Police find human remains in neighbor's underground bunker after couple disappears from home in SoCal nudist colony
California police searching for a couple missing from their home in a nudist colony said a tip led to a neighbor's home, where human remains have been discovered. 73-year-old Stephanie Menard and 79-year-old Daniel Menard were reported missing on Sunday by a friend who found their unlocked car near their home. The Menards lived in a home in an unincorporated region of San Bernardino County south of Colton. His rifle misfired and didn't shoot.A tip led police to the mobile home of 62-year-old Michael Royce Sparks, a neighbor of the Menards, according to Redlands Police public information officer Carl Baker. Sparks allegedly barricaded himself inside of the home with weapons, so police responded by knocking the home down with a SWAT operation Thursday evening. Police said Sparks was found underneath the home in a concrete bunker and arrested at about 9:30 p.m. Baker initially said that a cadaver dog indicated that a body was present at the home, and police later discovered remains in bags inside the underground bunker."There was significant damage to suspect's residence when we broke in to search it," Baker added. "We had to secure the scene overnight to make sure it's safe to enter."Police said that Sparks had a rifle and tried to kill himself when police found him but that his rifle misfired and didn't shoot. The man was booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga and charged in the couple's murder. Police did not indicate what the suspect's motivation might have been. The Olive Dell Ranch includes a nudist resort and a residential RV park. The Menard's white shih tzu dog, Cuddles, is also missing. Video of the SWAT vehicle knocking down the home was included on the KABC-TV news report on YouTube. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
California police searching for a couple missing from their home in a nudist colony said a tip led to a neighbor's home, where human remains have been discovered.
73-year-old Stephanie Menard and 79-year-old Daniel Menard were reported missing on Sunday by a friend who found their unlocked car near their home. The Menards lived in a home in an unincorporated region of San Bernardino County south of Colton.
His rifle misfired and didn't shoot.
A tip led police to the mobile home of 62-year-old Michael Royce Sparks, a neighbor of the Menards, according to Redlands Police public information officer Carl Baker.
Sparks allegedly barricaded himself inside of the home with weapons, so police responded by knocking the home down with a SWAT operation Thursday evening. Police said Sparks was found underneath the home in a concrete bunker and arrested at about 9:30 p.m.
Baker initially said that a cadaver dog indicated that a body was present at the home, and police later discovered remains in bags inside the underground bunker.
"There was significant damage to suspect's residence when we broke in to search it," Baker added. "We had to secure the scene overnight to make sure it's safe to enter."
Police said that Sparks had a rifle and tried to kill himself when police found him but that his rifle misfired and didn't shoot.
The man was booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga and charged in the couple's murder. Police did not indicate what the suspect's motivation might have been.
The Olive Dell Ranch includes a nudist resort and a residential RV park.
The Menard's white shih tzu dog, Cuddles, is also missing.
Video of the SWAT vehicle knocking down the home was included on the KABC-TV news report on YouTube.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Originally Published at Daily Wire, World Net Daily, or The Blaze
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