Investigators searching for missing five-year-old Michael Vaughan of Idaho reportedly have a new lead in the case as police turned their attention to a property close to the boy’s home over the weekend.
The youngster was last seen in July of last year when he left his home in the rural community of Fruitland, Idaho, to find and play with his friends. His mother Brandi Neal said she was working and her husband was home organizing dinner, and neither were aware their son had snuck out. She said she later learned that he had gone to three neighbors’ houses, according to the news outlet News Nation Now.
This week, police are digging in the yard of a property just a four-minute walk away from Michael’s home after reportedly receiving a tip that the boy’s remains could be buried there, the site reported.
Newsweek has reached out to Fruitland Police Department for further information.
A $26,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the safe return of the youngster.
New Development
Fruitland Police Chief JD Huff told local news outlet KTVB that police received a “very credible tip” that led them to excavate the yard on Redwing Street, which is not far from Michael’s home on Southwest Ninth Street.
“During the course of the investigation we received information the remains of Michael Vaughan might be found [behind the house],” Huff said when the search began on Saturday. “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.”
Huff said the couple that lives in the home where the search is being conducted does not own it, and to his knowledge, they have no connection to the Vaughan family.
“[Police] have a backhoe, they have canines, and they’re putting dirt into a dump truck and they’re going away, then they’re sifting through that dirt,” Lauren Matthias, the host of Hidden: A True Crime Podcast and a spokesperson for the Vaughan family told News Nation. “They did go over to the Neal home, to Brandi’s home, and told them yesterday morning, ‘This is happening. We have a tip; we are looking for remains.'”
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Family reaction
Matthias told News Nation Neal is distraught, adding: “She is not doing OK. That is a direct quote from her. ‘We are not OK. I’ve had to tell his siblings that he might not be coming home.'”
According to Matthias, police told Neal to stay away from the site.
“When law enforcement went over… to kind of debrief them and let them know what was going on, they specifically said to Brandi, ‘Do not come over to this house.’ She told me, she said, ‘It’s doing everything I can, to not go over there’,” Matthias told News Nation. “She said, ‘This is my baby, this is my baby.’ She said she was pacing back and forth trying so hard not to go over to that house. She did start crying when she said the words ‘remains’ were used. She said, ‘I’m not there yet. I’m not ready to use that word yet. There’s still hope. I’m not ready to tell his siblings that he’s not coming home, not yet.'”
According to the News Nation report, Matthias said the couple who lives in the house where the search is being conducted are both reportedly in custody, but neither have been charged in connection with Michael’s disappearance. One was taken into custody on Friday, Matthias said, while the other has already been in custody since May. The names of the couple have not been released.
Michael Vaughan’s disappearance
Michael, who is nicknamed “Monkey,” was last seen at around 6:30 p.m. on July 27, 2021. He was five-years-old when he disappeared, but he turned six on June 24 this year and his family was forced to mark the occasion without him.
Fruitland Police confirmed early into their investigation that preliminary evidence suggested his disappearance was likely to be as the result of an abduction. Sending out an alert for the little boy, they described him has having blond hair and blue eyes, standing at just 3 feet 7 inches tall, and weighing around 50 pounds.
To date, the department has looked into nearly 1,000 leads and tips that have come in from the public, KTVB7 reported.