Michael Vaughan: Police dig up neighborhood property to find remains of 5-yr-old missing since July 2021

Michael Vaughan: Police dig up neighborhood property to find remains of 5-yr-old missing since July 2021
Michael Joseph Vaughan is 3 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 50 pounds, and has blonde hair and blue eyes (Payette County Sheriff's Office)

FRUITLAND, IDAHO : Five-year-old Michael Joseph Vaughan from Fruitland, Idaho vanished from his neighborhood on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in the late evening. Since then, authorities have been looking for Vaughan, who was reportedly 50 pounds and stood 43 inches tall. He goes by the moniker "monkey," and he has blue eyes and blonde hair. According to authorities, Vaughan was last seen around 6.30 pm close to his residence on SW 9th Street. He was sporting a light blue Minecraft shirt, a pair of boxer briefs with a green stripe that were either black or dark blue, and flip-flop sandals. The case has long remained dormant. However, a home that may be related to the summer 2021 disappearance of the five-year-old child is now being searched, according to police.

According to the Sun, authorities were spotted outside a residence in Fruitland, Idaho with a tractor and a dumpster as they looked into a possible lead. Crime tape had cordoned off the area, separating the home from the majority of the neighborhood road across the field. In order to allow the tractor access to the backyard as Fruitland Police searched, the home's fence was dismantled. According to Police Chief JD Huff, the couple residing in the house is not the property's owner, and as of right now, there is no link between them and the Vaughan family.

ADVERTISEMENT

ALSO READ

Michael Joseph Vaughan: 'Endangered person' alert for Idaho boy, 5, missing for 2 days

Sixth-grade girl opens fire in Idaho middle school and injures 3 before teacher disarms her, arrested

“During the course of the investigation, we received information that the remains of Michael Vaughan might be found (behind the house)... As a result we obtained a search warrant. We have not found anything yet but we will continue to excavate in hopes of finding his remains,” said Police Chief JD Huff. Along with the Idaho State Police, Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue was there at the incident. K-9 dogs were also there, claims Huff, adding that the crews would return in the morning after leaving the area at 6 pm. The department has executed 27 search warrants and conducted numerous consensual searches, which has yielded a large repository of data.

In a press conference earlier, Huff had stated, “It takes an intense effort, and a lot of work to document all of the leads as they’re coming in. And at the conclusion of this investigation, I’m hopeful we’ll find the answers. It’s important that our case is organized and very strong.”