The man charged with the murder of a 5-year-old Idaho child, who disappeared in 2021, made a court appearance on Monday.
Recently unsealed court documents revealed that Stacey and Sarah Wondra, along with two of their roommates, were implicated in the kidnapping and death of Michael Vaughan. According to KTVB, Stacey Wondra, the sole individual facing charges, alleged that one roommate hatched a scheme to abduct a child and sell them, promising a $10,000 share for each participant.
Wondra purportedly stated that his wife instructed the group to follow her directives. He claimed the trio restrained Vaughan with duct tape, placed him in a duffel bag, and transported him to a roommate’s mother’s residence in Kuna.
Wondra further alleged that the group returned to Kuna, retrieved Vaughan’s body, and brought it back to their Fruitland home, where his wife and one of the roommates buried it in the backyard.
During a jail visit with his mother, Stacey Wondra reportedly confessed that his wife accidentally suffocated Vaughan, as reported by KTVB.
Despite these claims, Vaughan’s remains have yet to be found, even after police conducted an excavation of their yard two days following the confession, according to an Idaho News report.
KBOI reported that five cadaver dogs alerted investigators to the same spot in the backyard that Stacey Wondra highlighted. Investigators also zeroed in on replaced soil.
Stacey Wondra had been in an Arizona prison on unrelated charges when Indiana prosecutors charged him with second-degree kidnapping and destruction of evidence two weeks ago.
While Sarah Wondra was charged in 2022 with failing to report Vaughn’s disappearance, the charges were dropped the following year. The two roommates have not been criminally charged.
“You’re pure evil, you have no heart, you have no soul,” Vaughan’s mother told KIVI, referring to her son’s accused killer.
According to KBOI, police noted how the Wondras’ behavior changed after Vaughn’s abduction and presumed murder. Sarah Wondra allegedly posted hundreds of religious videos to social media, including one in which she discussed how she broke the Ten Commandments.
She was also accused of standing in town with signs urging the public to repent for their sins and that the end times are near.
Police also claimed that the couple changed their phones and cars. A truck that was possibly used in Vaughan’s abduction was repossessed shortly thereafter. Police said the vehicle was “thoroughly cleaned,” KBOI reported.
A neighbor reportedly claimed that they saw Vaughn riding a tricycle in the area on the day he vanished. However, another neighbor claimed they saw the same tricycle at the Wondras’ home during a garage sale months before the boy’s disappearance, according to KTVB.
Stacey Wondra is due back in court on December 15 for a status hearing. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for the following day.
[Feature Photo: Fruitland police]
