In a recently uploaded video to Youtube, one of the suspects in the disappearance of a 5-year-old boy tells police where he believes the boy's body is buried.
The video was reportedly uploaded by Vaughan's mother, Brandi Neal and a family friend. Neal, told KTVB that they had posted the two-part video on two separate Youtube accounts.
The footage was captured on police body cameras. The Fruitland, Idaho police department has issued a statement saying that the video was inadvertently released as part of a records request and that the investigation is continuing. The entire statement is at the bottom of this story.
Stacey Wondra was a neighbor of Michael Vaughan when the child disappeared in July 2021. Wondra lived with three of other adults, including his wife Sarah.
In the video, Wondra is Facetiming with police, telling them where to look for Vaughan's body, KTVB-7 reported.
"Keep going out a little further... right under the mound, right to the right of the trees," Stacey said to detectives in the video, according to the station. "He should be wrapped in a garbage bag, white or black, we only have two colors."
Despite Wondra's directions to police, Vaughan's body was not found and remains missing.
In the video, Wondra states that Sarah buried the body: "I don't know how far she dug, to be honest with you."
Sarah is in prison on charges unrelated to the Vaughan case. The station reported that she likely will remain in prison until 2026 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence.
The Fruitland Police Department released the following statement regarding the video's release:
In response to the video footage released on January 15, 2025, we want to clarify that the video was inadvertently made public in 2023 following a public records request to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, where Stacey Wondra was being held at the time. The Fruitland Police Department and the Payette County Prosecutors Office are not responsible for the release of the footage.
In 2023, we submitted our case, including a probable cause affidavit, to the Payette County Prosecutor. Please note that the Fruitland Police Department does not control the pace of prosecution. However, we remain dedicated to investigating every lead and tip and will continue gathering evidence to support a successful prosecution.
We are in communication with a suspect in this case, and our hope is to gather more details that will lead us to Michael's remains.
As previously stated, we ask for your continued patience. If you have any information that could help locate Michael, we urge you to come forward.
