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A 62-year-old man has been formally charged with the homicide of his neighbors, who disappeared from their California nudist group final month.
Michael Sparks was charged with the murders of 73-year-old Stephanie Menard and Daniel Menard, 79, on Tuesday, in line with San Bernardino County District Lawyer Jason Anderson.
The Menards — and their shih tzu, Cuddles — have been first reported lacking on August 25. They have been final seen at their dwelling on Olive Dell Ranch, a self-described “family-friendly” nudist resort in southern California.
Sparks will seem in courtroom on Wednesday and is ineligible for bail. The costs come after investigators discovered human stays beneath Sparks’s dwelling on Monday. The our bodies are believed to belong to the Menards, the Redlands Police Division mentioned.
“From the start of this case, what we have been impressed by have been the group members, the chums and family members who realized in regards to the Menards and got here ahead to point that issues weren’t proper,” Anderson mentioned on Tuesday.
A member of the family had reported to police that Sparks admitted to killing two individuals and was threatening to take his personal life, in line with Redlands Police Chief Rachel Tolber.
“It was whereas our groups have been on web site that the police dispatcher obtained info from a person recognized as a member of the family indicating that [Sparks] was concerned within the disappearance and had admitted to killing two individuals and was threatening suicide,” Tolber mentioned.
Police first searched Sparks’s dwelling on Thursday, breaching his home with a Tac Cat, a automobile utilized by SWAT groups to navigate hazardous environments, in line with the division.
Officers ultimately discovered the 63-year-old beneath his dwelling, and he surrendered after negotiating with officers, ABC Information reviews.
Officers then searched his dwelling utilizing cadaver canines. The cadaver canines initially alerted police to not less than one physique on the property on Thursday, however officers needed to take a number of days to judge whether or not it was protected to enter on account of “in depth harm.”
The Menards have been final seen on August 24, at some point earlier than they have been reported lacking. Later that day, their unlocked automobile was discovered down the highway from their dwelling. The couple’s cell telephones, together with Stephanie’s purse, have been discovered of their home.
There’s additionally nonetheless no signal of Cuddles, the police division mentioned on Monday.
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