Missing Idaho 5-year-old: Police, community 'leave no stone unturned' after boy disappeared nearly 3 weeks ago
Michael Joseph Vaughan vanished near his home in Fruitland on July 27
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A small-town Idaho police department and community have vowed to "leave no stone unturned" in the continued search for a 5-year-old boy who vanished near his home nearly three weeks ago.
Since the disappearance of Michael Joseph Vaughan in Fruitland on the evening of July 27, investigators have yet to find any signs of the missing child.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"As we head into the weekend, and as people gather to enjoy time together, please take a moment to be grateful for the family and friends around you," the Fruitland Police Department said Friday. "We have one family among us who is missing a very important member, and our search for 5-year-old Michael Joseph Vaughan remains ongoing."
Michael Joseph Vaughan, who answers to his nickname "Monkey," was last seen near his home in Fruitland, Idaho, on July 27. (Fruitland Police Department)
Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Teams with canines have continued operations on both banks of Snake River, while the Payette County Sheriff Marine Patrol searched the river downstream near where the child was last seen, police said in an update.
Drone operations have also continued to look for signs of Vaughan from the air. Agencies have used scent-tracking dogs, drones, helicopters, a dive team and paragliders in the weeks-long search.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}More than a dozen law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have teamed up to scour 3,000 acres of land in rural western Idaho, 29 miles of riverbank, drain canals and watch dozens of files of security footage, police have said. More than 250 tips have poured in over the past weeks.
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As the exhaustive search effort in the small town of 5,400 residents nears its third full week, authorities still do not know what happened to the child.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vaughan, who answers to the nickname "Monkey," was last seen wearing a light blue Minecraft shirt and black boxer briefs as well as size 11 flip-flop sandals.
Fruitland police previously announced that a web page providing credible resources on the investigation has been set up for the public so that it can stay informed on the search for Vaughan.