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Michael Vaughan went missing on July 27, 2021, in Fruitland, Idaho when he was 5-years-old. Recent developments in the case of his disappearance include the leak of a video interview with a man suspected of being involved in the case. Vaughan went missing from his home in Fruitland over three years ago, and despite ongoing investigations, his whereabouts or remains are yet to be discovered.
Stacy Wondra and his wife, Sarah Wondra, were named as suspects after Sarah was initially arrested over a year ago on charges related to failing to report a death to the coroner. However, those charges were later dropped. Sarah Wondra has been in jail on unrelated charges since that time, and the investigation into Michael Vaughan's disappearance continues.
In the new bodycam video from 2022 that's been leaked, Stacey Wondra can be seen talking to the police and saying:
"That's literally the place that he was buried."
Although the authorities had combed Sarah Wondra and Stacey Wondra's home and no human remains were found, in the video, Stacey Wondra can be seen urging:
"It just doesn't make sense why he wouldn't, why he's not in the area that you guys are digging in.”
He then went on to suggest that his wife, Sarah must've moved the body when he wasn't home. Stacey said:
"Like I said, Sarah could have done something with [the body] when I wasn't home. Knowing that she knew that I had seen where she was digging, I'm distraught. I want this done and over with, this family has suffered way too long.”
Current updates on the Michael Vaughan case
Since the leaked footage has come to the fore, the City of Fruitland Police has issued a statement regarding the same. They clarified that the footage, which was released on January 15, 2025, was unintentionally made public in 2023 through a public records request from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, where Stacey Wondra was being held at the time. The Fruitland Police Department and Payette County Prosecutor's Office were not responsible for the leak.
According to the statement, the case was submitted to the Payette County Prosecutor in 2023, and although the police are actively investigating and following up on all leads, they do not control the pace of the prosecution. They are in contact with a suspect and hope to gather more information to locate Michael Vaughan's remains.
While speaking to Idaho News 6, Michael Vaughan's mother said:
"I want answers. Our family is tired of these monsters not telling the truth. Our precious son is out there. They refuse to tell us where, and people in this very community are helping them remain quiet."
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Since the investigation began, limited information has been released to the public, including details about why police searched for the boy's body in the backyard of Stacy and Sarah Wondra's home at 1102 Redwing St. in November 2022.
The department continues to encourage the public to submit any helpful information to [email protected] or Crime Stoppers and assures that tips can remain anonymous.
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