Going West: True Crime - Michael Vaughan // 326

Starting point is 00:00:00 What is going on True Crime fans? I'm your host Tee. And I'm your host Daphne. And you're listening to Going West. Hello everybody. Today's case was recommended by Carly, Liz and Mitchell, so thank you guys so much for recommending this one. This one actually happened right when we first, Heath and I visited Idaho for the first time before we lived there randomly for like five months, so I remember seeing

Starting point is 00:00:37 the billboards and posters for this one as we drove there from Oregon. Yeah, I remember that as well. Yeah, they were all over the side of the road. Yeah, because as we'll get into this town is situated like right near the border of Oregon and Idaho. So we passed right through it, but finally we are covering this case. So again, thank you guys for the recommendation and let's dive right in. All right guys, this is episode 326 of Going West. So let's get into it! In July of 2021, a boy went missing from his own neighborhood in Fruitland, Idaho. After over a year of active searching with no clues, an arrest was finally made. But as police heard from the suspect, they learned that other people in the house could

Starting point is 00:02:00 have been involved. But why? And what exactly happened? This is the story of Michael Vaughan. Michael Joseph Vaughn was born on June 24, 2016 in Fruitland, Idaho, which like I just mentioned is situated near the border of Oregon. It's a small town of around 6,000 people sitting right by the snake river that intersects Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming. Michael's mom, Brandi Neal, was in a previous relationship with a man named James Thibault, giving Michael two older siblings named Kira and Ben. But after Brandi separated from James, she started dating and became engaged to a man named Tyler Vaughn.

Starting point is 00:03:06 And together, Brandy and Tyler had Michael, and then Michael's little sister Arya, who they nickname Buggie, whereas Michael himself was commonly known by the nickname Monkey. Michael was goofy and sweet, he was a happy kid who loved to play, and he treasured the time he spent with his siblings. Now sadly that's pretty much it for his backstory because he was only 5 years old when this all happened. So, the evening of July 27th, 2021 began like any other. My goal went outside to find a playmate from the neighborhood and a normally quiet area, this particular intersection sat opposite of farm and it seemed like a perfectly

Starting point is 00:03:45 safe place for kids to play outside. That evening his mom Brandy was at work while his dad Tyler was home with the kids, but the last that Tyler saw, Michael was playing Nintendo in their living room. Tyler went to check on Arya in her room and then ordered a pizza for dinner and when he returned to the living room to check on Michael, Tyler found that his son was gone. So obviously Panicked, he called his wife Brandy right away who raced home from work, but police were already there talking to Tyler when she arrived. Like, they got there very quickly to try to figure out what was going on. Because like I said said Michael is so young

Starting point is 00:04:25 and I'm sure all the parents out there know like you turn your back for 30 seconds and the kids are gone and they could be anywhere you know yeah absolutely terrifying thought totally so Michael was last seen in the area of his home which is located at the intersection of southwest ninth street and south Arizona Avenueruitland between the hours of 6.30 and 7.15 pm. It being a very hot summer day with temps reaching 93 degrees Fahrenheit, the sun went down at nearly 9.30 pm, so they were looking for him in the daylight, luckily. But of course, it was fleeting fast.

Starting point is 00:05:02 While home security cameras did not appear to capture an abduction, they did show a white Honda pilot driving by the house around the same time that Michael would have gone outside. Multiple neighbors reported seeing Michael walking through the neighborhood, but did not see him interacting with anybody. His mom Brandy said that it wasn't common for him to venture off on his own, saying, quote, he's wandered a few times, but it interacting with anybody. His mom Brandy said that it wasn't common for him to venture off on his own, saying, quote, he's wandered a few times, but it doesn't make sense. Ground searches for Michael began immediately. Police, his family, and also volunteers comb

Starting point is 00:05:37 the area, just hoping that he had simply strayed too far on his own and was hiding somewhere. They searched the streets, the adjacent farm, and nearby parks, even checking drains, bushes, trash cans, public bathrooms, and essentially any small place where a child could be concealed. And in addition to the fruitland police, the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Team and the National Guard were also brought in very quickly. Canine's search dogs tracked his scent to the end of the road on which the family lived. And according to them, it just disappeared after that. And just to give you guys a visual, we're going to post photos on our socials if you guys

Starting point is 00:06:16 want to see Michael's family home and the street as well. Because you might just be picturing like a regular suburban neighborhood. So they technically lived in one but directly across the street from the Vaughan's home is the farm like we said but it's like picture like sprawling greenery like sprawling green field so it's not like it's a farm property and there's like a house it's like there's no house inside it's just like this large large large field large field. Yeah, essentially it's residential area that's right on the very outskirts of that residential area. So it is backed up

Starting point is 00:06:54 All right, not backed up, but it's right across the street from this massive farm. Yeah, so but if you go further behind it like across from the farm Behind their house, there's other streets of suburban streets, of other homes, like any regular suburban neighborhood, but they're at the edge of that. So just to kind of give you a visual. So his family and especially his parents just searched tirelessly for any sign of Michael, but as the hours and eventually days passed, they started to fear that maybe Michael had been kidnapped. Brandy said quote, I've walked every inch of this town.

Starting point is 00:07:33 I've literally worn my feet to the bone. Police issued a picture of the white Honda Pilot captured on security camera footage and announced that they wanted to speak with the driver, But sadly, they were unsuccessful in tracking this car down. And we'll post a picture so you guys can see that too. One neighbor who was questioned claims that they spotted Michael heading east away from his home, perhaps looking for another neighborhood child, or perhaps being lured away. On the evening of Wednesday, July 28, 2021, Tyler wrote a post on Facebook that read, quote, �Please share, please help me find my little boy.

Starting point is 00:08:11 Update, 7 o'clock tonight will be 48 hours. They won't issue an amber alert, so please, wherever you are, no matter how far away, please share and help me find my monkey. I also want to thank my friends and the entire community for their help, love, and support. It's been nothing short of amazing. But commenters who weighed in pointed out that Michael had actually only been missing since the day prior, making it 24 hours and not 48 hours. Tyler never responded to these claims, and it was assumed that he just made

Starting point is 00:08:45 a typo. But there's also been some suspicion aimed his way. On one post that he made about his son's disappearance, someone wrote ominously, quote, you know what happened to Michael. So obviously the parents are always suspected, at least at first you have to rule them out, right? But as far as police have announced, no one in Michael's family has been suspected of involvement in his disappearance. And they were administered polygraph tests, but they all passed.

Starting point is 00:09:14 Now, for reference, because Heath had read the post where Tyler was saying that, you know, they were not issuing an amber alert, police will not always issue one immediately because they have to first have concern that an abduction definitely took place. So if there's doubt that a child was actually kidnapped, they'll err on the side of caution and decline to send out the alert. There also has to be an available description of the vehicle or the person who took the child,

Starting point is 00:09:41 and unfortunately in Michael's case, police had neither. So an amber alert wasn't issued to tell the whole area to be on the lookout. But the community of Fruitland really rallied around the grieving family and helped spread awareness with flyers and social media posts. More than 1,200 tips poured in, and dozens of people were interviewed, but sadly, in the crucial early days of Michael's disappearance, nothing credible came through, and there was just no sign of him. While no theory seemed to rise just yet, police announced pretty early on, quote, there

Starting point is 00:10:18 is a high probability of abduction. Investigators scoured the area surrounding Michael's neighborhood, which include in multiple parks, farms, and of course the Snake River, making possible hiding places nearly endless. But still, they fanned out and just searched everywhere they thought that a kidnap child could possibly be concealed, but with no link to either Michael or his potential abductor, they continued to come up empty-handed. The Fruitland Police Department then announced, quote, The many miles of waterways present significant challenges for us, and there is a lot of debris

Starting point is 00:10:54 and vegetation overgrowth along the banks of the Snake River and its slews. It will be slow going along the river, but as you know, we're leaving no stone unturned. They also explained that they were searching a large sewer drain in a nearby subdivision with a high-resolution camera, so they were really out there. Fruitland PD continued, quote, police asked residents to continue searching their properties, walking fence lines, and checking any drainage that might run through. In the nearby Snake River, which is the ninth largest in the United States, investigators

Starting point is 00:11:33 sent recovery divers and boats. They scanned the water and banks from above with helicopters and drones, and cadaver dogs and volunteer search parties canvassed the area. But still, nothing at all turned up, like no remnants of his clothing or any credible clue as to where he'd gone. Still, they assured the public that the case was not cold, saying, quote, 1200 tips in our investigation into Michael's disappearance. As members of this community, we agonize with the family and have dedicated our resources to bringing Michael home.

Starting point is 00:12:13 But somehow, Michael's family maintained their positivity and they also remain convinced that he was still alive, theorizing that he was being held captive somewhere. Four months after Michael vanished, his mom Brandy said quote, 138. Today marks 138 days since the last time I got to hug him or kiss him. I don't understand why that day was so different.

Starting point is 00:12:37 One minute he's here and people see him and the next he's gone. There are so many people caring and trying to help and helping and I really couldn't imagine trying to do this on my own or any of us or our family to do this on our own. I don't think I'll ever be able to say thank you enough. I just pray to God he can see something or know that we're not giving up hope and we're going to find him. I just hope that he sees something. In an interview Brandy later said quote, I know in my heart he find him. I just hope that he sees something." In an interview, Brandy later said, quote, I know in my heart he's alive,

Starting point is 00:13:09 I know, I know he is, and I know he's coming home. But months gave way to a year and the family was left with nothing but questions. Then, 16 months after Michael went missing, an arrest was finally made. On November 12, 2022, the Fruitland Police Department arrested a local woman who lived in the same neighborhood.

Starting point is 00:13:32 35-year-old Sarah Wondra lived just four minutes away from Michael's family on foot. Brandy has stated that the family did not know Sarah and her husband Stacey prior to the arrest. And oddly, Stacey was already in police custody for unrelated charges And it also been incarcerated since May of 2022, which is like a little less than a year after Michael went missing So he was being held on charges of theft Attempting to commit a felony an unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon Sarah and Stacy have a tumultuous, and the couple actually filed for divorce

Starting point is 00:14:08 at one point. Also Sarah began going by one of her other surnames, either Ramsay or Chambers. Though the timeline of their separation is unclear, it appears that it happens sometime in between Michael's disappearance and her arrest. The exact timing is unknown because her explanation for their divorce can only be found in an undated screenshot on her Facebook page. But in her post, Sarah wrote, quote, I just want to put this out there.

Starting point is 00:14:37 If you're my friend and you know that I'm going through this divorce right now, just know as much as I wish I could delete the other profiles I have right now, Stacey blocked me out of all accounts, so they unfortunately are still there, but I have blocked them, and thank God, I don't have to look at them anymore. But I don't have a way to delete them, so just ignore them. No, I'm not with him anymore, ever again. Praise be to God. However, by the time she was arrested, they appeared to have been reconciled.

Starting point is 00:15:07 All of her posts leading up to her arrest are centered around either Stacy or her faith. Lauren Mathias, who is the host of the Hidden True Crime podcast, and has become pretty much the de facto spokesperson for Michael's family, addressed Sarah's arrest in an interview saying, quote, they do not know who she is, and I ask that again to Brandy do you have any idea? And she said no.

Starting point is 00:15:31 But the couple that lives there, they're both now in custody. Stacey, Stacey, Sandra has been behind bars since May, arrested and charged on federal something else. And it was just Friday that his wife, Sara, was taken into custody, though neither have been charged now in Michael or Monkey's disappearance, but they're both in custody and this is their backyard that they're now digging in.

Starting point is 00:15:55 Sara and Stacey run a taxi service company in the area called Faith Taxi. And from her Facebook, she appears to be somewhat of a fire in Brimstone Christian, however, many people have pointed out that her posts and online presence only took a seriously religious bent after Michael's disappearance. And this was really her main online persona, like she would write Facebook posts and make TikTok videos about how many people she knew

Starting point is 00:16:22 were going to go to hell and that the rapture was coming and humanity needed to prepare for repenting. She even admitted in one update that she was ashamed of her past, saying, quote, one day when you see my picture, I hope you realize that Jesus is a part of my life and he is the one making everything better. So when you see Jesus in me, despite who I am

Starting point is 00:16:43 or who I've been, because I have been not very good to people in the past, that God is changing all of that. I hope you see your need for Jesus as well, because none of us can do it without him. One neighbor added that she was very active on their neighborhood next door page. I'm sure a lot of you guys have next door. It's like the app where you can connect with your neighbors and post about if your dog is missing or if you had a break in or things like that. And that she would post quote some very strange shit. Like the rest of the suspects in Michael's case, she has a bit of a checkered past. So

Starting point is 00:17:19 among other charges, Sarah has been charged with theft, identity theft, battery, and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. I mean, she just, you know, seems like a really great Christian example. Yeah, I mean, I guess that's what she meant by that whole post I just read, is that she wasn't a good person in the past. But regarding the possession of a weapon by a felon, reportedly should also pull the gun on a houseguest to threaten them in April of 2022. So before that break, Daphne basically told us that Sarah Wondra had been arrested in connection to Michael's disappearance.

Starting point is 00:18:24 And that she has a rap sheet? Yes. And that she has a very long rap sheet. Whandra had been arrested in connection to Michael's disappearance. And that she has a rap sheet? Yes, and that she has a very long rap sheet. And now she is a fire in Brimstone Christian, who basically tells everybody that they're going to hell. Right. So, rightfully so, Sarah's arrest caused a significant stir on the community of Fruitland.

Starting point is 00:18:41 In conjunction with her arrest, police announced that they believe others in addition to Sarah have knowledge of how and why Michael died and where he was concealed. Now it's unclear who tipped the police off to Sarah's potential involvement, but supposedly, two other residents lived with Sarah and Stacey at their home and it's believed to have been one of them. However, those two people are also thought to have knowledge of Michael's fate and also his whereabouts. So, it's like, are they just like folding on Sarah and Stacey at this point? Who knows?

Starting point is 00:19:14 So, the nature of the relationship between the four people who are either living in or staying at the house at the time has not been made clear. And it's possible that they were all friends or that the two men living with Sarah and Stacey were just renting rooms from them. One of the men is 33-year-old Adrian Lucian, from Toledo, Ohio, and Adrian also has a very interesting history to say the least. While he's originally from Toledo, he's had residences all over the country. At one point, he was operating a men's lifestyle branding company out of his apartment in Dena Point in Orange County, California. He's had multiple complaints filed against him in

Starting point is 00:19:57 Los Angeles County for delinquent child support payments from the mother of his children, Sasha Williams. In 2018, Adrian, who was 28 at the time, was stopped for a routine traffic violation in Ohio. And it's unknown whose car they were driving, but it was a Cadillac escalade with New York plates, and Adrian was accompanied by a 19 year old woman. When their car was searched, police recovered $5,000 worth of methamphetamine. He was arrested and charged with second degree felonies, one for possession and then one for drug trafficking.

Starting point is 00:20:34 But somehow, he evaded doing any prison time for these charges. Adrian was released on bail and the charges against him were dropped after just 30 days. He also appears to be attempting a career as an actor, as he has a profile on Backstage.com, which is a website where actors can submit themselves for upcoming projects. His bio reads, quote, hello, my name is Adrian, I'm a versatile and self-taught actor. As a voice actor, I'm charismatic and multifaceted. Comedic improv skills would make me an asset to your creative project. As recently as February, he posted an update that read, quote,

Starting point is 00:21:15 I have an eclectic taste and fashion, including hot-co-tor and modern style. My abstract writing style focuses on surrealism and real life experiences. Musically, I can produce underground songs and content. Athletically, I can play any sports role you offer me. Alright. Seems like he's got a pretty big ego when it comes to his acting career. Well, strangely, this post lists his hometown as Washington DC, so it's possible that someone is simply using his picture in their profile, but given Adrian's kind of transient nature and his unpredictable movements and unstable career, it seems likely that it is him.

Starting point is 00:21:58 The timing of this post and the fact that his profile remains active is kind of strange because the fruitland police have been looking for him to question him in relation to Michael's disappearance. But without concrete evidence and a reason to arrest him in connection with the case, he remains free and able to move around the country as he pleases and, you know, acting things. Police believe that he's either currently

Starting point is 00:22:23 in California or back in Ohio and it's unknown what he was doing in Idaho in the first place but like he kind of said he moved around a lot it seemed he did I mean again but to in that point to live in small town on the border of Oregon and Idaho when you're trying to be an actor doesn't really seem like a very helpful location. But if anybody does know this guy and you've seen him out there in the world, please contact the police because they're really looking to speak with this guy. Indeed. So one true crime YouTuber whose name is Jonathan Lee Riches,

Starting point is 00:22:58 he runs the channel JLR True Crime, attempted to actually locate Adrian by reaching out to Adrian's father on Facebook and published his response. Adrian's dad Frank said that the two had been, quote, estranged for some time now and added, quote, there isn't much I can do. I don't know where he is. I never know where he is. So the extent of Adrian's involvement continues to be unknown, and police have been very tight-lipped about their investigation into the four persons of interest. However, as we said, it's believed that someone in the home blew the whistle on Sarah

Starting point is 00:23:35 Wanderer's potential involvement, which is what led to her arrest. So for example, if that is Adrian, and he knows that she's involved, it would be very helpful to talk to him and figure out why he, if he did blow the whistle, why he did it. Yeah, and I wonder, yeah, like you're saying, I wonder why or what the reason was, you know? Well, they must have maybe seen something heard or talking about it, witnessed her doing something, you know. Yeah, I just wish we had those details. It was.

Starting point is 00:24:06 Exactly. I mean, the police probably have somewhat of an idea, but obviously that has not been released to the public. Right. Well, let's talk about her other house guest or her other roommate, whatever you want to call him. Yes, let's get into it. So the wondrous other roommate at the time

Starting point is 00:24:21 or house guest at the time was Brandon Shirtliff. Like Adrian, Brandon is a father himself and he hails from Kunaida Ho and is now believed to be in North Dakota, but like Adrian has not been helpful in this investigation at all. Now according to recent publications, he's changed his appearance to avoid publicity or being connected to this case. Which makes you wonder two things. One is he doing this because he had nothing to do with it, and he doesn't want anybody to think that he did.

Starting point is 00:24:52 And he just wants to be like left alone. Yeah, or is he guilty of something? Did he witness something? And he just doesn't want any part of it, or he doesn't want to go down for anything that he was a part of. Well, Jonathan Lee Rich is actually spoke with Brandon directly. And when asked if he knew Michael or knew anything about what had happened to him, Brandon explained that none of them knew the Vaughn family before Michael went missing.

Starting point is 00:25:18 He explained that Stacey had been back at home by himself while he, Sarah, and Adrian were spending the evening together and that the three of them caught wind of Michael's disappearance and actually offered to help search the neighborhood for him. However, regardless of what happened to Michael in the few minutes that he was alone on the street that day, police now say that they have reason to believe that all four persons of interest. Sarah and Stacey Wondra, Adrian Lucian and Brandon Shirtliff, have knowledge of what happened to Michael that day, or were involved

Starting point is 00:25:51 in his disappearance. Officers have claimed that they've received credible information that Michael was deceased and could be found on the grounds of the Wondra's home. Sarah's arrest was made on probable cause that she had explicit knowledge of Michael's death, even if she wasn't involved and that she chose not to report it. When the police forced entry into their home to arrest Sarah on the evening of Friday, November 12, 2022, she was reportedly very confused. Now according to the arresting officers, she was read a copy of the search warrant for

Starting point is 00:26:27 her home, which alleged that Michael's murder had taken place inside or around her home, and that his body had been concealed there. And to this, Sarah apparently responded multiple times, quote, �Did you just say murder?� She then protested this saying quote, I have never murdered anyone Then she claimed I definitely did not kill that boy before saying quote the most high god already told me who did it Oh wow wow the most high god just told me that Stacy was the one who killed him and buried him in the yard of the neighbor's house I mean this is just insane like I get it if if she didn't do it and she's saying,

Starting point is 00:27:06 wait, what? You're charging me for murder? Like, those are our fair statements to make if that's true. But then to suddenly say, wait, I'm just this just in. God's telling me that it was my husband. And he buried him in the yard of the neighbor's house. Like, it's like, what? Yeah, I mean, it's so weird that she just like suddenly

Starting point is 00:27:26 because she was being accused of this, just like flip the switch real quick, like turned on her husband in a heartbeat. Right, because God just came down and told her this in that moment, which it's like, what? Very, very nutty. So it's worth noting that multiple neighbors of the Wondrous have criminal records for pedophilia,

Starting point is 00:27:46 but police have not confirmed that there is a link to any of the Wondras neighbors. So with that, the search of the Wondras home and backyard at 1102 Redwing Street in Fruitland commenced. And by the way, this house is a 3-bed tube two bath and it's very much in the suburban area. Like, there's houses all around it. It's very much like if you do anything in the, their front yard, like, you're across the street neighbor, you're diagonal neighbor, you're next to everyone's gonna see it, you know?

Starting point is 00:28:18 So, this is not a remote area at all. Right. And I just want to be clear real quick before we move on that we're in no way making any fun making fun of anybody's like religious beliefs. No, no But this woman is a fucking nut. Well, that's what I mean. Yeah, I'm glad you cleared that up But just to for her to suddenly say that it just felt like oh she knew that she was going down and now she's trying to pretend like God is telling her who it really was, and that's her way of trying to get out of it, as if, oh, I just got the answer. You know, and that just feels really phony and unfair.

Starting point is 00:28:54 I guess my question is, is she actually, does she actually believe that that happened, or does she know that she's full of shit and making it up? I mean, I think the latter, but that's just me. So the wanderers backyard was excavated, and cadaver dogs were brought through the house to indicate to the smell of decomposition. Now, the dogs allegedly alerted to multiple locations, including the toilet in Sarah and Stacey's bathroom.

Starting point is 00:29:23 Radars were run over the yard to spot abnormalities beneath the surface and digging penetrated four feet into the ground. But sadly, they didn't find any sign of Michael. As the search progressed, Lauren, who's the family spokesperson, reported, quote, this is a home that is close to the family. We know that they're being very slow and methodical. They came over to see Brandy. I spoke with her earlier this afternoon today and she is not doing okay.

Starting point is 00:29:52 That is a direct quote from her. Quote, we are not okay. I've had to tell his siblings that he might not be coming home. But as far as what they're doing, they're being very methodical. They have a backhoe. They have canines and they're doing, they're being very methodical, they have a backhoe, they have canines, and they're putting dirt into a dump truck, and then they're going away and they're sifting through that dirt. And they did go over to Brandy's home and they told them this is happening, we have a tip, we're looking for remains.

Starting point is 00:30:17 Lauren said that this came as a horrifying surprise to Michael's parents, who were still hoping, of course, for positive news. She continued, quote, When law enforcement went over today to, again, to kind of debrief with them and let them know what was going on, they specifically said to Brandy, do not come over to this house. And she told me very clearly, she said, it's doing everything I can to not go over there. She said, this is my baby, this is my baby. So she said she was pacing back and forth, trying so hard not to go over to that house. And then she did start crying when she said the words remains. They used the word remains. And she said, I'm not there yet. I'm not ready to use that word yet. They're still hope, and I'm not ready to tell us siblings that he's not coming home,

Starting point is 00:31:07 not yet. In a press conference held on Thursday, December 1, 2022, police reported, quote, �During the last three weeks, we could not have completed the work necessary without the selfless help of others. The community's support has been absolutely incredible. As you know, from the time Michael went missing, this has been an all-hands-on-deck investigation, and it remains a very active and ongoing investigation. You can't take one of our most precious citizens from us and ever expect us to stop. During the course of this investigation to date, we received

Starting point is 00:31:43 credible information that the remains of Michael Vaughn can be found in the backyard at 1102 Redwing Street in Fruitland. And then he went on to explain that Sarah had been arrested and that quote, the following day, the Fruitland Police Department joined by the Idaho State Police, the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue, the Fruitland Fire Department, and the Fruitland Public Works Department, began a very methodical excavation of the backyard of the Wondrous home. During that excavation process, the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue deployed multiple certified

Starting point is 00:32:16 human remains detection dogs on the property, all of them alerting to the presence of human remains on that property. Now tragically, though there is still no sign of Michael's remains, police maintained in the press conference that Michael was abducted and is now deceased. They believe that he was buried there at the Wander's house, but that his body was later moved to a second location. They claim that the search of the house was productive and that additional evidence was removed to be processed.

Starting point is 00:32:48 According to the arrest affidavit, Sarah first claimed that Stacey had killed Michael and buried him in the yard near their shed, telling arresting officers that God had told her about it. She continued to alleged that she had nothing to do with Michael's disappearance or death. But later, she changed her story. We hate that. Yeah, inclaimed that it was actually Adrian who had killed Michael, and that Stacey had only concealed the body.

Starting point is 00:33:19 One source claimed that Stacey was actually the one who tipped police off about the possible location of the body, and not Adrian or Brandon, as was previously thought, but this has not been confirmed or denied by police. It's just so hard because we can't trust Sarah anyway. You know, like she's the one, she says that God told her that Stacey did it, and then she's saying, we actually Adrienne did it. Stacey was a part of it, but he didn't actually kill Michael and it was Adrienne. But it's like she was the one who was arrested. So is she trying to put the blame on other people because she herself did it or is she telling the truth?

Starting point is 00:33:58 And if so, which one is true? And the weirdest part about this entire thing is that she's not denying that the situation happened at their house. She wasn't like, oh no, I don't know what you're talking about. I have no idea. She just immediately was like, oh, Stacy did it. Oh wait, no, Adrian did it. And I wonder what Stacy and Adrian think of her telling police that they're the ones who did it, you know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:34:26 Well, we also obviously know that Adrian and Brandon are kind of nowhere to be found, especially Adrian, which doesn't look good because People are the police not people the police aren't there's no warrant out for his arrest They just want to talk to him to see his side of things and the fact that he's not willing to speak at all And he's God knows where now obviously looks really bad for him because maybe he was a part of it but the fact that when police first came in and Sarah was like we murder like he was murdered and then she's like oh I know he was murdered and I know who did it like yeah that's why I don't trust this lady and I guess what I'm getting at is that if you had

Starting point is 00:35:03 nothing to do with the situation like that and police came to your door uh... you think you would just say i have no fucking idea what you're talking about no she knows but but the fact that she's saying that she knows something whether it came to her by god or whether you know she was actually there witnessing what happened the latter she knows something right i mean it appears she knows something i think she was either a part of it or she sought happen

Starting point is 00:35:30 and if police didn't believe that she had something to do with it they would not have arrested her in the first place right exactly well shockingly and frustratingly sarah wandris charge of failing to report a death was dismissed at the request of the prosecutor's office. So shortly after she was arrested, she was found mentally unfit to stand trial, which, as we know, is kind of a rarity, and she was sent instead to inpatient psychiatric care. Then, to the dismay of Michael's family and everybody in the community,

Starting point is 00:36:03 as soon as Sarah was found mentally fit, the charges against her were dismissed. However, she does remain in police custody for her gun charges stemming from the incident in April of 2022. And for threatening her house guest with a gun and then hiding the gun, she's also facing charges of evidence destruction and aggravated assault with a gun and then hiding the gun, she's also facing charges of evidence destruction and aggravated assault with a weapon. In her home, she also possessed a criminal amount of opioids and it's facing drug charges as well. So luckily, at least with all of this,

Starting point is 00:36:38 she is still behind bars while police are really trying to figure out what happened here. So in addition to the fines, Sarah is looking at a minimum of five years in prison, which obviously isn't that much time, but it does kind of keep saying the word time. It does buy the police a little time. Now for Stacey Wondra, he remains in custody due to his own gun charges, whereas Adrian and Brandon remain free. Michael's family is still pleading with the community for answers, and they maintain

Starting point is 00:37:10 how thankful they are for the fruitland police force's response and said that quote, they've become family. But now being about exactly two years since she's seen her son, it hasn't gotten any easier with Brandy saying, quote, I've just been a mess." A friend of the family's posted a video of Arya playing in the background talking, and the person recording said, buggy, who are you talking to?

Starting point is 00:37:36 To what she responded, monkey. One small victory to come out of Michael's tragic disappearance is the unveiling of monkey's law. Now, this bill, which was signed into effect last year, creates an alert similar to an amber alert when someone goes missing. Like I mentioned earlier, the guidelines for official amber alerts are pretty strict, and they don't apply in all missing persons cases, even for those involving children. But Monkeys Law makes them more accessible to the public. The governor signed the law into effect last year saying quote,

Starting point is 00:38:09 this bill is an example of fixing that deficiency. This bill gives law enforcement a critically needed tool, for now for all classes of people into the future. Michael Vaughn would now be seven years old. He was last seen wearing a blue Minecraft t-shirt, dark colored box or briefs with green stitching and blue flip flops. He was 3 feet 7 inches tall, weighed 50 pounds and had blonde hair and blue eyes. If you have any information about the disappearance of Michael Vaughn. Please call Crime Stoppers at 208-343-2677 or email find

Starting point is 00:38:51 Michael at fruitland.org. Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode and on Tuesday we'll have an all new case for you guys to dive into. Yes, we will make sure that you share this one because although it kind of feels like in some ways police have a general idea of what happened to him, there's still no answers. His family still doesn't have his remains. They don't know exactly what happened.

Starting point is 00:39:28 They don't know exactly who to hold responsible. You know, as I said as well, Stacey and Sarah's time in jail is fleeting, and two people are still pretty much at large. So please share. Yeah, exactly. As I mentioned earlier, Adrian is just somewhere out there. And if anybody knows where he is or knows him personally,

Starting point is 00:39:47 just contact the police, the fruitland police department because we really want to get some answers. We need to figure out what happened to Michael and it seems like police are really really on that trail. They're getting a lot closer, but there's still so much that needs to be uncovered. Absolutely. And of course we posted photos on our socials of everybody in question, so you can share that, and thank you so much in advance, and we'll see you next week. All right, guys, so for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5%

Starting point is 00:40:30 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% Thank you.

Starting point is 00:40:56 you

Going West: True Crime - Michael Vaughan // 326

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