Fruitland police: Reason to believe more people know about missing boy’s ‘abduction, death’
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Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman
FRUITLAND (Idaho Statesman) — The Fruitland Police Department offered an update in the case of a missing Idaho boy on Tuesday evening, and posted on Facebook that the slow process of excavating a yard in the search for evidence continues.
Over the weekend, police in the Idaho-Oregon border town began digging up a yard half-a-mile from where Michael Vaughan went missing on July 27, 2021, when he was 5 years old. Sarah Wondra, one of the residents of the home where the search is taking place, was arraigned Monday on a charge of failure to report a death in connection with the case.
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In the post, police said they received “credible information” that Michael’s remains could be found in the backyard of the home on Redwing Street. The post did not say whether police have recovered any evidence or remains, and officials have not commented on that publicly.
According to the Facebook post, police believe more people know about “the abduction and death of Michael Vaughan.”
Officials said the excavation at Wondra’s house will continue.
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“At this stage in the investigation it is important that nothing is missed, so law enforcement will and continue to excavate and search the property,” police said in the post. “It’s a slow process, but we will continue until we’re confident that the search of the property is complete.”
The department said it has investigated more than 1,500 leads since Michael went missing last summer and received additional information since its search began late Friday.
Anyone with information about the case can send tips to findmichael@fruitland.org or to Crime Stoppers at 343COPS.com. Tips may remain anonymous.