This is an active and ongoing hearing. This article is being updated throughout the day. Check back for updates.
Nearly five years after 5-year-old Michael “Monkey” Vaughan disappeared from outside his Fruitland home in July 2021, the man charged with kidnapping and killing him, Stacey Wondra, is back in a Payette County courtroom Tuesday as preliminary hearings get underway.
Court began at 9:00 a.m. in a Payette County Courtroom. Stacey Wondra appeared wearing civilian clothing and shackles.
Watch: Michael Vaughan's mother reacts to seeing accused killer in court
10:33 A.M. DUSTIN WITT ON THE STAND
The prosecution called Dustin Witt to the stand, who at the time of Michael Vaughan's disappearance worked in law enforcement in California. Witt has experience with SWAT and K-9 investigations and testified that the FBI requested his assistance in the Michael Vaughan case.
Witt and his K-9 were flown to Fruitland to assist the investigation in 2021. Witt testified his bloodhound is trained to follow a scent. Police used items collected from the family to allow the dog to smell Michael's scent.
Witt testified his certified bloodhound lead officers to a location near Redwing Street, which is about a half mile from the Vaughan's family home.
[10:45 a.m.] Witt says the K-9 was "on trail" and cut across a frontyard to lead detectives to a house on the corner or Meadowlark and Redwing, where we've previously reported Stacey and Sarah Wondra lived at the time.
Witt testified that his K-9 showed interest in the corner of the property near the fence to the backyard. He lead the dog away from the home and took her off the leash, when he says the dog turned back around and went directly back to the fenceline.
Past that home, the dog "did not have trailing behavior."
10:10 A.M. BRANDI VAUGHAN ON THE STAND
The defense questioned Brandi Vaughan about Michael's footwear. They noticed Michael's new pair of flip flops was missing. Brandi said he'd only had them for three days and recalled how he would mix them up and put the shoes on the wrong feet, likely making it difficult for him to travel very far or fast.
Although there was marijuana at the property, Brandi told the defense it was never in reach of children and was kept hidden away.
Brandi recalled law enforcement collecting items like Michael's toothbrush, and taking DNA samples from every family member, including all of Michael's siblings.
Brandi said Tyler didn't drink alcohol often, and said it never concerned her that he smoked marijuana.
Brandi Vaughan was dismissed from the stand at 10:17 a.m. but may be called to the stand again.
Court will take a brief recess.
9:55 A.M. BRANDI VAUGHAN
Brandi Vaughan told prosecutors at the time of her son's disappearance she had never seen or heard of Stacey and Sarah Wondra who lived a half mile from their home.
For context, Stacey Wondra is the only person currently charged in the death of Michael Vaughan, although Fruitland Police publicly named four people as suspects in the case in 2022, including Stacey's then-wife, Sarah. Sarah Wondra was arrested in 2022 and charged with failing to report Michael's death, but she was later released and charges were dropped. Michael's body was never found during an extensive search of the Wondra's home and backyard.
Brandi told the defense it was a typical day at work. She spoke with her family, including Michael, during her lunch break around 4:00 p.m.
The defense asked Brandi if it was typical for Tyler to smoke marijuana while watching their children. "Yes," Brandi stated.
Brandi says during her immediate search of the neighborhood she spoke with two women who were near the splash pad nearby. They told her they had not seen a little blonde boy at all, so she left.
9:40 A.M. BRANDI VAUGHAN TAKES THE STAND
Michael's mother, Brandi Vaughan was called to the stand. She appeared in a blue and black shirt and dyed blue hair, which she's told Idaho News 6 is Michael's favorite color. Many in the courtroom are also wearing blue ribbons in Michael's memory.
While Brandi began her testimony, members in the courtroom gallery were visibly emotional, wiping tears.
Brandi recalled the July day Michael went missing. She was working at Albertsons when she received a phone call from her husband, Tyler, who could not find Michael. She told him to look under their bed in his favorite hiding spot, but Michael wasn't there.
Brandi testified that she immediately left work and called her older daughter on her way home instructing her to get home right away.
Brandi appeared visibly emotional when prosecutors asked her if she ever located Michael or saw him again. "No," Vaughan stated sadly while grabbing a tissue.
Brandi told prosecutors she gave police several items to assist in the investigation that may include Michael's scent or DNA, including a shoe, his pillow, his favorite blanket, and a stuffed animal.
9:30 A.M. TYLER VAUGHAN ON THE STAND
The defense team questioned Tyler's use of marijuana at the time of Michael's disappearance. Tyler said he usually smoked a couple of joints a day outside their home. Tyler testified that he smoked a joint between the time he woke up their sleeping toddler and when he noticed Michael was missing.
Tyler told the defense that once police arrived at their Fruitland home that night, he and Brandi stayed in close proximity to the home, searching for Michael in the neighborhood.
Tyler Vaughan was dismissed from the witness stand at 9:40 a.m.
9:10 A.M. TYLER VAUGHAN TAKES THE STAND
The state called Michael's father, Tyler Vaughan, to the stand.
As we've previously reported, Tyler Vaughan is the person who noticed Michael was missing on the evening of July 27, 2021, and called 911.
Vaughan told prosecutors at the time of Michael's disappearance he was not familiar with the Wondras or anyone in their home, which is about a half mile away from the Vaughan's family home in Fruitland.
Vaughan laid out what was happening at the family's home the day Michael went missing: His wife, Brandi, was at work. He had the day off and was home with the family's children.
Tyler recalled spending time playing monster trucks with Michael that day. He testified that he saw Michael playing in the family's living room when he went to wake up their then-two-year-old around 6:15 p.m. "She can be hard to wake up," he explained, so it took a few minutes. He then changed her diaper, ordered pizza for dinner, and then realized Michael wasn't in the home around 7:00 p.m.
He looked all over the house and called Brandi Vaughan, who thought maybe Michael was hiding. After he was unable to locate Michael quickly, he says he called police around 7:20 p.m.
9:00 A.M. COURT PROCEEDINGS GET UNDERWAY
The prosecution began their arguments by laying out the probable cause they say would prove Wondra committed murder and then destroyed evidence to obstruct the investigation.
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The state argued that Stacey Wondra confessed to law enforcement, telling police Michael Vaughan was abducted and taken to his Fruitland home in July 2021, before being put in a duffle bag and taken to another location in Kuna. Prosecutors say Wondra saw Vaughan buried in his backyard, but the boy's body was never located.
At the time in 2022, law enforcement shared their theory that Vaughan was buried at the Wondra home then later moved to a new location. His body has never been recovered.
The defense offered short opening remarks, stating "our client confesses to nothing."
