Contact made with men wanted for questioning in Michael Vaughan case, neighbor’s yard yields no results

The ground penetrating radar used in the neighbor’s yard next to 1102 Redwing Street was to eliminate all other possibilities.

FRUITLAND, Idaho — Fruitland Police Department (FPD) used ground penetrating radar and human remains dogs in a neighboring yard to the house that was previously searched in order to find Michael Vaughan’s remains.

Additionally, contact has been made with two men wanted for questioning in the disappearance of the now 6-year-old boy.

According to a press release Thursday, no additional evidence was found and there is no indication to police that Vaughan was in any other neighboring yards “other than 1102 Redwing St.” The search was voluntary, the release said.

This step was in order to eliminate as many possibilities as police can in their investigation.

“We remain confident that the evidence shows that Michael’s remains had been moved and the investigation continues as we follow all leads,” Fruitland Police Chief JD Huff said in the release.

Brandon Shurtliff, 30, of Kuna, ID and Adrien Lucienne, 32, of Toledo, Ohio, were both named in a previous press conference as possibly knowing what happened to Vaughan and where his remains could be located, along with Sarah Wondra and her partner, Stacey Wondra.

Shurtliff is believed to be residing in North Dakota. He currently has a warrant for a out of Canyon County, but it is non-extraditable, meaning police cannot bring him back from North Dakota on that warrant. Lucienne is believed to be in Ohio.

The release said that contact was made with both Shurtliff and Lucienne, and that police thank those in the community for helping to provide information on their whereabouts. Police can not provide any other additional information at this time on the contact with other agencies from other states.

Both men were staying with the Wondra’s at the time of Vaughan’s disappearance, Huff said in the previous press conference. Neither of the Wondras have any relation to the Vaughan family, police said, even though their house is just a 2-minute drive away from where Vaughan was last seen. 

Sarah Wondra was charged on Nov. 11 with the failure to report Vaughan’s death. She was later declared mentally unfit to proceed in court. Stacey Wondra is currently residing in the Washington County jail on unrelated charges. The couple’s home was searched and their backyard was excavated after Sarah Wondra’s arrest, because police said they had credible information that Vaughan’s remains were in the yard. The credible information came from one person living in the house — but police will not say who.

Police did not find Vaughan’s remains after the excavation concluded — but additional evidence is still being processed, police said. Huff said investigators believe his remains were buried there originally, but then later moved to another location. All human remains dogs brought in to search the yard “alerted,” Huff said in the press conference.

Michael Vaughan is still missing. He was reported to have disappeared from his home in Fruitland on July 27, 2021, around 6-7 p.m. 

Police encourage those with information to come forward. Tips can be sent to the Fruitland Police Department (208) 452-3110, Tipsters may remain anonymous, findmichael@fruitland.org or to Crime Stoppers, 343COPS.com.