Michael Vaughan case: Sarah Wondra booked into Payette County Jail on murder charge
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KIVI staff
FRUITLAND (KIVI) — Sarah Wondra is facing first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in the disappearance of 5-year-old Michael “Monkey” Vaughan, more than five years after the Fruitland boy went missing.
Wondra was booked into the Payette County Jail on Tuesday on an arrest warrant listing three charges:
- First-degree murder
- Second-degree kidnapping
- Concealment of evidence
Her bond is set at $1 million. She is scheduled to appear in Payette County Magistrate Court on Thursday.
Michael disappeared from his family’s Fruitland home on July 27, 2021. He was 5 years old at the time. Despite years of searches and investigation, his remains have never been found.
Wondra property searched in 2022
Sarah Wondra’s name first became publicly connected to the case in November 2022, more than a year after Michael disappeared.
Investigators spent more than a week searching and excavating the backyard of the home where Sarah Wondra lived with her then husband, Stacey Wondra, on Redwing Street in Fruitland. The property is just a few blocks from Michael’s home.
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Police said the search was prompted by a “credible tip” from someone who lived at the property.
At the time, Fruitland Police Chief J.D. Huff said investigators believed Michael had been abducted, killed and buried on the property before his remains were moved. Michael’s remains were not found during the search.
Sarah Wondra was arrested at the start of that search and charged with failing to report a death.
That case was delayed while Wondra underwent mental competency proceedings. After she was later found competent to proceed, the charge against her was dismissed in April 2023.
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Stacey Wondra later charged
In 2025, Sarah Wondra’s ex-husband, Stacey Wondra, was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and destruction or concealment of evidence in Michael’s disappearance.
During court proceedings in Stacey Wondra’s case earlier this year, prosecutors played police interviews from 2022 in which he described what he claimed happened to Michael and implicated Sarah Wondra and others who lived at the home.
Stacey Wondra told investigators he believed Michael had been brought into the house and described seeing the boy with duct tape over his mouth. He also discussed a duffel bag investigators believe may have been used to move Michael.
Stacey Wondra also claimed Sarah Wondra told him Michael had been buried in their backyard.
Stacey Wondra’s attorneys have argued there is not enough evidence to prove Michael was killed or that Stacey Wondra participated in the alleged crimes, pointing in part to the fact that Michael’s remains have never been found.
A judge denied Stacey Wondra’s request to dismiss the murder and kidnapping charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
Until Tuesday, Stacey Wondra was the only person charged with Michael’s death.
Authorities have not yet released additional details explaining what led to the new charges against Sarah Wondra or what evidence prosecutors intend to present against her.