CALDWELL, Idaho (Court TV) — The mother of a missing 5-year-old boy said she was disappointed after the child’s accused killer secured a trial delay.
Stacey Wondra appears in court on Aug. 4, 2026. (Court TV)
Stacey Wondra, 33, is charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the disappearance of Michael Vaughan, who was 5 years old when he disappeared from his home on July 27, 2021. The child’s body has never been found, but investigators say they believe he was killed shortly after he was taken.
Weeks after Wondra successfully petitioned to have his upcoming trial moved out of Payette County, he appeared in a Canyon County courtroom to ask for a delay. Wondra’s defense said it needed more time to build its case; prosecutors did not oppose the move.
“It’s just more time,” Brandi Neal said outside court on Tuesday. “We still don’t have the answer of where Michael is…it’s upsetting, because I want the answers now.”
After Wondra waived his right to a speedy trial, Judge Brent Whiting granted the request to delay proceedings and scheduled the trial to begin on March 29, 2027. Whiting set aside up to seven weeks for the trial.
In interviews with investigators, Wondra denied any involvement in hurting Michael, saying that his wife and roommates were to blame for the abduction. Wondra claimed the group duct-taped the child and put him in a duffel bag, where he died. While he described himself as a passive participant in the crime, the defendant described the child’s screams to police and vomited after recounting that the 5-year-old cried, “I want my mom, I want my mommy.” Wondra said the child was buried in the yard on the couple’s property, but the child’s remains have never been found.
Investigators have never found DNA or physical evidence tying Wondra to the case, which his attorney has emphasized at pretrial hearings.
Wondra is due to return to court on Sept. 15, 2026, for a scheduling hearing.
