Daniel Menard (79), his spouse Stephanie (73) and their canine Cuddles have been reported lacking from their residence in Colton, California on August 25, 2024.
They have been final seen on Saturday August 24 leaving their residence on the Olive Dell ranch within the 26000 block of Keissel Highway in Colton. The Olive Dell ranch is described on-line as:
FAMILY NUDIST RESORTOlive Dell Ranch is an RV Park positioned in Colton, CA 92324. We’re a residential RV park with quite a lot of RV area choices. Our facilities embody pool, jacuzzi, restaurant. We even have a clubhouse the place actions are held in addition to particular occasions.See our calendar of occasions for more information. There are 5 miles of mountaineering trails on the property. Loads of privateness as we’re on 100 acres surrounded by lovely mountain views.
Resident area leases begin at $800 per thirty days. We additionally present nightly and weekly RV leases, in addition to cabins and tent tenting.
By way of the background of the couple and any potential household, nothing has been confirmed on-line but.
The couple’s car was discovered unlocked down the highway from their residence on Sunday, August 25.
Stephanie’s purse was discovered inside the house and each of their cellphones have been additionally discovered at their residence. Their canine, a small white shih tzu named Cuddles, was additionally lacking.
“There’s no means that Stephanie or Dan may have walked away from that automotive,” pal Tammie Wilkerson instructed Eyewitness Information. “She has a cane. It was at residence, her purse, their cellphones – issues they’d by no means have left at residence.”
Police stated that Daniel suffered from dementia and is diabetic.
On the time, pals of the Menards’ stated they have been a part of a potential lawsuit towards the ranch. That they had allegedly instructed pals that they have been being harassed.
The couple was stated to be very energetic of their church and within the Olive Dell group.
“They’re very candy folks. There’s not a imply bone of their physique in any respect, which makes this very complicated,” Tammie stated.
This appeared like only a lacking individual case till Thursday August 29. A SWAT workforce entered the Olive Dell Ranch and raided the house of a neighbor of the Menards.
Police used an armored car with a hydraulic battering ram to tear down the individual of curiosity’s residence. Regardless of eradicating partitions, the individual was not discovered at the moment. We didn’t know the identification of the individual of curiosity at this level.
“We made a number of makes an attempt to contact the topic with no response,” Redlands metropolis spokesperson Carl Baker stated throughout a press convention. “So at that time we had a search warrant and went into the house, and for the officers’ security, we used a battering ram and distant cameras as a way to conduct that search.”
The complete ranch was locked down through the in depth search and late into the night time, stopping some neighbors from getting again residence.
Police used a helicopter and canine to seek for the Menards.
Throughout the raid, police fired some kind of agent into the individual of curiosity’s residence. Investigators additionally deployed drones to get a more in-depth look inside the person’s property.
“In all probability could be the final individual that you’d suppose would do one thing like this,” neighbor Jim Hynd stated in regards to the individual of curiosity.
Investigators returned to the world Thursday to comply with up on a tip that led them to the individual of curiosity, who lives proper subsequent door to the Menards.
There was some additional drama when the tank received caught in a gap that fashioned within the floor and needed to be pulled out. A deputy was contained in the car however was rescued and didn’t seem like injured.
Later that night time, we discovered the identification of the individual of curiosity.
He’s Michael Royce Sparks (62). Police launched his mugshot and within the picture, he seems to be coated in grime.
Police stated that Michael surrendered after prolonged negotiations after he was discovered beneath his residence. There are rumors that he had made a sequence of tunnels/bunkers in his residence and on-line chatter additionally speculates that he could also be a prepper.
We discovered that Michael tried to take his life when he was approached by legislation enforcement. “He did have a rifle and he did try and kill himself when police found him,” stated Carl Baker, from the Metropolis of Redlands. “The weapon misfired…it didn’t go off.”
After the arrest, police took cadaver canine to the destroyed property. A canine had apparently detected a minimum of one physique on the scene.
“We’re assured that they’re deceased and that they’re nonetheless right here on the property.” Carl Baker stated.
Tammie spoke to the media once more on the time. “I don’t know, folks simply don’t dig tunnels underneath their home and behind their home,” she stated. “If I had identified, I might have instructed the cops instantly, ‘Hey, that man had tunnels.’”
Tammie additionally stated that she had taken Michael to Dwelling Depot a number of occasions in order that he may purchase concrete.
Different neighbors have spoken to the media and stated that Michael was quiet and customarily saved to himself.
On Sunday August 31, Carl Baker confirmed that human stays had been present in an area within the residence. “We had a metropolis crew with a digicam that we use to judge sewer blockages. They have been in a position to run that digicam into that area and confirm the presence of the proof,” he stated.
“There have been no tunnels that we are able to inform,” he added. “There’s a area about 5 ft deep…and it goes again possibly to the again of the property, which is a cellular residence.”
The stays have been present in luggage.
By September 1, the stays had nonetheless not been recognized. This entry appeared on the San Bernardino Coroner’s Web site.
There was no confirmed motive for the murders as of September 1.
Tammie has instructed a number of native TV stations that Michael apparently hated the Menards. The hatred was fuelled by a struggle they’d been having that concerned a tree between their houses. Tammie instructed Fox that Michael “stated it many occasions that he hated them.”
“Once I first moved right here, he instructed me how a lot he hated them, and he hated Dan particularly as a result of Dan would minimize the tree … trim the tree down,” she stated.
SOURCE LIST
https://time.com/7015695/elderly-couple-missing-california-nudist-resort
https://abc7.com/publish/redlands-couple-dan-stephanie-menard-dog-cuddles-missing-nudist-ranch/15244352
https://abc7news.com/publish/dan-stephanie-menard-missing-redlands-nudist-ranch-couple-believed-dead-human-remains-found-suspects-home/15249868
