Mountain Rescue brought in highly-trained and rescue personnel to assist in the search.

Crews from multiple agencies searched the area near Michael's home by ground and air by drone and helicopter. They also went door to door, talking with neighbors.

Right next to the boy's home is a field where crews spent much of the day searching for him.

Neighbors say they learned about his disappearance about an hour after he was reported missing. They say Michael is a happy kid who lives with his parents and grandfather.

Cynthia Walker was walking her dog as the search was happening.

"At five years old, I don't know that he would wander too far without one us seeing him by now," she said. "There are volunteers, many, many volunteers out searching, scanning the fields and we just want to have Michael back, we just want him home safe."





MEDIA - MICHAEL VAUGHN: Missing from Fruitland, ID since 27 July 2021 - Age 5

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

BREAKING: Stacey Wondra charged with murder in the case of missing Fruitland boy Michael Vaughan

BREAKING: New charges in the Michael Vaughan case. Stacey Wondra has been charged with murder and kidnapping.

www.kivitv.com

Wondra appeared in an Arizona courtroom on October 31 and formally waived his right to an extradition hearing. He will remain in custody in Arizona for up to 30 days, until Idaho law enforcement transfers him back to Payette County to face the new charges.

 

[Guess Who]

BREAKING: Stacey Wondra charged with murder in the case of missing Fruitland boy Michael Vaughan

BREAKING: New charges in the Michael Vaughan case. Stacey Wondra has been charged with murder and kidnapping.

www.kivitv.com

Wondra appeared in an Arizona courtroom on October 31 and formally waived his right to an extradition hearing. He will remain in custody in Arizona for up to 30 days, until Idaho law enforcement transfers him back to Payette County to face the new charges.

Happy Halloween, Mr Wondra

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Suspect in disappearance of Michael Vaughan appears in Payette court

Stacey Wondra appeared virtually in court on charges connected to Michael Vaughan's death.

www.ktvb.com

Suspect in disappearance of Michael Vaughan appears in Payette court​

Stacey Wondra, the man accused of kidnapping and killing Michael Vaughan, appeared virtually for his arraignment hearing Monday morning from the Payette County Jail, marking the latest development in a case that has spanned more than four years.

The routine hearing lasted approximately 10 minutes, with Wondra appearing via video conference.

The judge scheduled Wondra's preliminary hearing for Dec. 16.

Vaughan's mother, Brandi Neal, sent KTVB the following statement on Monday morning:

“I am glad he is back in Idaho. I am hoping he can give us the location of where Michael is. Justice will take care of the rest. The Prosecutors Office, Mike Duke, has been doing a great job. As well as the Fruitland Police. It’s been four years and they have never stopped. Even when things have slowed down, they have never stopped. Please if anyone has any information, or is scared to speak up, please find it in your heart to do so. I believe there are others that have knowledge of what happened to Michael.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Stacey Wondra held without bond in Payette County, arraigned on murder, kidnapping charges

Stacey Wondra is back in Payette County Court, where he is charged with murder and kidnapping of Michael Vaughan, a 5-year-old who went missing in Fruitland in 2021.

www.kivitv.com

Stacey Wondra held without bond in Payette County, arraigned on murder, kidnapping charges​

Stacey Wondra is back in Payette County Court, where he is charged with the murder and kidnapping of Michael Vaughan, a 5-year-old who went missing in Fruitland in July of 2021.

On Monday morning, Wondra was arraigned and appointed a public defender.

Justice John Meienhofer of the Third Judicial District of Idaho ruled that he will be held without bond.

Wondra, who was previously being held in a federal prison in Arizona on unrelated weapons charges, waived his right to an extradition hearing on Oct. 31 and was later transported back to Idaho to face charges of First-Degree Murder, kidnapping, destruction, alteration, or concealment of evidence, and being a persistent violator.

A preliminary hearing for Stacey Wondra is set for Dec. 16, 2025.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Affidavit reveals chilling details in Michael Vaughan case, implicates others

The Probable Cause Affidavit for Stacey Wondra’s arrest has been released by the courts in the case of Michael Vaughan.

www.kmvt.com

Affidavit reveals chilling details in Michael Vaughan case, implicates others​

The Probable Cause Affidavit for Stacey Wondra’s arrest has been released by the courts in the case of Michael Vaughan.

Stacey Wondra told police that all four members of his household were involved in the abduction and murder of then five-year-old Michael “Monkey” Vaughan, including his wife, Sarah Wondra, and their two sublets, Brandon Shurtliff and Adrien Lucienne.

A neighbor told police that she witnessed Michael riding a tricycle near the Wondra home at the time he went missing. That same tricycle was seen in the Wondras’ garage before the abduction. Live sent dogs showed interest in the area where Michael went missing, where the tricycle was later found discarded, and the Wondra house.

The PCA shows that police believe Sarah Wondra’s behavior changed drastically after Michael went missing. She began posting hundreds of religious videos to social media, speaking about how she had broken all ten of the Ten Commandments, but that God had forgiven her. She also began allegedly standing near the Loves in town with signs saying to repent of your sins and that the end is near.

Sarah and Stacey began changing their phones and their vehicles. A GMC pickup that police believe may have been involved in the abduction was repossessed shortly after Michael went missing. Police say it was reported to have been “thoroughly cleaned.”

Stacey told police during one of several interviews he did that Michael was duct taped and placed inside a duffel bag. He claims that Brandon and Adrien helped. Stacey vomited while explaining to the police that they then placed the duffel bag in the back of the pickup and drove him to Brandon’s mother’s home in Kuna, but Michael was dead by the time they arrived.

The affidavit reports that five certified cadaver K9 teams were deployed to the Wondra home in November 2022, and that all five dogs alerted in the same area of the backyard identified by Stacey. Detectives noted evidence of disturbed or replaced soil in that portion of the yard.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

 

[Guess Who]

So trafficking was the plan but they couldn't keep him alive long enough to do that, is that what I'm seeing?

My phone is acting up when trying to open the docs and computer has been shut down, so that why I'm questioning what I think I'm seeing.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Key points from the affidavit:

1. Search dogs traced Michael's scent, and out of over 300 homes in the area only showed interest in the Wondra's home.
2. A tricycle that Michael was seen riding had come from the Wondra's garage. The tricycle had then been discarded in another location that Michael's scent was tracked to.
3. The video of a male seen walking near the splash pad that police had asked for help identifying, turned out to be Brandon Shurtliff, who was living with the Wondra's. (See post 196-199, & 332)
4. Cell phone tower data and surveillance show all 4 were home when Michael disappeared, despite their statements to the contrary.
5. The Wondra's both sold their cell phones, lost/sold their vehicles, and discarded furniture after Michael's disappearance.
6. Sarah's mom Kay said Sarah & Stacey had a dog that dug large holes in the backyard. She also mentioned the dog had recently dug up piece of a green stuffed animal.
7. A year later, Stacey said he wanted a "deal" in Michael's case and admitted Michael had been at their home. He said Sarah carried him inside. At one point he was given a green stuffed animal to keep him calm/quiet. He said Sarah and the other two men duct taped Michael and put him in a duffel bag. Then they drove him in the bed of a truck to Kuna and took him inside Brandon's mom's house, still inside the bag. They left, and went back to Fruitland. The next day they returned to Kuna, found Michael had died, and brought his body back to Fruitland. He said Sarah and Adrien dug the hole, Brandon was "on guard", and he was just inside.
8. Stacey said that it was Adrien's idea to take a child and sell him, and that they'd each get a cut. But he accidentally died by suffocation and was buried.
9. Stacey provided the details to LE on where Michael was buried in the yard. He did so after confessing to his mother, writing an apology letter to Michael's parents, and attempting to hang himself in his jail cell. (At this time, Sarah was out of jail and could have moved any evidence. Areas of the yard appeared to have been filled-in / resodded. Sarah's parents said they did this in spots where the dog had dug.)

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

So trafficking was the plan but they couldn't keep him alive long enough to do that, is that what I'm seeing?

My phone is acting up when trying to open the docs and computer has been shut down, so that why I'm questioning what I think I'm seeing.

That appears to be the story. Stacey (arrested) said that it was one of the other men's ideas to "take a child" and sell him. Apparently Sarah said "follow my lead" and came back to the house with Michael.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

And I hope these people feel like a big pile of steaming horse manure.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Michael "Monkey" Vaughan's mother wants justice​

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

For those who prefer their news in video format:

 

[GrandmaBear]

Long read. I don't believe some of what he says, for instance, almost everything that was done was blamed on the other three.

I'm not sure I believe he died in the duffel bag either, or that trafficking was the plan or the reason behind this.

If he died in the duffel bag, that would not be first degree murder would it? Not sure.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

If he died in the duffel bag, that would not be first degree murder would it? Not sure.

In Idaho, you can be charged with first degree murder if the death occurs during another crime, like kidnapping.

Murder in Idaho law - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

https://www.findlaw.com/state/idaho-law/idaho-first-degree-murder.html

https://law.justia.com/codes/idaho/title-18/chapter-40/section-18-4003/

 

[GrandmaBear]

It is also odd they took him to the mother's property but then returned with him to Fruitland to bury him... If true, why I wonder?

I don't entirely understand the trike being in their garage before Michael disappeared it said... Is it possible they mean before he was reported missing? And was it Michael's pink trike or dd it belong to someone else?

 

[GrandmaBear]

In Idaho, you can be charged with first degree murder if the death occurs during another crime, like kidnapping.

Murder in Idaho law - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

https://www.findlaw.com/state/idaho-law/idaho-first-degree-murder.html

https://law.justia.com/codes/idaho/title-18/chapter-40/section-18-4003/

Okay. Thank you. Still not sure I believe his version though. I don't doubt their involvement, just some of the things he said which to me minimize.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I don't entirely understand the trike being in their garage before Michael disappeared it said... Is it possible they mean before he was reported missing? And was it Michael's pink trike or dd it belong to someone else?

The tricycle belonged to the Wondra's, or at least it had been in their possession. Another witness saw the tricycle in the Wondra's garage during a spring 2021 yard sale, prior to July 2021.
Michael was apparently seen riding it the day of his disappearance.
About a week later, a neighbor found the tricycle in another area (over a bluff and under a tree). The neighbor removed the tricycle from this location and took it home, eventually leaving it somewhere else for kids to use. Michael's scent was traced to this location (bluff/tree location) after the tricycle was moved.

 

[GrandmaBear]

The tricycle belonged to the Wondra's, or at least it had been in their possession. Another witness saw the tricycle in the Wondra's garage during a spring 2021 yard sale, prior to July 2021.
Michael was apparently seen riding it the day of his disappearance.
About a week later, a neighbor found the tricycle in another area (over a bluff and under a tree). The neighbor removed the tricycle from this location and took it home, eventually leaving it somewhere else for kids to use. Michael's scent was traced to this location (bluff/tree location) after the tricycle was moved.

So would that mean Michael took the trike out of their garage, that's what I'm wondering? If he was seen riding it, he amost must have no?

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

So would that mean Michael took the trike out of their garage, that's what I'm wondering? If he was seen riding it, he amost must have no?

He either took it, or that was part of their "plan" to "get a kid". Saw Michael wandering around the neighborhood and offered to let him ride it. (Pure speculation based on what's been said. Like you, I don't believe everything Stacey says either.)

 

[GrandmaBear]

He either took it, or that was part of their "plan" to "get a kid". Saw Michael wandering around the neighborhood and offered to let him ride it. (Pure speculation based on what's been said. Like you, I don't believe everything Stacey says either.)

if he took it, what crosses my mind is perhaps they were angry he was in their garage, on their property, etc. (since don't necessarily believe his version of what happened or why). i guess they also could have offered the trike to sweeten him up before taking him but seems unlikely, why not just take him at that point when he is in their garage, etc...