ID MICHAEL VAUGHAN: Missing from Fruitland, ID - 27 July 2021 - Age 5

1639627999515.png 1627521508522.png

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."

1627521579965.png 1627521602951.png 1627521804089.png

1627521701987.png 1627521721576.png


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

Attachments

  • 1627521844890.png
    1627521844890.png
    182 KB · Views: 706
Last edited:

'I'm here to clear my name': One of the suspects in Michael Vaughan's disappearance says he wasn't involved​

One of the people Fruitland police is now calling a suspect in the abduction of Michael "Monkey" Vaughan spoke to 7 Investigates for the first time.

Fruitland Police Chief JD Huff confirmed Stacey Wondra is a suspect in the little boy's disappearance. His wife Sarah was previously charged with failure to report Michael's death, but that charge was dropped several months later. However, she remains a suspect.

Along with the Wondras, police labeled two men who lived with them, Adrien Lucienne and Brandon Shurtliff, suspects who absolutely know what happened to Michael.

Fruitland police sent probable cause to the Payette County Prosecutor last summer to be presented to a grand jury. Chief Huff said a grand jury hasn't convened yet but they will soon.


Although that case centers around the Wondra's and their roommates, Stacey Wondra told 7 Investigates' Morgan Romero he knows nothing about Michael's abduction.

"I'm here to clear my name," Wondra said, "I can't give you an accurate answer whether I think [Brandon, Sarah and Adrien] had something to do with it or not. It's legitimately like I don't know if they did. It's a hypothetical guess. I mean, anything is possible."

It has been two months since he was released from federal custody, convicted of a gun crime unrelated to the disappearance of little Michael.

"I have no reason to hide anything from anyone. I'm not the type of person. Like I announced on my YouTube videos, I'm an open book, you can ask me anything. And I will tell you an honest answer to it," Wondra said.

When asked outright if he was involved in the disappearance of Michael Vaughan, Wondra immediately answered "no." He claims he has "no idea" why police believe he was involved.

Wondra believes law enforcement's case may hinge on Adrien, who was living with he and Sarah at the time Michael disappeared. When he was asked if there were clues or evidence that could point to that, he said there was none.

"I would never have thought Sarah, Brandon or Adrien would - again, maybe Adrien - but I wouldn't have thought Sarah or Brandon would have ever done something like this," Wondra said. "I was not even home on the night of the disappearance or during the day. I know that that night, nighttime, Sarah, Brandon and I had left to Kuna to go recover [Brandon's] - tow [Brandon's] vehicle."

Wondra elaborated about the day:

"Yeah. So, I did a taxi ride from Ontario to Boise. I know that I was gone a good portion of the day from, like, 1 in the afternoon till about 4. Had spent some time with a former coworker or boss that I used to work for. I think it's about maybe an hour, hour and a half. And then had come back home. And the neighborhood was completely solitude. It was quiet, there was peace. And there was no activity at all," he said.

Wondra claims he, Brandon and Sarah left their house and headed to Kuna to tow Brandon's car between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on July 27, 2021. Brandon blew a spark plug and couldn't drive the car, he said.

Fruitland police believe "Monkey" went missing between 6:40 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Police said in a December 2022 news conference they had searched a home in Kuna without a warrant, but did not elaborate. Law enforcement does not need a warrant if the homeowner lets them inside willingly.

In early 2023, Brandon Shurtliff's mother confirmed to 7 Investigates that police came to search her Kuna home more than once.

"They came back with 17 cars, dogs and shovels, and dug where the dog alluded to the following day. They found nothing but my leaking toilet," Shurtliff's mother Tina Morreale wrote via Facebook Messenger in early 2023. "We have cooperated fully since this all began."

At that time, Huff said he could not elaborate on Morreale's comments due to the nature of the investigation.

Wondra said when they got back, sometime between 9 and 10 p.m. that night, they noticed an excessive amount of people walking around the neighborhood down 8th Street.

"We had stopped and asked what was going on and they said that a boy had been abducted or been taken and it was news to me and it was news to Sarah, from what it seemed like, and Brandon.," Wondra said. "We then carried on and went home and at the time we got home Brandon and Sarah decided they were gonna go look for the boy and I was in the process of getting the vehicle detached from the truck because it was taking up the whole length of the street pretty much."

Wondra later clarified to 7 Investigates that he was not initially told Michael was abducted, just that he was missing.

"Adrien and Brandon and Sarah all took a trip to Boise in the morning before I did my taxi ride. And it was Adrien wanted to go see his kid and his baby mama or whatever was gonna bring his kid to him to see him and meet them wherever they were, like Applebee's or somewhere," Wondra said.

He claims Adrien stayed in either Boise or Nampa all night.

When asked if he knew that for a fact or if that was just what they told him, Wondra said that is what he is going on based off what they said.

"I was told the same thing that's all over, you know, by them. So I mean, that's all I have to go by. I wasn't with them," he said.

Wondra was also asked about the cadaver dogs and what police told him about the dogs hitting on the property. He said they really didn't give him an explanation.

"They just said that the dogs had hit around the property.," he said. "But I mean, there was nothing. I don't even know how that's even feasible because like I said, I've never even heard of this kid. I've never seen this kid, never knew anything about him."

Police said that they believe Michael's body was buried in the Wondra's backyard and then moved. Wondra said he could not think of anytime the body could have been buried or moved.

"They were saying that he was buried by the shed. Makes no absolutely no sense.," Wondra said. "There's no there's been no dig marks. There's no trench marks.
There's nothing. The ground was completely a complete grassed area. I don't even see how it seems feasible."

When asked if it could have happened when he was not around and then be covered up, he said it was possible.

"I just know that I wasn't around for any of it. You know, I have no idea. I would like to know what happened to him," he said.


He added that he does not know what is in the probable cause affidavit police sent to prosecutors, the one police said centers around him, Sarah, Adrien and Brandon. Additionally, that he doesn't think the police have anything on him, but did not know if there was any evidence against his wife.

"I personally know for a fact they don't have anything against me or on me. I have not, I have no knowledge. I, again, I wasn't at home. I have no knowledge of this, who this little boy is, his whereabouts or anything about him," he said.

Police said they recovered several pieces of evidence at the Wondra home and property. He said he did not know what those things could be.

"Not at all," Wondra said. "It's news to me."

In his interview with the YouTuber, Wondra said his attorney told him he's no longer a person of interest in Michael's abduction. Chief huff says that's not true.

When 7 Investigates called his attorney to get a straight answer, the attorney said "he has no comment at this time" and hung up the phone.

7 Investigates also reached out to Michael's mom Brandi Neal to inform her about this interview; Neal was appreciative and said the most important thing in the world is to get Michael home.
So PER him, THREE of them were gone in the window of time Michael disappeared. According to his time line. Left between 5:30 and 6:00 and not back until 9 or 10. He's not tight on it and gives a range. Can LE show otherwise?

His answers are all pretty vague and that could be because he knows nothing or it could be because he doesn't know what they have on him/them.

It does put three of them together at the time Michael disappeared.
 
So PER him, THREE of them were gone in the window of time Michael disappeared. According to his time line. Left between 5:30 and 6:00 and not back until 9 or 10. He's not tight on it and gives a range. Can LE show otherwise?
Well, you know, LE has that video of vehicles coming and going from the neighborhood which either supports or contradicts his timeline and if it's supportive, then perhaps that's at least one reason why there are no charges.
 
Well, you know, LE has that video of vehicles coming and going from the neighborhood which either supports or contradicts his timeline and if it's supportive, then perhaps that's at least one reason why there are no charges.
Or they simply have a DA that wants more and the body too and they have time as murder has no statute of limitations.

But yes it could corroborate or disprove.

In listening to him, I don't believe him with quite a bit of it. I feel he is careful and testing and hoping to see a response or reaction to get a hint of what LE has... Or something on that order...

Of course one or two or all could have been involved, not involved or some more than others...

I find it hard to believe the/their/his alibis are solid as if they were, LE would not be where they are at with this, naming or charging... No?
 

'I'm here to clear my name': One of the suspects in Michael Vaughan's disappearance says he wasn't involved​

One of the people Fruitland police is now calling a suspect in the abduction of Michael "Monkey" Vaughan spoke to 7 Investigates for the first time.

Fruitland Police Chief JD Huff confirmed Stacey Wondra is a suspect in the little boy's disappearance. His wife Sarah was previously charged with failure to report Michael's death, but that charge was dropped several months later. However, she remains a suspect.

Along with the Wondras, police labeled two men who lived with them, Adrien Lucienne and Brandon Shurtliff, suspects who absolutely know what happened to Michael.

Fruitland police sent probable cause to the Payette County Prosecutor last summer to be presented to a grand jury. Chief Huff said a grand jury hasn't convened yet but they will soon.


Although that case centers around the Wondra's and their roommates, Stacey Wondra told 7 Investigates' Morgan Romero he knows nothing about Michael's abduction.

"I'm here to clear my name," Wondra said, "I can't give you an accurate answer whether I think [Brandon, Sarah and Adrien] had something to do with it or not. It's legitimately like I don't know if they did. It's a hypothetical guess. I mean, anything is possible."

It has been two months since he was released from federal custody, convicted of a gun crime unrelated to the disappearance of little Michael.

"I have no reason to hide anything from anyone. I'm not the type of person. Like I announced on my YouTube videos, I'm an open book, you can ask me anything. And I will tell you an honest answer to it," Wondra said.

When asked outright if he was involved in the disappearance of Michael Vaughan, Wondra immediately answered "no." He claims he has "no idea" why police believe he was involved.

Wondra believes law enforcement's case may hinge on Adrien, who was living with he and Sarah at the time Michael disappeared. When he was asked if there were clues or evidence that could point to that, he said there was none.

"I would never have thought Sarah, Brandon or Adrien would - again, maybe Adrien - but I wouldn't have thought Sarah or Brandon would have ever done something like this," Wondra said. "I was not even home on the night of the disappearance or during the day. I know that that night, nighttime, Sarah, Brandon and I had left to Kuna to go recover [Brandon's] - tow [Brandon's] vehicle."

Wondra elaborated about the day:

"Yeah. So, I did a taxi ride from Ontario to Boise. I know that I was gone a good portion of the day from, like, 1 in the afternoon till about 4. Had spent some time with a former coworker or boss that I used to work for. I think it's about maybe an hour, hour and a half. And then had come back home. And the neighborhood was completely solitude. It was quiet, there was peace. And there was no activity at all," he said.

Wondra claims he, Brandon and Sarah left their house and headed to Kuna to tow Brandon's car between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on July 27, 2021. Brandon blew a spark plug and couldn't drive the car, he said.

Fruitland police believe "Monkey" went missing between 6:40 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Police said in a December 2022 news conference they had searched a home in Kuna without a warrant, but did not elaborate. Law enforcement does not need a warrant if the homeowner lets them inside willingly.

In early 2023, Brandon Shurtliff's mother confirmed to 7 Investigates that police came to search her Kuna home more than once.

"They came back with 17 cars, dogs and shovels, and dug where the dog alluded to the following day. They found nothing but my leaking toilet," Shurtliff's mother Tina Morreale wrote via Facebook Messenger in early 2023. "We have cooperated fully since this all began."

At that time, Huff said he could not elaborate on Morreale's comments due to the nature of the investigation.

Wondra said when they got back, sometime between 9 and 10 p.m. that night, they noticed an excessive amount of people walking around the neighborhood down 8th Street.

"We had stopped and asked what was going on and they said that a boy had been abducted or been taken and it was news to me and it was news to Sarah, from what it seemed like, and Brandon.," Wondra said. "We then carried on and went home and at the time we got home Brandon and Sarah decided they were gonna go look for the boy and I was in the process of getting the vehicle detached from the truck because it was taking up the whole length of the street pretty much."

Wondra later clarified to 7 Investigates that he was not initially told Michael was abducted, just that he was missing.

"Adrien and Brandon and Sarah all took a trip to Boise in the morning before I did my taxi ride. And it was Adrien wanted to go see his kid and his baby mama or whatever was gonna bring his kid to him to see him and meet them wherever they were, like Applebee's or somewhere," Wondra said.

He claims Adrien stayed in either Boise or Nampa all night.

When asked if he knew that for a fact or if that was just what they told him, Wondra said that is what he is going on based off what they said.

"I was told the same thing that's all over, you know, by them. So I mean, that's all I have to go by. I wasn't with them," he said.

Wondra was also asked about the cadaver dogs and what police told him about the dogs hitting on the property. He said they really didn't give him an explanation.

"They just said that the dogs had hit around the property.," he said. "But I mean, there was nothing. I don't even know how that's even feasible because like I said, I've never even heard of this kid. I've never seen this kid, never knew anything about him."

Police said that they believe Michael's body was buried in the Wondra's backyard and then moved. Wondra said he could not think of anytime the body could have been buried or moved.

"They were saying that he was buried by the shed. Makes no absolutely no sense.," Wondra said. "There's no there's been no dig marks. There's no trench marks.
There's nothing. The ground was completely a complete grassed area. I don't even see how it seems feasible."

When asked if it could have happened when he was not around and then be covered up, he said it was possible.

"I just know that I wasn't around for any of it. You know, I have no idea. I would like to know what happened to him," he said.


He added that he does not know what is in the probable cause affidavit police sent to prosecutors, the one police said centers around him, Sarah, Adrien and Brandon. Additionally, that he doesn't think the police have anything on him, but did not know if there was any evidence against his wife.

"I personally know for a fact they don't have anything against me or on me. I have not, I have no knowledge. I, again, I wasn't at home. I have no knowledge of this, who this little boy is, his whereabouts or anything about him," he said.

Police said they recovered several pieces of evidence at the Wondra home and property. He said he did not know what those things could be.

"Not at all," Wondra said. "It's news to me."

In his interview with the YouTuber, Wondra said his attorney told him he's no longer a person of interest in Michael's abduction. Chief huff says that's not true.

When 7 Investigates called his attorney to get a straight answer, the attorney said "he has no comment at this time" and hung up the phone.

7 Investigates also reached out to Michael's mom Brandi Neal to inform her about this interview; Neal was appreciative and said the most important thing in the world is to get Michael home.
"I'm here to clear my name," Wondra said, "I can't give you an accurate answer whether I think [Brandon, Sarah and Adrien] had something to do with it or not. It's legitimately like I don't know if they did. It's a hypothetical guess. I mean, anything is possible.".

Really?. You don't know anything. I CALL BULLSH**!!! I just don't know how he couldn't.
 
"I'm here to clear my name," Wondra said, "I can't give you an accurate answer whether I think [Brandon, Sarah and Adrien] had something to do with it or not. It's legitimately like I don't know if they did. It's a hypothetical guess. I mean, anything is possible.".

Really?. You don't know anything. I CALL BULLSH**!!! I just don't know how he couldn't.
I agree. All of his answers were like dancing around any truth and a bunch of I don't knows. I don't think she or they ever would BUT I can't know but can't believe it. All I know is I WAS NOT THERE etc. but no she couldn't have wouldn't have but can I know for sure, uh no...

My best guess and feeling is he is trying to get himself out of it but doesn't dare tick off the others or claim they did it... Or they'll turn on him...

I don't know. I only know he convinced me of nothing.
 
In one breath he says he doesn't know if they did it. In another, he says at least 2 of the others were WITH HIM and NOT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD when Michael disappeared. He should at least be able to say "these two couldn't have because they were with me and I wasn't there". But instead he says he doesn't know if they could have? Not adding up.
 
In one breath he says he doesn't know if they did it. In another, he says at least 2 of the others were WITH HIM and NOT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD when Michael disappeared. He should at least be able to say "these two couldn't have because they were with me and I wasn't there". But instead he says he doesn't know if they could have? Not adding up.
Exactly. You worded it well. There was nothing in it that made me think oh my poor guy it is clear he is innocent and with the others it was are they or aren't they? Yeah 3 were gone TOGETHER at the supposed time... Well then... Huh?
 
In one breath he says he doesn't know if they did it. In another, he says at least 2 of the others were WITH HIM and NOT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD when Michael disappeared. He should at least be able to say "these two couldn't have because they were with me and I wasn't there". But instead he says he doesn't know if they could have? Not adding up.
My impression is that he only wanted to speak for himself, that he didn't want to speak for other people as to what those people were doing when he wasn't with them.
 
My impression is that he only wanted to speak for himself, that he didn't want to speak for other people as to what those people were doing when he wasn't with them.
He PUTS himself with them and basically alibis himself and two others at the time of Michael's disappearance so I am not sure how you think that?

I'm not saying the alibi is solid but that's what he did and said. In doing so, he cannot remove just himself nor not include himself. So he did speak for them with that comment.
 
I would sure like to see some solid evidence. Sandra Wondra was beyond mentally ill and possibly delusional (my opinion) when she was detained.

Is this the case where something was said about his scooter?
 
I would sure like to see some solid evidence. Sandra Wondra was beyond mentally ill and possibly delusional (my opinion) when she was detained.

Is this the case where something was said about his scooter?
There were a LOT of rumors flying around. I seem to recall something about a scooter. But nothing has ever been said by LE about a scooter. Only by, I think, a neighbor.

I'd love to dismiss her confession as delusions. But I have more trouble dismissing cadaver dogs hitting on the backyard.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
3,010
Messages
241,178
Members
972
Latest member
Frotroge
Back
Top Bottom