Late last month, prosecutors hinted that criminal charges are possibly forthcoming in the unsolved 2021 disappearance of a 5-year-old Idaho boy.
Prosecutor Mike Duke told the Argus Observer that he expects charges in the Michael Vaughan case but undisclosed issues are complicating the matter. Vaughan has not been seen since he reportedly walked out of his Fruitland home more than two years ago.
While local resident Sandra Wondra was charged in November with failing to notify authorities of Vaughan’s death, that charge was dropped in April without prejudice — meaning it could be refiled in the future. Wondra reportedly has no connection to Vaughan or his family but she lived near where he was last seen in 2021.
Though police dug up Wondra’s backyard in search of Vaughan, they turned up nothing.
Wondra remains jailed as she was sentenced in October to at least three years in prison for an unrelated firearm charge. She is awaiting federal trial for a gun charge that is also unrelated to Vaughan’s disappearance.
It is unclear who may be criminally charged in Vaughan’s case, as Duke did not disclose this information to the Argus Observer. It is also unknown what charges will be filed, or when that is to happen.
A Facebook page dedicated to Vaughan’s case recently said that recommended charges are pending upon a grand jury hearing. However, an official with the Payette County Courthouse told the Argus Leader that no grand jury hearings are scheduled.
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[Featured image: Michael Joseph Vaughan/Fruitland Police Department]
