PAYETTE, Idaho (Court TV) — A woman is behind bars in Idaho after her husband told police that she kidnapped and killed a missing 5-year-old boy.
Sarah Wondra (Payette County Jail)
Officials confirmed to Court TV that Sarah Wondra, 39, was arrested on a felony warrant and booked into the Payette County Jail on Tuesday. She was ordered to be held on a $1 million bond ahead of a first appearance in court scheduled for Thursday. A warrant, obtained by KTVB, indicates that Sarah Wondra is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and concealment of evidence in the presumed death of Michael Vaughan.
Michael disappeared from his home in Fruitland, Idaho, on July 27, 2021.
Sarah Wondra’s husband, Stacey Wondra, is also charged with kidnapping and murder, but has maintained in police interviews that his wife is guilty — not him. In interviews with investigators, Stacey Wondra said that his wife and their two roommates abducted the child from his home, duct-taped him and then stuffed the child into a duffel bag, where he died.
In multiple interviews, Stacey Wondra described himself as a witness and passive observer, not a participant in the crimes. He told investigators that the child was buried on the couple’s property, but extensive searches have failed to yield any remains, though a K-9 tracked the victim’s scent to the Wondras’ home.
“Please tell us where Michael is,” the child’s mother, Brandi Vaughan, said in a statement to KTVB. “We’re going to bring Michael home, and they’re going to face the consequences of their actions.”
Sarah Wondra was initially arrested in 2022 and charged with failing or delaying notification of a death in the case. That charge was dismissed after years of competency proceedings. Her husband was arrested three years later.
Stacey Wondra is scheduled to return to court for a hearing on Friday.
