Missing Idaho Boy: 5-Year-Old Boy's Disappearance Rocks Small Town Of Fruitland

It has been almost two weeks since 5-year-old Michael Joseph Vaughan went missing. Police in the small town of Fruitland, Idaho, as well as many in the community and the surrounding areas, have joined the massive search in a story that has garnered national attention.

Vaughan disappeared on July 27. Police described the boy as "missing and endangered" and that his family has been "fully cooperative" in the investigation.

The small town of Fruitland, which has a population of about 5,400, sits on the Oregon-Idaho border. The city is named after apple orchards that surround the community.

The Fruitland Police Department has received assistance from the FBI, Idaho State Police, Boise Police department, and several other law enforcement agencies.

Fruitland Mayor Brian Howell revealed investigators have been “working just as hard right now as they did when he was first missing.”

Howell added that “they’re literally leaving no stone unturned. They’re draining canals, they’re checking homes. They’re doing everything that they can do.”

Along with help from other agencies, the Fruitland community has also stepped up to help officers search for the missing boy. Residents have provided law enforcement with surveillance videos and have allowed officers to check their homes multiple times.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Fruitland police chief J.D. Huff noted that 5-year-olds can be “crafty” and able to “get into small places.” He urged residents to continue to check their properties to see if they notice anything that may be helpful to the investigation.

The disappearance of Vaughan has rocked the small town.

“I have to tell you that I spent my entire childhood in the neighborhood where Michael went missing,” Huff said during a Wednesday news conference.

“My children are growing up here, my law enforcement partners are mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles or friends of children just like Michael. We are all in, and we are committed to finding Michael.”

Vaughan, who also answers to the nickname “Monkey,” has blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue Minecraft T-shirt, black boxer briefs with lime green stitching.

The investigation remains ongoing. Huff has insisted that officials “have not eliminated any possibility.”