The harrowing search for a 5-year-old Fruitland boy who went missing from his neighborhood in July continues—a month later.
According to Fox News, the missing child— identified as Michael Joseph Vaughan—was last seen near his home at around 6.30 p.m. on July 27. Distraught parents of the young child spoke to the media in a press conference on Saturday, imploring residents to help the officials in their ongoing search in Idaho.
Endearingly nicknamed, ‘Monkey’, the 5-year-old’s disappearance led to an intensive probe of the neighborhood by the FBI and law enforcement agencies. The search spanned over 3,000 acres of land in rural western Idaho, in addition to 29 miles of riverbanks and canals. Despite the exhaustive search backed by the support of scent-tracking dogs, drones, helicopters, a dive team and paragliders, and CCTV footages, Vaughan continues to be missing. The incident sent shockwaves to the community, more so owing to the strange set of circumstances that surrounded it.
Fruitland Police Chief J.D. Huff averred Thursday that a search was conducted at a pond near Vaughan’s home Thursday, but there were still no signs of the child.
Vaughan’s family has not lost hope despite the mysterious missing incident and has sided with the authorities in requesting the public from spreading rumors or any kind of false information on social media. In a heart-wrenching speech during a previously held conference on July 31, Vaughan’s mother Brandi Neal pleaded that all they wanted now was their 'Monkey' to get home, reported KATU-TV.
Huff commended Vaughan’s family for being fully cooperative all through the search and expressed gratitude to the community for respecting their privacy. The Fruitland police announced the launch of a web page that would serve as a platform for the public to stay updated on the developments pertaining to the ongoing search for Vaughan. Huff urged residents to come forward and report it to the Department if they were to come across any little piece of information that seemed relevant to the incident.
The police chief hoped that people would send a prayer and good wishes to keep the officers and Vaughan’s family going amid such trying times.
