A6 BAKER CITY HERALD • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2022
THE WEST
Fruitland boy was buried and
moved, police chief indicates
Michael Vaughan, age 5,
went missing from his
front yard on July 27,
2021
Darin Oswald/The Idaho Statesman
More than 150 alumni, staff and friends of the University of Idaho gath-
ered at the U of I Boise Campus for a vigil Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022, to
honor the four students killed in November in Moscow.
BY MIA MALDONADO
The Idaho Statesman
FRUITLAND, Idaho —
Three weeks after excavating
property to search for human
remains, Fruitland Police Chief
JD Huff said Thursday, Dec. 1
that authorities believe Michael
Vaughan, who disappeared at
age 5 in July 2021, was once
buried at the site but then his
body was moved.
Huff released some new de-
tails related to the boy’s case
at a press conference, and said
that anyone who was involved
in Michael’s abduction or hin-
dered law enforcement’s inves-
tigation “will be pursued.”
Huff said police received a
credible tip that the boy’s re-
mains could be found in the
backyard of a residence on
Redwing Street, not far from
where he lived. Police later ob-
tained a search warrant for the
residence, serving it Nov. 11.
With the help of Idaho State
Police, the Fruitland Fire De-
partment and Mountain Search
and Rescue, Fruitland police
excavated the yard. After de-
ploying ground-penetrating
radar, and removing and sifting
250 yards of dirt, Huff said ca-
daver dogs at the scene alerted
officials to human remains.
However, none were found.
“Although the remains of
Michael Vaughan were not re-
covered, we strongly believe
based on evidence that Michael
was abducted and is deceased,
and that his remains were bur-
ied and later moved from the
property,” Huff said. “As of to-
day, the whereabouts of his re-
mains are unknown.”
On Friday, Fruitland police
plan to use radar in a search
in a yard next to the Redwing
residence, Huff said. He indi-
cated that police did not obtain
a search warrant because the
Victims’ families urge
love and kindness as
Idaho campus mourns
Sarah A. Miller/The Idaho Statesman
This backyard in Fruitland, pictured on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, was excavated to search for human remains
related to the missing child case of Michael Vaughan.
tion is coming to a close.”
Police named the men and
used their photos, but the
Idaho Statesman is not nam-
ing them because they have
not been specifically identified
as suspects or charged with a
crime.
Sarah A. Miller/The Idaho Statesman
A sign in Fruitland gives information on Michael Vaughn, who disap-
peared in July 2021.
residents there consented to
the search.
Police made one arrest, are
looking for 2 men
Fruitland police have made
one arrest related to the inves-
tigation.
Sarah Wondra, 35, one of the
known occupants of the Red-
wing Street residence — about
a half-mile from where Mi-
chael lived — was arrested and
charged with a felony, failure
to report a death. She has since
been declared mentally unfit to
proceed in court.
Huff said he believes Won-
dra and her husband, Stacey
Wondra, 30, have knowledge of
what happened to Michael, and
went as far as to say they “were
involved in the abduction.”
Neither has been charged.
Stacey Wondra is in custody
at the Washington County Jail
on unrelated charges, Huff
said; online records do not in-
dicate what the charges are.
Fruitland police also said
Thursday that they are looking
for two men who at one time
lived with the Wondras, during
Michael’s disappearance. Police
said they think one man is now
in North Dakota and the other
in Ohio.
They were not named spe-
cifically as suspects, but Huff
said he thinks they have “first-
hand knowledge of Michael’s
abduction.”
Huff said he was urging the
two men to reach out to Fruit-
land detectives “as the window
of time for talking in coopera-
As investigation continues,
police ask public to come
forward
Huff said the department
has received almost 1,500 tips
about Michael’s disappearance,
and he believes there are others
with information who have yet
to speak with detectives.
“When we finally reach the
conclusion of this investigation,
I can assure you, all of those
who have knowledge of Mi-
chael’s disappearance and have
failed to report or hindered our
investigation will be pursued,”
he said.
Michael Vaughan went
missing from his front yard in
Fruitland on July 27, 2021.
The blond-haired, blue-
eyed boy weighed about 50
pounds and was 3 feet, 7
inches tall.
Anyone with information
on Michael’s disappearance is
asked to contact Fruitland po-
lice at findmichael@fruitland.
org or Crime Stoppers at 208-
343-COPS (208-343-2677).
BY REBECCA BOONE
Associated Press
BOISE — As hundreds of
students mourned together in-
side the University of Idaho’s
stadium Wednesday night, Nov.
30, family members of four slain
classmates urged them to raise
their eyes from grief and focus
on love and the future.
“The only cure to pain is love
— it’s the only thing that’s going
to to heal us; it’s the only thing
that’s going to heal you,” Steve
Goncalves, the father of Kaylee
Goncalves, told the crowd gath-
ered at the vigil. “That will make
a difference, and that’s some-
thing they can see where they’re
at right now: That you changed
your life a little bit, that you’re a
little bit nicer, a little bit kinder.”
Some in the crowd held each
other and wiped their eyes as
they remembered Kaylee Gon-
calves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho;
Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur
d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kerno-
dle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho; and
Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan
Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon,
Washington. The four were
stabbed to death Nov. 13 at a
rental home near campus in the
quiet university town of Mos-
cow, Idaho, and law enforce-
ment has yet to name a person
of interest in the case. Fears that
the killer could strike again has
prompted many students to
finish the semester by taking
online classes from their home-
towns.
As a result, similar scenes
played out across the state as
simultaneous candlelight vigils
were held in multiple cities. In
downtown Boise, several hun-
dred people cupped their hands
around candle flames outside a
University of Idaho’s building.
High schools in some cities lit
up their athletic fields in a sign
of solidarity. Homeowners were
urged to leave their porch lights
on as a gesture of support.
Ben Mogan, Madison’s father,
told the crowd in Moscow that
she was his only child, so “ev-
erything she ever did was such
a big deal.” Talking about “Mad-
die,” was his pride, Mogan said,
and the two loved attending
music concerts together.
“When I would meet people
ever since she was first born,
and they would say, ‘Tell me
about yourself,’ the first thing I
would say is, ‘I have this daugh-
ter — here’s a picture of her,
she’s on the dean’s list at college,
she works hard, she has all these
friends at her sorority,’ “ Mogan
said.
Madison’s best friend was
Kaylee. The girls met as sixth
graders, Kaylee’s father Gon-
calves told the crowd, and were
inseparable friends from that
moment on.
“They went to high school to-
gether, then they started looking
at colleges, they came here to-
gether. They eventually got into
the same apartment together,”
Steve Goncalves said.
Proud to Welcome
Samuel Capra, MD
to Baker City
Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Surgeon
If your life has been disrupted by a bone, joint or
muscle problem, Dr. Capra is here to provide the
necessary surgical and non-surgical treatment
you need here locally – compassionately,
collaboratively and with the highest level
of quality care.
Whether you’re a student-athlete
with a torn ACL or an active adult
who wants to return to golf, Dr.
Capra and his team of athletic
trainers and physical therapists
have you covered. They will tailor
a recovery plan that is right
for you, to get you back to
performing at your best.
SNOW
TIRES
Treating injuries related to:
Ligament sprains/tears
Shoulder
Tendon or muscle strain
Hand
Elbow
Tendinitis
Hip
Knee
Fractures
Foot
Ankle
Sports/activity injury
Saint Alphonsus
Orthopedics
3325 Pocahontas Rd.
Baker City, OR 97814
Phone: 541-524-8000
are cheaper
than a wreck
Come and see us or call to schedule an appointment
Lew Brothers Tire Service
Our calling is you.
541-523-3679
210 Bridge St. Baker City, OR