Couple from California nudist resort missing, believed dead, prompting neighbour’s arrest
Police investigating the disappearance of Stephanie and Daniel Menard used an armoured vehicle to smash into Michael Royce Sparks’ home
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 on 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, spokesman for the Redlands Police Department.
“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.
Michael Royce Sparks, 62, was booked into jail for investigation of homicide on 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 96km (60 miles) east of Los Angeles.
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 dog trained to find cadavers indicated the presence of at least one body somewhere under the house Friday morning, but officers were waiting to enter until a structural assessment determined whether the home was safe, Baker said at a news conference.