The man accused of murdering a 5-year-old Idaho boy who vanished in 2021 appeared in court Monday.
Court documents unsealed Monday stated that Stacey and Sarah Wondra and their two roommates were all involved in Michael Vaughan’s abduction and death. Stacey Wondra, the only person charged, claimed one of the roommates’ devised a plan to kidnap a child and sell them — to which they would get a $10,000 cut, according to KTVB.
Stacey Wondra allegedly claimed that his wife told them to follow her lead. He said the three others tied up Vaughan with duct tape and put him in a duffel bag before he took him to one of his roommates’ mother’s homes in Kuna.
He stated that the three others returned to Kuna and returned Vaughan’s body to their home in Fruitland, where his wife and a roommate buried him in the backyard.
According to KTVB, Stacey Wondra explained during a jail visit with his mother that his wife accidentally suffocated Vaughan.
Despite Stacey Wondra’s alleged admission, Vaughan’s body has not been located despite police excavating their yard two days later.
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.
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[Feature Photo: Fruitland police]
