Cops: Pair Who Vanished From Nudist Park Likely Dead

California cops say neighbor Michael Sparks, 62, is now a murder suspect in the case
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 28, 2024 3:46 PM CDT
Updated Aug 30, 2024 12:25 PM CDT
Couple Disappeared From Nudist Resort Days Ago
Police released this photo of the missing couple and their dog.   (Redlands Police Department)
UPDATE Aug 30, 2024 12:25 PM CDT

Police say they're now sure that an elderly couple who vanished from their California nudist community are dead, and a neighbor is in custody. ABC News reports 62-year-old Michael Sparks was arrested on murder charges Thursday, after a search using remote video gear found him hiding under his home at the Olive Dell Ranch resort. "We are confident that they are deceased and that they are still here on the property," a police rep said of Stephanie Menard, 73, and her 79-year-old husband, Daniel. No motive has yet been suggested.

Aug 28, 2024 3:46 PM CDT

Friends say they're very worried about Stephanie and Daniel Menard, a couple in their 70s who mysteriously disappeared from their home in a nudist ranch in California over the weekend. They were reported missing on Sunday after last being seen on Saturday. Police say their car was found unlocked down the road from their home in the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in San Bernardino County, the Sacramento Bee reports. Stephanie Menard is 73 years old. Daniel, 79, is diabetic and has dementia, the Redlands Police Department said in a Facebook post.

The couple's shih tzu, Cuddles, is also missing. Friends say the couple didn't get around on foot very well so it would have been very unusual for them to leave without their car, CBS News reports. Neighbor Sandy Marinelli says another neighbor reported the couple missing when they weren't ready for church on Sunday. She says the neighbor went into the Menards' home and found that the TV and computer were on. Stephanie "has a cane," friend Tammie Wilkerson tells ABC7. "It was at home, her purse, their cellphones—things they would never have left at home."

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Friends say the couple was being harassed in connection with a possible lawsuit against the ranch they are part of and fear there could be a link to their disappearance. "They're very sweet people," Wilkerson says. "There's not a mean bone in their body at all, which makes this very confusing." Carl Baker, a spokesperson for the City of Redlands, tells CBS News that while he "can't really speak to" the possibility of foul play, "we're certainly investigating every avenue." "We did have search dogs from Riverside Sheriff's Office and a helicopter from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office," Baker says. (More missing persons stories.)

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