BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Neighbor held in disappearance of couple from CA nudist resort

  • The 62-year-old suspect was booked into jail for investigation of homicide
  • ‘I won’t say that he’s been cooperative’: Police spokesperson
  • Police said the couple’s dog was also missing
Stephanie and Daniel Menard are pictured here in an undated photograph.

California couple Stephanie and Daniel Menard were last seen on Aug. 24.(Redlands Police Department)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

LOS ANGELES (NewsNation) — Police used a tanklike vehicle with a battering ram to smash into a Southern California home and arrest the next-door neighbor of a couple living in a nudist community who were reported missing earlier this week, officials said Friday.

Officials believe the bodies of Stephanie Menard, 73, and her husband, Daniel, 79, are inside the residence, though they first have to shore up the home to make it safe to search, said Carl Baker, spokesperson for the Redlands Police Department.

Michael Royce Sparks, 62, was booked into jail for investigation of homicide Thursday night after being found underneath the house at Olive Dell Ranch, which is described as a residential RV park and family-friendly nudist resort on its website. The rustic community is in hill country about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.

Redlands Police Department spokesperson Carl Baker said Sparks surrendered voluntarily after a period of negotiations.

“I won’t say that he’s been cooperative,” Baker said.

The home, which was badly damaged during the breach Thursday, would need to be made safe before police and cadaver dogs could enter and search for the victims, Baker said.

NewsNation local affiliate KTLA in Los Angeles reports that concern initially grew for the Menards last week when personal items like cell phones and Stephanie’s purse were still inside their home. The Menard’s vehicle was found unlocked with the keys still inside, parked just down the road from their house.

Redlands police said the couple’s dog, a small white shih tzu named Cuddles, was also missing.

“We don’t have any word on Cuddles, their dog,” Baker said during the Friday morning news conference.

Baker did not comment on what may have led to the couple’s disappearance.

“I’m not going to speak to motive,” he said.

NewsNation affiliate KTLA in Los Angeles and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

West

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Clear

la

51°F Clear Feels like 51°
Wind
3 mph N
Humidity
66%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 49F. Winds light and variable.
49°F Clear skies. Low 49F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
4 mph ENE
Precip
1%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous