PAYETTE, Idaho — Newly released court documents outline a disturbing and detailed account of what investigators say happened to 5-year-old Michael "Monkey" Vaughan who vanished from his Fruitland neighborhood on July 27, 2021. An unsealed probable cause affidavit accuses four individuals — Stacey Wondra, Sarah Wondra, Brandon Shurtliff, and Adrien Lucienne — of participating in Michael’s abduction, death, and the concealment of his body.
Fruitland Police initially named all four suspect's in Vaughan's disappearance in Dec. 2022. On Monday, more than four years after Michael's disappearance, Stacey Wondra, was arraigned in a Payette County courtroom.
RELATED: "Pure evil": Michael Vaughan's mother faces son's accused killer in court
According to Detective Juanita Kelleher of the Fruitland Police Department, Stacey Wondra "is alleged to have committed" first-degree Murder, second-degree kidnapping, and destruction of or concealment of evidence.
In the affidavit, Kelleher states that following Michael's disappearance on July 27, 2021, a K-9 team "showed interest" in the home of Stacey and Sarah Wondra.
During a search executed by Fruitland Police on August 1, 2021, at the Wondra's residence, officers discovered Adrien Lucienne hiding in a closet. A subsequent interview with officers showed that Lucienne and Brandon Shurtliff were living with the Wondras at the time.
WATCH: See where each suspect named in the court document is now
Cell phone data and surveillance footage indicate that all four were in the area when Michael disappeared. The affidavit also reveals that Lucienne took a selfie inside the Wondra bathroom around 7:26 p.m.—during the same window of time Michael went missing.
In addition, investigators say a live-scent K-9 tracked Michael’s scent directly to the front door of the Wondra home. Multiple neighbors also reported seeing a pink “Big Flyer” tricycle—reportedly connected to Michael—inside the Wondra garage prior to his disappearance, down a nearby bluff after he vanished, and later relocated behind a neighborhood sign. Fruitland Police recovered the tricycle on August 5. On Monday, Brandi Neal, Michael's mom, told Sr. Reporter Don Nelson that she did not believe the tricycle was related to Michael, as he typically rode a bike. Idaho News 6 has reached out to the Payette County prosecutor for clarification on that detail in the affidavit.
Stacey Wondra later told Fruitland Police, while incarcerated at the Washington County Jail, that he witnessed his wife, Sarah Wondra, carrying Michael Vaughan into their home on the night of his disappearance.
WATCH: More details from the affidavit and see TikToks from Sarah Wondra
According to the affidavit, Stacey proceeded to tell officers that Michael was then placed in a duffel bag with duct tape placed across his mouth. Stacey also says Brandon Shurtliff gave Sarah the duffel bag, and Adrien held the bag open while Sarah put Michael inside.
From there, Stacey, Sarah, and Brandon are said to have driven to Kuna in a GMC truck with Michael inside the duffel bag. Stacey said that by the time they arrived in Kuna, where Brandon's mother lived, Michael was no longer making any noise inside the duffel bag. Brandon brought the duffel bag inside the home and placed it in a spare room. The three proceeded to tow a Mercedes belonging to Brandon back to Fruitland.
Stacey then claims that Sarah, Brandon, and Adrien returned to Kuna the next day to retrieve the duffel bag with Michael's body. Upon return, Stacey stayed inside the home while Brandon stood guard as Sarah and Adrien dug a hole to bury Michael.
Stacey Wondra said the motivation for the kidnapping was to sell Michael Vaughan, an idea allegedly introduced by Adrien Lucienne. Stacey said that Lucien claimed they would get a "$10,000 cut."
While describing these events to officers, Stacey Wondra began to vomit, citing stress related to the memory of Michael Vaughan as the reason for getting physically ill.
After Stacey's interview, he participated in a video call with his mother. During the call, his mother asked if Michael was still alive, to which he responded by shaking his head no. He then told his mother that "Sarah accidentally killed him" by "suffocation." He then told her they buried Michael in the duffel bag in their backyard.
Read the entire Probable Cause Affidavit
After the interview and call, Stacey wrote an apology letter to Michael's parents before attempting to hang himself in the Washington County Jail. He was rescued by jail staff.
According to the documents, on November 12, 2022, officers delivered a search warrant at Sarah Wondra's home. While officers read the warrant, they say Sarah issued several bewildering statements.
"Wow, that is a lot, I definitely did not kill that boy." Sarah Wondra went on to say, "The most high God just told me that Stacey was the one who killed him and he buried him."
During the search of the Wondra residence, a team of cadaver K-9 was alerted multiple times to the presence of human remains. However, no remains were located during a subsequent excavation of the backyard. Detectives noted several areas of disturbed or recently filled soil during that excavation.
The affidavit also documents a dramatic shift in Sarah Wondra’s behavior after Michael disappeared, including more than 329 TikTok videos, religious “testimony” posts, and statements about “breaking all ten commandments.” Investigators say this sudden escalation in her online activity began in mid-September 2021, shortly after the alleged burial.
Stacey Wondra is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Payette County Court on December 16.
As of Tuesday only Stacey Wondra has been formally charged in connection with Michael Vaughan’s disappearance. Sarah Wondra remains in Idaho Department of Correction custody on separate matters. Brandon Shurtliff is currently in the Canyon County Jail, serving 30 days for failing to follow terms of his previous release on an unrelated charge, according to a county spokesperson. He is expected to be released in early December. Adrien Lucienne was arrested and released in Indiana in October for a traffic-related misdemeanor. Indiana authorities said they don't know his current whereabouts.
The Fruitland Police Department and Payette County Prosecutor’s Office have not announced whether additional charges will be filed.
