FRUITLAND, Idaho — "That's literally the place that he was buried."
That's what a newly posted YouTube video shows Stacey Wondra telling police about missing 5-year-old, Michael Vaughan of Fruitland. The video was taken in the Washington County Jail back in 2022, which is where Wondra was serving time for an unrelated charge. "Like underneath the dirt mound area. A little bit less, like closer to the house," said Stacey Wondra, guiding police via video call.
RELATED: Fruitland Police are testing for DNA in case of missing boy Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan went missing on July 27, 2021. Following a missing persons report, police were flooded with hundreds of tips but the young boy was never found.
Over a year later, police identified four possible suspects. Following a "credible tip" from someone who lived inside the home, police searched Sarah Wondra's home, including digging up her backyard in search of Michael's remains. Although no human remains were found on the property, police arrested Wondra for failing to report a death. The following year,those charges were dropped. Sarah Wondra's husband, Stacey Wondra was also named a suspect in Michael Vaughan's disappearance. The suspects' former backyard is within walking distance of where Michael was last seen.
Body Cam Footage
The new body cam footage, posted to YouTube on Wednesday, is actually from November 12, 2022, the same day authorities dug up and searched Sarah Wondra's yard.
"You're 10 thousand million percent positive he was back here in this backyard?" police asked Stacey Wondra at the time.
"Yes," he replied.
"You're the one that brought us here, so that's why we don't want to leave here unless we have Michael," said police over the video call.
Yet after a week of searching the premises, no human remains were discovered.
"It just doesn't make sense why he wouldn't, why he's not in the area that you guys are digging in," said Wondra while on the video call with police. In the body cam video, Wondra also says his wife, Sarah buried Michael. Stacey Wondra claims he is innocent. "Yeah, I had no— no. I can't even mow the yard, do you see me digging a hole that big?"
"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," said Wondra. "I'm distraught. I want this done and over with, this family has suffered way too long," added Wondra.
Family demands answers
In a statement to Idaho News 6 on Wednesday, Michael's mother Brandi told us: "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."
If you have any information regarding Michael Vaughan's whereabouts, please reach out to Idaho News 6 via our tip line at newstips@kivitv.com.
