This is an active and ongoing hearing. This article is being updated throughout the day. Check back for updates.Nearly five years after 5-year-old Michael Monkey Vaughan disappeared from outside his Fruitland home in July 2021, the man charged with kidnapping and killing him, Stacey Wondra, is back in a Payette County courtroom Tuesday as preliminary hearings get underway.Court began at 9:00 a.m. Stacey Wondra appeared wearing civilian clothing and shackles. WATCH: Live update on morning testimony in murder case of missing boy Michael Vaughan Preliminary hearings begin for man charged with murdering 5-year-old Fruitland boyRELATED | Michael Vaughan case: 4+ years after disappearance, murder charges announced in case of missing Fruitland boy11:40 A.M. DUSTIN WITT ON THE STANDThe prosecution showed Witt photographs of a home.Witt says he recognizes the house in the photographs as the home where his K-9 showed interest along the fence line and garage area. The dog alerted to the gate between two homes that led to a backyard. The photograph was entered into evidence.Witt was excused at 11:48 a.m. The court is in recess for lunch.11:15 A.M. DUSTIN WITT CROSS EXAMINATIONDustin Witt told the defense they used Michael Vaughan's shoe and pillow to allow his certified K-9 to track a scent trail through the neighborhood.The defense asked if the dog's ability to follow a scent would be impacted by traveling on a plane. Witt says that's not an issue at all and is part of their training, even taking the K-9 on a helicopter in the past. Witt says K-9s undergo a week-long training and testing every year to remain certified. This particular K-9 has worked with his department for seven years. She passed away in December due to medical issues.Witt explain a testing scenario where dogs are taken through downtown Los Angeles. He says the K-9 used in the Michael Vaughan case has a 100% pass rate for all bloodhound certification testings.Upon arrival in Idaho, Witt says he and his K-9 went straight to the police department and "went to work".Witt says they went to several locations near the Vaughan family home, including a home where deer antlers were out in the frontyard. Witt says he had to "correct" the K-9's behavior and tell her to "get back to work". He said the dog had never seen antlers before, but quickly went back to her trail upon his correction.[11:30] After the deer antlers, Witt says the K-9 picked up a trail and lead him to an intersection, across a street, and down 8th street toward a bluff.Witt testified the K-9 lead officers to a corner house, based of the scent used from Michael Vaughan's shoe. The dog also lead him to an area of thorny vegetation, but he held the dog back from entering for her safety. Additional search crews came at that time.The defense's questioning lead Witt to agree it is possible for the dog to follow the trail of items that were possibly worn by another person, or in the same house as Michael Vaughan.10:57 A.M. DUSTIN WITT CROSS EXAMINATIONThe defense team is questioning Dustin Witt, who was flown to Fruitland by the FBI with his K-9 to assist in the investigation of missing boy Michael Vaughan.Witt explained how scent training works and how his K-9 was selected from a breeder on the east coast. The dogs begin trail training around eight weeks old and are ready for a handler around one year old.The defense questioned Witt about what types of items typically do or do not obtain a strong scent trail. Witt says any personal items like clothing or jewelry could work for a strong scent trail, but he'd typically avoid an item from a shared space like a piece of clothing lying in the living room that may have multiple people's scent on it. He would also not use an item that's just been washed.10:33 A.M. DUSTIN WITT ON THE STANDThe prosecution called Dustin Witt to the stand, who at the time of Michael Vaughan's disappearance worked in law enforcement in California. Witt has experience with SWAT and K-9 investigations and testified that the FBI requested his assistance in the Michael Vaughan case.Witt and his K-9 were flown to Fruitland in August 2021, in the days following Michael's disappearance.Witt testified his bloodhound is trained to follow a scent. Police used items collected from the family to allow the dog to smell Michael's scent.Witt testified his certified bloodhound lead officers to a location near Redwing Street, which is about a half mile from the Vaughan's family home.[10:45 a.m.] Witt says the K-9 was "on trail" and cut across a frontyard to lead detectives to a house on the corner or Meadowlark and Redwing, where we've previously reported Stacey and Sarah Wondra lived at the time.Witt testified that his K-9 showed interest in the corner of the property near the fence to the backyard. He lead the dog away from the home and took her off the leash, when he says the dog turned back around and went directly back to the fenceline.Past that home, the dog "did not have trailing behavior."On another search, the K-9 also appeared to "show good trailing behavior" along 8th Street, at a bluff nearby, down a dirt road, and lead officers to an area of thick vegetation, where Witt says he stopped the dog from entering the thorny brush.10:10 A.M. BRANDI VAUGHAN ON THE STANDThe defense questioned Brandi Vaughan about Michael's footwear. They noticed Michael's new pair of flip flops was missing. Brandi said he'd only had them for three days and recalled how he would mix them up and put the shoes on the wrong feet, likely making it difficult for him to travel very far or fast.Although there was marijuana at the property, Brandi told the defense it was never in reach of children and was kept hidden away.Brandi recalled law enforcement collecting items like Michael's toothbrush, and taking DNA samples from every family member, including all of Michael's siblings.Brandi said Tyler didn't drink alcohol often, and said it never concerned her that he smoked marijuana.Brandi Vaughan was dismissed from the stand at 10:17 a.m. but may be called to the stand again.Court will take a brief recess. Watch: Michael Vaughan's mother reacts to seeing accused killer in court Mother of Michael Vaughan faces her sons accused murderer in court9:55 A.M. BRANDI VAUGHAN Brandi Vaughan told prosecutors at the time of her son's disappearance she had never seen or heard of Stacey and Sarah Wondra who lived a half mile from their home.For context, Stacey Wondra is the only person currently charged in the death of Michael Vaughan, although Fruitland Police publicly named four people as suspects in the case in 2022, including Stacey's then-wife, Sarah. Sarah Wondra was arrested in 2022 and charged with failing to report Michael's death, but she was later released and charges were dropped. Michael's body was never found during an extensive search of the Wondra's home and backyard.Brandi told the defense it was a typical day at work. She spoke with her family, including Michael, during her lunch break around 4:00 p.m.The defense asked Brandi if it was typical for Tyler to smoke marijuana while watching their children. "Yes," Brandi stated.Brandi says during her immediate search of the neighborhood she spoke with two women who were near the splash pad nearby. They told her they had not seen a little blonde boy at all, so she left. 9:40 A.M. BRANDI VAUGHAN TAKES THE STANDMichael's mother, Brandi Vaughan was called to the stand. She appeared in a blue and black shirt and dyed blue hair, which she's told Idaho News 6 is Michael's favorite color. Many in the courtroom are also wearing blue ribbons in Michael's memory.While Brandi began her testimony, members in the courtroom gallery were visibly emotional, wiping tears.Brandi recalled the July day Michael went missing. She was working at Albertsons when she received a phone call from her husband, Tyler, who could not find Michael. She told him to look under their bed in his favorite hiding spot, but Michael wasn't there.Brandi testified that she immediately left work and called her older daughter on her way home instructing her to get home right away.Brandi appeared visibly emotional when prosecutors asked her if she ever located Michael or saw him again. "No," Vaughan stated sadly while grabbing a tissue.Brandi told prosecutors she gave police several items to assist in the investigation that may include Michael's scent or DNA, including a shoe, his pillow, his favorite blanket, and a stuffed animal.9:30 A.M. TYLER VAUGHAN ON THE STANDThe defense team questioned Tyler's use of marijuana at the time of Michael's disappearance. Tyler said he usually smoked a couple of joints a day outside their home. Tyler testified that he smoked a joint between the time he woke up their sleeping toddler and when he noticed Michael was missing.Tyler told the defense that once police arrived at their Fruitland home that night, he and Brandi stayed in close proximity to the home, searching for Michael in the neighborhood.Tyler Vaughan was dismissed from the witness stand at 9:40 a.m. 9:10 A.M. TYLER VAUGHAN TAKES THE STANDThe state called Michael's father, Tyler Vaughan, to the stand.As we've previously reported, Tyler Vaughan is the person who noticed Michael was missing on the evening of July 27, 2021, and called 911.Vaughan told prosecutors at the time of Michael's disappearance he was not familiar with the Wondras or anyone in their home, which is about a half mile away from the Vaughan's family home in Fruitland.Vaughan laid out what was happening at the family's home the day Michael went missing: His wife, Brandi, was at work. He had the day off and was home with the family's children.Tyler recalled spending time playing monster trucks with Michael that day. He testified that he saw Michael playing in the family's living room when he went to wake up their then-two-year-old around 6:15 p.m. "She can be hard to wake up," he explained, so it took a few minutes. He then changed her diaper, ordered pizza for dinner, and then realized Michael wasn't in the home around 7:00 p.m.He looked all over the house and called Brandi Vaughan, who thought maybe Michael was hiding. After he was unable to locate Michael quickly, he says he called police around 7:20 p.m.9:00 A.M. COURT PROCEEDINGS GET UNDERWAYThe prosecution began their arguments by laying out the probable cause they say would prove Wondra committed murder and then destroyed evidence to obstruct the investigation.RELATED | Mother of missing Fruitland boy stares down accused killer in Payette County courtroomThe state argued that Stacey Wondra confessed to law enforcement, telling police Michael Vaughan was abducted and taken to his Fruitland home in July 2021, before being put in a duffle bag and taken to another location in Kuna. Prosecutors say Wondra saw Vaughan buried in his backyard, but the boy's body was never located.At the time in 2022, law enforcement shared their theory that Vaughan was buried at the Wondra home then later moved to a new location. His body has never been recovered.The defense offered short opening remarks, stating "our client confesses to nothing." ...read more read less