A district court judge signed an order Wednesday, June 10, moving the murder trial of Stacey Wondra from Payette County to Canyon County, where proceedings are now set to begin September 30 in Caldwell.
Wondra faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, and destruction or concealment of evidence in connection with the disappearance of five-year-old Michael Vaughan, a Fruitland boy who vanished from his home in July 2021. Michael has never been found.
District Court Judge Brent Whiting signed the transfer order, shifting the venue ahead of the fall trial date. Wondra has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Investigators named four individuals as suspects in Michael’s disappearance, but Wondra remains the only person to face formal criminal charges. The case drew widespread attention across Southwest Idaho and the broader Treasure Valley region following the boy’s disappearance nearly five years ago.
The trial is scheduled to get underway in Caldwell on September 30. For broader statewide coverage of Idaho courts and criminal cases, visit Idaho News.