BOISE, Idaho — The mother of missing Fruitland boy Michael Vaughan told KTVB she is "disheartened" and "upset" after charges against the only person who has been charged in her son's disappearance so far were dismissed on Monday.
However, Vaughan's mother Brandi Neal said she is confident in the law enforcement investigating the case.
"I know police are steadfast in their ongoing investigation and in bringing justice for Michael," Neal said.
She said she can't comment on why the prosecutor's office asked for the case to be dismissed, but she does say one thing to anyone with any involvement in Vaughan's disappearance -- charges are forthcoming.
She asked for the public to keep Vaughan's "beautiful face out there because we still need answers and tips and information from people who aren't talking."
The case against Sarah Wondra, 35, was dismissed by the judge Monday morning at the request of the prosecutor's office.
Wondra was charged with the failure to report a death involving Vaughan.
Payette County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Duke on Friday filed a motion to drop the charge against Wondra, stating that based on the evidence, the Idaho Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in State v. Akins may be a defense in the case. The motion was for dismissal “without prejudice,” meaning that if the motion is granted, the prosecutor may still refile charges against Wondra in connection to the Vaughan case.
The text of the motion to dismiss does not go into specifics about the evidence or other circumstances in the Wondra case. In the 2018 Akins case referenced in the motion, the Idaho Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of a charge of failure to report a death on a constitutional issue – specifically, the Fifth Amendment. The court determined that the defendant would have incriminated herself by “effectively” admitting to her commission of the State’s charge of destroying evidence if she had complied with the law about reporting a death to law enforcement and the county coroner.
Wondra was arrested in November 2022 after Fruitland Police said investigators had determined she may have known about Vaughan's death and failed to report it. Investigators searched the home of Sarah and Stacy Wondra and excavated the backyard outside the home on Redwing Street. Police said they had received a tip that Michael’s remains might be there, but the search didn’t turn up any sign of the boy. Fruitland Police Chief J.D. Huff said on Dec. 1, 2022, that police believed the child's remains were buried there, but later moved.
The case against Wondra was on hold for about four months when the court found her mentally unfit and ordered her to undergo treatment in the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The commitment order was terminated on March 27, and proceedings in the case resumed.
Wondra still faces charges of aggravated assault, destruction of evidence, and possession of a controlled substance in connection with an April 13, 2022, incident that’s not related to the Vaughan case. A status conference and preliminary hearing are scheduled for April 24 and 25, respectively.
The Fruitland Police Department said the dismissal in the Wondra case would not change the course of the investigation into the disappearance of Vaughan, who was 5 years old when he was reported missing July 27, 2021, from his family’s neighborhood near Southwest 9th Street.
The Fruitland Police Department asks anyone with information to call 208-452-3110, email findmichael@fruitland.org or contact Crime Stoppers at 208-343-COPS or on the web at 343COPS.com.
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