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Police in southwestern Idaho have arrested a woman in connection with the disappearance of a 5-year-old boy who went missing more than a year ago.
Fruitland Police Chief J.D. Huff said investigators believe Sarah Wondra, 35, may have had knowledge of the child’s death, CBS affiliate KMTV reported. She is charged with failing or delaying notification of a death, a felony.
Court records do not show if Wondra has an attorney. She was scheduled to make her first court appearance Monday afternoon.
Michael Vaughan was last seen July 27, 2021, outside his family home in the rural southwestern Idaho town of Fruitland, about 50 miles northwest of Boise. According to the Idaho State Police, Vaughan was last seen wearing a light-blue Minecraft shirt, black boxer briefs and sandals.
Police and other law enforcement agencies searched the region for months, but no sign of the child was found. The boy’s 6th birthday was on June 24, 2022.
On Saturday investigators began searching again, using a tractor and specially-trained cadaver dogs to dig up the backyard of a house in Fruitland not far from Vaughan’s home.
“During the course of the investigation we received information the remains of Michael Vaughan might be found … As a result we obtained a search warrant,” Huff said on Saturday.
On Monday, Huff told Boise television station KTVB reported that a credible lead brought police to the home, and that Wondra was one of the occupants.
“We do not believe she is the only person that has knowledge of this and we will be seeking out those people who could possibly be connected,” Huff said.
Investigators have excavated much of the backyard of the home looking for Vaughan’s remains. Huff said they intend to excavate the entire yard.
“This is arduous work,” Huff said, according to KMTV. “It’s going to take us a while to get this done. But we’re not going to stop. We’re pretty confident in the information we received.”
