Michael Vaughan: Missing 5-year-old boy was allegedly buried in backyard but later moved, say police
FRUITLAND, IDAHO: The search for five-year-old Michael Vaughan seems to have reached another snag, with the Fruitland Police Department stating that the excavation of a backyard in the locality did not end with finding his body. Vaughan disappeared more than a year ago and is believed to be dead after all this time. Police have also said that they are on the lookout for two men whom they believe to have "firsthand knowledge of Michael’s abduction" but are not in town at the moment.
JD Huff, the Fruitland Police Chief, has said that the detectives believe that the boy was buried in the property, only to be moved someplace else later. The search began after police received a tip from a source that said that the body may be buried in the backyard of the house on Redwing Street.
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CrimeOnline reports that at the time of the search warrant being issued, Sarah Wondra, 35, was arrested on grounds on failing to report a death. She has been deemed mentally unfit to be part of the trial proceedings. The search was conducted with rigorous intensity, including the use of trained dogs sniffing the area for any signs of a body. While no body was ultimately found, the police reported that the dogs had found traces of human remains. Right now, the authorities have no further leads about where the body might be.
“Although the remains of Michael Vaughan were not recovered, we strongly believe based on evidence that Michael was abducted and is deceased, and that his remains were buried and later moved from the property,” Huff said. “As of today, the whereabouts of his remains are unknown.”
Huff believes that Sarah Wondra and her husband Stacy know what happened and “were involved in the abduction.” The police are also currently on the lookout for two other men who lived at the Wondra’s home and may have information about what really happened. The Wondra’s home is only half a mile away from where Vaughan had lived.
The men have been named too. The police has identified them as Brandon Shurtliff and Adrien Lucienne. It is believed that Shurtliff is now in North Dakota, while Lucienne is believed to be in Ohio right now. Lucienne, however, is reportedly prone to shuffling between California and Ohio. The authorities have said that both men have "firsthand knowledge of Michael’s abduction," though neither of them have been named as suspects in the crime. Huff has urged the men to come forward and contact the police, as he says that "the window of time for talking in cooperation is coming to a close."