Neighbour held in disappearance of couple from California nudist resort. Both believed to be dead
CTV
Police used a tanklike vehicle with a battering ram to smash into a Southern California home and arrest the next-door neighbour of a couple living in a nudist community who were reported missing earlier this week, officials said Friday.
Police used a tanklike vehicle with a battering ram to smash into a Southern California home and arrest the next-door neighbour 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 (96 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
“We are confident that they are deceased and that they are still here on the property,” Baker said. He did not release any information about a possible motive.
Baker did not know whether Sparks has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf. Online jail records showed he was ineligible for bail and was scheduled for a Tuesday court appearance.
A friend reported the couple missing Sunday and said they were last seen at their home Saturday morning. Their pet dog, a shih tzu named Cuddles, was also missing.
The couple’s unlocked car was found later Sunday, not far from their residence, and both their phones, along with Stephanie Menard’s purse, were still inside their home. Daniel Menard was described as a diabetic with dementia.
