Suspect Arrested for Murder in Connection with California Couple Who Vanished From California Family Nudist Resort
After police descended on a nudist resort where Daniel and Stephanie Menard disappeared, they announced an arrest has been made in their murder.
Aug. 30 2024, Published 11:17 a.m. ET
An arrest has been made in connection with the search for a couple who vanished from a nudist community in California, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Days after the couple was reported missing, 62-year-old Michael Sparks was arrested for murder late in the evening on Aug. 29, according to the Redlands Police Department.
Their dog Cuddles is also missing.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, police had been trying to locate Sparks on Thursday, breaching a home and conducting a search using remote video equipment to find him.
Sparks was not found at the location, but he was the same person law enforcement was searching for, police said.
Aerial footage showed SWAT officers and other agencies gathering at Olive Dell Ranch.
Sparks has been booked into the West Valley Detention Center.
Daniel Menard, 79, and Stephanie Menard, 73, were last seen at the property in Colton on the morning of Aug. 24, and a friend reported them missing the next day.
Police and friends have been urgently searching for the couple since they disappeared.
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The couple's unlocked vehicle was located just down the road from the ranch, where officials said they left their cell phones and Stephanie's purse. Their white Shih Tzu, Cuddles, was also nowhere to be found.
The location of the dog remains unknown.
Daniel and Stephanie were last seen on Saturday morning.
Police previously said there was no indication of foul play, but friends and family expressed concern about the couple's safety prior to Sparks' arrest.
"There’s no way that Stephanie or Dan could have walked away from that car. She has a cane. It was at home, her purse, their cellphones — things they would never have left at home," one friend noted.
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Another person close to the pair said: "They don't deserve this... They're just good people. They go to church. They don't deserve any of this.”
The friend explained: "(A neighbor) went inside their home to see if they would be okay inside and they didn't find them in there, but they found Stephanie's purse was in there, (her) cane was in there... (The) TV was left on, (the) computer was left on. It was just very suspicious for them to be gone."
Olive Dell Ranch, according to its website, is a "family nudist resort" and RV park boasting beautiful mountain views, a pool, a jacuzzi, and a clubhouse with daily activities.
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