What we know: Michael Vaughan

CBS2 — December 1st, 2022 - Fruitland Police Chief JD Huff believes Michael Vaughan is deceased. Police have not found his remains, but continue searching for them. Police believe four people are involved in his abduction.

Sarah Wondra is in custody for failing to report a death to law enforcement. Her husband Stacey is also in custody on unrelated charges.

Police want to question at least two others about the case. Brandon Shurtliff of Kuna, Idaho is believed to be in North Dakota. Adrien Lucienne of Toledo, Ohio is currently believed to be in Toeldo but floats between California and Ohio. Police believe that both Shurtliff and Lucienne have first-hand knowledge of Michael’s abduction

Officers believe Michael was buried at the property on Redwing street and that his remains were then moved to an unknown location.

Read detailed information here.

About Michael Vaughan

He would be 6 years-old.

His family also called him "Monkey."

Michael disappeared from his Fruitland home on July 27, 2021.

Fruitland Police began looking for him after being reported missing.

Posters, flyers, and news coverage have led to 1,500 tips and dozens of people being interviewed by Police.

Brandy Neal, Michael's Mother, has made several public appeals for help and information regarding the disappearance of her son. "I don't understand why that day was so different," Neal said in an interview on December 12, 2021. "One minute he's here, and people see him, and the next he's gone."

Governor Little signs "Monkey's law"

On Wednesday, April 27, 2022, Gov. Brad Little signed a law that creates a new missing person alert statewide. It's known as Monkey's Law, the nickname of Michael Vaughan. The law establishes an emergency alert system that is parallel to the Amber Alert.

Police spread the word about Michael's disappearance

On Friday, August 19, 2022, The Fruitland Police Department and the Idaho Missing Persons Clearinghouse announced they were working with Washington State's Homeward Bound program to find Michael Vaughan. The Homeward Bound Project places pictures of missing people on semi-trailers that travel across North America in hopes of generating leads.

Search for Michael's remains

On Saturday, November 12, 2022, Fruitland Police began searching the backyard of the residence near Michael's home. At the time, Chief Huff told CBS2 there was a high probability of remains on the property.

First arrest

On November 14, 2022, police arrested Sarah Wondra. Wondra lives at the home police have been searching. She is accused of failing to report a death to the coroner. On November 21, a judge determined she is mentally unfit to proceed and postponed her court dates. Her status conference is now scheduled for Dec. 23.

Sarah Wondra's status hearing

Sarah Wondra, the woman accused of failing to notify police of Michael Vaughan's death did not appear in court Monday, February 6th, as scheduled. Wondra is currently being evaluated by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for competency to stand trial. By law, the court has to check in with defendants every 90 days to avoid people being lost in the system while awaiting trial.

IDHW reports that Wondra's evaluation is ongoing. Her next hearing is scheduled for March 20, 2023. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, February 7th, but with Wondra, still under evaluation that hearing has been postponed until IDHW can complete its evaluation.

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