A couple living in a Southern California nudist community, who were reported missing earlier this week, are now presumed dead, police said on Friday. Their next-door neighbour was arrested after cops found human remains under his home, The Guardian reported.
Police used a tank-like vehicle to smash into the home of Michael Royce Sparks, 62, where they believed the bodies of Stephanie Menard, 73, and her husband, Daniel Menard, 79, would be found.
Carl Baker, spokesperson for the Redlands Police Department, confirmed the couple’s deaths were likely, though no motive has been released. “We are confident that they are deceased and that they are still here on the property,” Mr Baker told Sky News.
Human remains were later discovered in bags in a concrete bunker underneath the home, but they were not immediately identified.
Sparks was booked into jail on Thursday night on suspicion of homicide after being found hiding under the house at Olive Dell Ranch, a residential RV park and nudist resort located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. He is currently being held without bail and is scheduled for a court appearance on Tuesday.
The investigation into the couple’s disappearance began after a friend reported them missing on Sunday, noting that they were last seen at their home on Saturday morning. Their car was found unlocked nearby, and both their phones and Stephanie Menard’s purse were still inside their residence. Their pet dog, a Shih Tzu named Cuddles, is also missing. The case took a disturbing turn when a cadaver dog detected the presence of human remains under Sparks’ home.
The arrest and discovery followed rapid developments on Thursday when police received a tip-off that someone involved in the couple’s disappearance was still on the property. After failed attempts to contact Sparks, the tactical vehicle was brought in, leading to his eventual surrender around 9:30 pm.
The couple was described as kind and involved in the community, leaving friends confused and shocked by the events. A friend of the Menards, Tammie Wilkerson, told local news outlet KABC-TV that they were “very sweet people” and didnt have a “mean bone in their body at all.”
