Neighbor is suspected of killing Redlands couple living on nudist ranch
An elderly couple who went missing from a Redlands nudist ranch are now presumed dead, and police have arrested a suspect in their killings.
The Redlands Police Department arrested 62-year-old Michael Royce Sparks on Thursday night in connection with the disappearance of Daniel Menard, 79, and his wife, Stephanie Menard, 73, from the Olive Dell Ranch, according to a police news release.
Sparks was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into West Valley Detention Center.
Sparks, who was armed, was barricaded in a concrete bunker beneath his home when officers arrived, according to Redlands police spokesperson Carl Baker.
“I won’t say he’s been cooperative. He surrendered after lengthy negotiations,” Baker said.
Underneath the home, which is next door to the Menards’, authorities say they found human remains that they are now in the process of identifying.
At a Redlands nudist ranch, police used a battering ram to breach the home of a person who may have been involved in the disappearance of a couple.
The Menards and their dog, a small shih tzu named Cuddles, were reported missing by a friend Sunday, police said.
The Menards’ car was found unlocked down the road from their home, and Stephanie’s purse was found inside their home along with her and Daniel’s cellphones, authorities said.
Investigators were at Sparks’ home Friday morning preparing to search for the bodies of the couple, police said. The structure, which has extensive damage, needs to be deemed safe before searchers can go inside.
“Currently, we are trying to locate the victims,” Baker said during a Friday morning news conference. “We are confident that they are deceased and that they are still here on the property.”
Baker didn’t comment on a possible motive, but resident Tammie Wilkerson, who lives next door to Sparks, told KCAL that Sparks hated the couple.
“It’s such a stupid reason,” she said. “They had a tree on the property line, and Dan [Menard] used to go trim the limbs. And he hated that.”
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