Idaho police announced a woman’s arrest Monday in connection with the 2021 disappearance of Michael Joseph “Monkey” Vaughan, a Fruitland boy who vanished weeks after his fifth birthday – and whose missing person flyer she had posted on her refrigerator in several TikTok videos.
Michael, now 6, was last seen on July 27, 2021, according to Fruitland Police Chief JD Huff, who told local reporters Monday that officers had arrested Sarah Wondra.
Wondra faces a charge of failure to notify authorities of a death, court records show, but the probable cause affidavit has been temporarily sealed by the judge to protect additional leads, and police hinted that additional arrests are likely.
In multiple TikTok videos, she speaks to her camera while standing in front of a missing person flyer for Michael – including one in which she mentions having spent time in prison.
MICHAEL JOSEPH VAUGHAN SEARCH: MOM, IDAHO POLICE GIVE UPDATE ON MISSING CHILD
The 35-year-old who lives on the property where investigators believe the boy’s remains may be buried. It is just a few minutes’ walk from his family’s home.
Police investigated more than a thousand tips over the past 16 months before a tipster led them to Wondra’s home, the chief said, where they have been searching since last week.
On Sunday, hours before the announcement of her arrest but days into the search of her property, YouTuber Jonathan Lee Riches posted a video showing clips of Wondra speaking in front of the flyer.
“That’s very, very disturbing to see a flyer of a missing person on a possible suspect’s refrigerator,” he said.
The next day, Huff told reporters about the arrest while speaking outside her home.
“Our investigation determined Sarah Wondra may have had knowledge of Michael’s death and failed to report it,” he said, according to KTVB. “We do not believe she is the only person that has knowledge of this, and we will be seeking out those people who could possibly be connected.”
Huff did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital. His office said he is expected to release a statement in the near future but could not provide specific details.
Prosecutors earlier this year dismissed a slew of felony charges against Wondra in connection with an unrelated firearms case that also involved her husband, Stacey Wondra.
She is due back in court for a status conference on Nov. 21. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for the next day.
Police and volunteer K-9s had searched hundreds of acres in the area without success before zeroing in on Wondra’s home.
