ID ID - Michael “Monkey” Vaughan, 5, last seen near home, Fruitland, 27 Jul 2021 #1 *endangered*

[Unalienable Rights]

I am happy that Michael's mom finally did an interview. It is understandable that it is difficult for her to do, but it is the best way to make the public aware of her little Monkey. Would like to see both of the parents making statements on the TV networks, because he could be anywhere now.

Was happy that she talked a little bit about the time immediately before he went missing. I am not on social media, and MSM hasn't gone beyond reporting LE statements. This is the first time I had heard that the two older children were home at the time -- I had seen somewhere (can't remember where) that they were out of the house at the time. BN said in this interview that they were home on their computers. Also, was glad to hear her clear up the fact that he was not allowed to play alone in front of the house. She said he was allowed to go out the back door alone and play in the fenced in yard, but not to go out front -- although this wasn't the first time he had done so.

It was interesting to hear her talk about the 2 month long heat wave, and how the family took a walk every night after the temperature dropped. When she talked about walking through the streets of the neighborhood and going to the park, I could picture Michael deciding to do that on the evening he went missing.

I also appreciated how she jumped on the interviewer when she was asked something about how Michael WAS -- and she jumped in with Michael IS.

 

[sassyblue]

It truly was a long hot summer with the air filled with smoke. Maybe not there but it was down below them. And when the temp dropped it was still in the 90's.

Where are you lil Monkey Michael?

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Reposting a link for the interview with Michael's mother, Brandi Neal, because the original link isn't working. It has been approved by Admin.

 

[MoeInVA]

Reposting a link for the interview with Michael's mother, Brandi Neal, because the original link isn't working. It has been approved by Admin.

Glad she did the interview. I am very curious about the neighbor sightings BN mentioned. How many do you all count in this interview?

It seems to me that in BN's account, at least two neighbors reported seeing Monkey the evening he went missing (the two who turned him away) but probably three (a third across the street who saw him knock further down the block). No times were given for these sightings.

LE never confirmed that neighbors saw him walking in the neighborhood that evening right? Or if he was ever seen on camera walking in the neighborhood that evening? I wonder why LE hasn't mentioned the neighbor sightings or times. Are some of them a little iffy? BN didn't bring them up on her own either. She only discussed them when directly asked about it.

BN said this about neighbor sightings:

1) House #1: around the corner neighbor reported seeing him - he knocked and they said they couldn't play and they watched him walk around corner to head back toward home
(this also would match with the original missing location from initial reports which put last sighting around SW 9th and Arizona rather than SW 9th/ Washington)

2) House #2: a neighbor reported that he walked down and knocked on the door of another neighbor ~ perhaps next door on the other side (it sounds to me like this was seen by a third neighbor across the street MOO) -- and the neighbor at house #2 reportedly says they told him to ask his mom if he could play

Speculation follows MOO: BN says "apparently" this neighbor's account as if she has her doubts .... Why? Could the person at house #2 not have come forward right away with this info? Or is she just annoyed because they didn't see her son home safely? Or did this asking of permission not jive with their usual routine?

3) House #3: BN says "he knocked another neighbor's door" (no indication of who reported this sighting or if it was on camera or whatnot ... though it seems likely this was same across the street neighbor as #2, but could be yet another neighbor) reported that they saw him knock on yet another door "further down" the street. No further detail provided on whether anyone answered. This seems to be the last reported sighting that BN is aware of.

It did seem a little odd to me that there was less emphasis or detail on this final sighting than on the first two.

I wish we had the times for these sightings.

Youtube rough transcript of this section:


06:42
he went and asked to play
06:46
and
06:47
the neighbor watched him walk around
06:49
back to our house
06:50
apparently he was seen by another
06:52
neighbor
06:54
going down this walking down the street
06:56
to another neighbor's house
06:58
that knocked on that door
07:00
and was i guess was told
07:03
you know go ask your mom if you can play
07:07
but i was in here
07:09
and
07:11
they
07:13
he knocked on another neighbor's door
07:15
and
07:18
they were down the street a little bit
07:24
and
07:25
he wasn't seen after that

07:29
so kooby has a question did they search
07:32
all the homes nearby
07:33
every home
07:36
multiple multiple times
07:37
and all of the neighbors you know open
07:40
doors
07:42
hey
07:44
everyone has been
07:50
interviewed time and time again they've
07:52
given up you know
07:54
yes here search my
07:56
they did it again on monday and tuesday
08:02
they've been through all of the
08:03
surrounding neighborhoods

 

[MJVaughans Army]

I'm curious about houses Michael knocked at and when/where as well. This information certainly provides more insight to the timeline, Michael's last known location, and info on who last saw him. I've been hoping LE's silence in this case is strategic and helping their investigation, but Michael has been missing 127 days today so it's hard to keep that hope.

I drove from Laurel, Montana through Billings and Lockwood and hung Michael's flyer in every gas station near an on/off ramp along I90... even some a little out of the way. I also re-hung new flyers in 3 WalMarts. (I wanted to post them in other places but was denied. I never realized how many establishments don't allow missing child posters. So disappointing.)

 

[JurassicParker]

I grew up in the 90’s in a neighborhood full of friends. I would make the rounds to see who could come out and play bc that’s just what you did until your parents whistled or the street lights came on. Although at the age of 5 my mother wouldn’t let me just walk around. She would call the other parents and let them know I was coming. They would stand outside and wait for me or they would pick me up or even meet me half way. Media presence wasn’t as prominent so I’m sure kids went missing all the time we just never knew. It was hard to get that information out back then. I’m sad for this little boy who just wanted to play with his friends and there was evil lurking close by and no one knew. I want so badly for him to come home unharmed. He’s been gone for so long though that it is unlikely. Someone speak up and get him back to his family please!

 

[SuziQ]

Glad she did the interview. I am very curious about the neighbor sightings BN mentioned. How many do you all count in this interview?

It seems to me that in BN's account, at least two neighbors reported seeing Monkey the evening he went missing (the two who turned him away) but probably three (a third across the street who saw him knock further down the block). No times were given for these sightings.

LE never confirmed that neighbors saw him walking in the neighborhood that evening right? Or if he was ever seen on camera walking in the neighborhood that evening? I wonder why LE hasn't mentioned the neighbor sightings or times. Are some of them a little iffy? BN didn't bring them up on her own either. She only discussed them when directly asked about it.

BN said this about neighbor sightings:

1) House #1: around the corner neighbor reported seeing him - he knocked and they said they couldn't play and they watched him walk around corner to head back toward home
(this also would match with the original missing location from initial reports which put last sighting around SW 9th and Arizona rather than SW 9th/ Washington)

2) House #2: a neighbor reported that he walked down and knocked on the door of another neighbor ~ perhaps next door on the other side (it sounds to me like this was seen by a third neighbor across the street MOO) -- and the neighbor at house #2 reportedly says they told him to ask his mom if he could play

Speculation follows MOO: BN says "apparently" this neighbor's account as if she has her doubts .... Why? Could the person at house #2 not have come forward right away with this info? Or is she just annoyed because they didn't see her son home safely? Or did this asking of permission not jive with their usual routine?

3) House #3: BN says "he knocked another neighbor's door" (no indication of who reported this sighting or if it was on camera or whatnot ... though it seems likely this was same across the street neighbor as #2, but could be yet another neighbor) reported that they saw him knock on yet another door "further down" the street. No further detail provided on whether anyone answered. This seems to be the last reported sighting that BN is aware of.

It did seem a little odd to me that there was less emphasis or detail on this final sighting than on the first two.

I wish we had the times for these sightings.

Youtube rough transcript of this section:


06:42
he went and asked to play
06:46
and
06:47
the neighbor watched him walk around
06:49
back to our house
06:50
apparently he was seen by another
06:52
neighbor
06:54
going down this walking down the street
06:56
to another neighbor's house
06:58
that knocked on that door
07:00
and was i guess was told
07:03
you know go ask your mom if you can play
07:07
but i was in here
07:09
and
07:11
they
07:13
he knocked on another neighbor's door
07:15
and
07:18
they were down the street a little bit
07:24
and
07:25
he wasn't seen after that

07:29
so kooby has a question did they search
07:32
all the homes nearby
07:33
every home
07:36
multiple multiple times
07:37
and all of the neighbors you know open
07:40
doors
07:42
hey
07:44
everyone has been
07:50
interviewed time and time again they've
07:52
given up you know
07:54
yes here search my
07:56
they did it again on monday and tuesday
08:02
they've been through all of the
08:03
surrounding neighborhoods

Thank you for this!

I really feel like Michael knocked on the wrong door.

Moo.

 

[iamnotagolem]

Thank you for this!

I really feel like Michael knocked on the wrong door.

Moo.

We live in a very kid friendly neighborhood, our little neighbor girl is about 7 now. Anyway, she’s constantly looking for kids to play with. But she doesn’t just go indiscriminately to houses looking to play, she only goes to ones with kids.

Even the other kids in our subdivision don’t go to just any house looking for play mates, they go where kids live. Even the super young kids that are 2-4 go to houses where kids their age live.

So I’m going to assume Michael did the same, not to say something didn’t happen at one of those houses but I think there is a good chance they have kids.

 

[Allabouttrial]

We live in a very kid friendly neighborhood, our little neighbor girl is about 7 now. Anyway, she’s constantly looking for kids to play with. But she doesn’t just go indiscriminately to houses looking to play, she only goes to ones with kids.

Even the other kids in our subdivision don’t go to just any house looking for play mates, they go where kids live. Even the super young kids that are 2-4 go to houses where kids their age live.

So I’m going to assume Michael did the same, not to say something didn’t happen at one of those houses but I think there is a good chance they have kids.

I believe you're right. IIRC one of the neighbours he visited said she had kids who were a bit older than Michael and he would go the park with them sometimes.

Now I've typed that out I realise there could be some significance in that statement.

Obviously, I could be mistaken so please don't take this as fact!

 

[swedeheart]

'Our Family Is Broken': No Trace Of Missing 5-Year-Old Idaho Boy Who Vanished More Than 125 Days Ago | Oxygen Official Site

 

[SuziQ]

We live in a very kid friendly neighborhood, our little neighbor girl is about 7 now. Anyway, she’s constantly looking for kids to play with. But she doesn’t just go indiscriminately to houses looking to play, she only goes to ones with kids.

Even the other kids in our subdivision don’t go to just any house looking for play mates, they go where kids live. Even the super young kids that are 2-4 go to houses where kids their age live.

So I’m going to assume Michael did the same, not to say something didn’t happen at one of those houses but I think there is a good chance they have kids.

I just remembered a recent winner of Americas Funniest Video. It was a little boy who was recorded on ring camera knocking on a strangers door asking them if they have kids. My husband and I looked at each other and said we hoped the parents had a stranger danger chat with him.

Also, we don't really know what our kid's friends parents are capable of. People only let us see what they want us to see.

Moo.

 

[SuziQ]

'Our Family Is Broken': No Trace Of Missing 5-Year-Old Idaho Boy Who Vanished More Than 125 Days Ago | Oxygen Official Site

I wonder how many of the 2564 missing children found after missing two years were parental abductions or teenage runaways. Most five year olds that disappear like Michael did, do not come home.

Moo.

 

[MoeInVA]

I wonder how many of the 2564 missing children found after missing two years were parental abductions or teenage runaways. Most five year olds that disappear like Michael did, do not come home.

Moo.

Oh @SuziQ I had the exact same thoughts when I read this!!! I like Angeline and I think she was a really smart hire for NCMEC, but come on! Those stats do not seem comparable to Michael. At all. Doesn’t pass my sniff test!

 

[MoeInVA]

I believe you're right. IIRC one of the neighbours he visited said she had kids who were a bit older than Michael and he would go the park with them sometimes.

Now I've typed that out I realise there could be some significance in that statement.

Obviously, I could be mistaken so please don't take this as fact!

I really would like to elaborate on last names I found in common when searching this case, but since there are no POI’s named, I think this is the most I can say here.

There are three DIFFERENT people with the same last name (BUT a very common one in the US) who came up in this case because:

• one owns a house within a three house radius of Michael (on SW 9th).
  
• One owns or owned a 2010 Dodge Avenger ( the online public records seem old but it was one of the few or only records for a Fruitland resident matching the FPD description of vehicles available in public records) That car’s Vin was listed as Vin # 1B3CC4FB2AN210030
• One is an RSO living in Fruitland

Note: it’s a VERY common name. If this was Los Angeles, it would be laughable to even mention it. But then again, Los Angeles is not Fruitland Idaho. LA has high schools with nearly as many students as the whole town. The fact that a 2010 Dodge Avenger was ever registered to someone in Fruitland AND they share a name with a neighbor AND a neighbor shares a name with an RSO, bears scrutiny. JMO.

 

[SuziQ]

I really would like to elaborate on last names I found in common when searching this case, but since there are no POI’s named, I think this is the most I can say here.

There are three DIFFERENT people with the same last name (BUT a very common one in the US) who came up in this case because:

• one owns a house within a three house radius of Michael (on SW 9th).
  
• One owns or owned a 2010 Dodge Avenger ( the online public records seem old but it was one of the few or only records for a Fruitland resident matching the FPD description of vehicles available in public records) That car’s Vin was listed as Vin # 1B3CC4FB2AN210030
• One is an RSO living in Fruitland

Note: it’s a VERY common name. If this was Los Angeles, it would be laughable to even mention it. But then again, Los Angeles is not Fruitland Idaho. LA has high schools with nearly as many students as the whole town. The fact that a 2010 Dodge Avenger was ever registered to someone in Fruitland AND they share a name with a neighbor AND a neighbor shares a name with an RSO, bears scrutiny. JMO.

Someone could have been visiting....

 

[MoeInVA]

Someone could have been visiting....

Or worse yet, an RSO’s young victim could have become an offender. These are the scenarios of nightmares.

 

[Kimkimba]

I really would like to elaborate on last names I found in common when searching this case, but since there are no POI’s named, I think this is the most I can say here.

There are three DIFFERENT people with the same last name (BUT a very common one in the US) who came up in this case because:

• one owns a house within a three house radius of Michael (on SW 9th).
  
• One owns or owned a 2010 Dodge Avenger ( the online public records seem old but it was one of the few or only records for a Fruitland resident matching the FPD description of vehicles available in public records) That car’s Vin was listed as Vin # 1B3CC4FB2AN210030
• One is an RSO living in Fruitland

Note: it’s a VERY common name. If this was Los Angeles, it would be laughable to even mention it. But then again, Los Angeles is not Fruitland Idaho. LA has high schools with nearly as many students as the whole town. The fact that a 2010 Dodge Avenger was ever registered to someone in Fruitland AND they share a name with a neighbor AND a neighbor shares a name with an RSO, bears scrutiny. JMO.

I just spent awhile going down this rabbit hole. It is interesting.

 

[Filly]

I grew up in the 90’s in a neighborhood full of friends. I would make the rounds to see who could come out and play bc that’s just what you did until your parents whistled or the street lights came on. Although at the age of 5 my mother wouldn’t let me just walk around. She would call the other parents and let them know I was coming. They would stand outside and wait for me or they would pick me up or even meet me half way.

Yup. We did the same. Especially my brother who Lil Monkey reminds me so much of.

JMO and at get go I thought this could be an older kid? Doubtful they'd be sophisticated enough to hide a little boy though.

Yep, my brother at that age hung around older kids. A source of entertainment until they wanted him to scram. His nickname was "Louse" because he was hard to get rid of.

Little Michael where are you?

 

[Megnut]

I hate it but my mind goes to a missing and murdered little girl, old case.. Neighbor boy eventually confessed to hurting her accidentally while allegedly playing baseball with her. Hid her body under his mattress.

Did precious Monkey make it as far as the wrong front door? Could another child be responsible?

JMO

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I think in that scenario, a child would have had to have an adult help get rid of evidence at this point, making an adult responsible anyway. JMO.