Police Arrest 62-Year-Old Man Linked to Missing Redlands Couple

An arrest has been made in connection with the alarming disappearance of an elderly couple from the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in San Bernardino County. The couple, Daniel Menard, aged 79, and his wife, Stephanie Menard, 73, were last seen on Saturday, and the search for them has drawn significant attention.

Redlands police announced the arrest of Michael Royce Sparks, 62, who lives nearby the Menards. He has been charged with murder and was taken into custody at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Carl Baker, a spokesperson for Redlands and the Redlands Police Department, stated that Sparks surrendered to authorities around 9:30 PM on Thursday after being found under his home. Baker clarified, “Let me say he surrendered voluntarily. I won’t say he’s been cooperative, but he did surrender voluntarily last night after lengthy negotiations.”

Initially, Sparks was designated as a person of interest in the Menards’ disappearance, but he was not publicly named until the announcement of his arrest. The couple was last confirmed to have been at the resort around 10 AM on Saturday, accompanied by their dog, a small white Shih Tzu named Cuddles.

On Friday morning, police deployed a cadaver search dog to investigate Sparks’ residence. Baker reported at an 11 AM news conference that the dog had alerted, indicating the potential presence of a body beneath the house. However, police have not yet been able to enter the home due to damage sustained during Thursday’s efforts to locate Sparks.

Baker elaborated, stating, “At this point, Redlands police are working with city assets to assure that the structure is safe for search parties to enter. We have not yet made entrance into the structure, and we have not located any bodies.” He reiterated that the cadaver dog’s positive indication was taken very seriously by investigators.

In the days leading up to the arrest, friends of the Menards had expressed growing concern for the couple. Baker noted, “We suspect that there may have been foul play,” during a previous press conference. The search quickly escalated, with police utilizing dogs and helicopters from the sheriff’s office. The investigation was spurred by a tip-off that led authorities to Sparks’ home.

Police obtained a search warrant and employed a SWAT team to enter Sparks’ residence. Rather than risk officer safety, they used armored vehicles to tear down parts of the house in their search. Baker confirmed that investigators intend to continue their examination of the property for leads on the couple’s whereabouts.

He stated there are currently no specific details on where the Menards might have been killed, but police are optimistic that their bodies can be located on the grounds of the Olive Dell Ranch. Baker declared, “We are confident that they are deceased and that they are still here on the property.”

The couple’s disappearance took an unsettling turn when their unlocked car was discovered down the road from their residence on Keissel Road in Redlands. Moreover, several of their possessions, including cellphones and a handbag belonging to Stephanie Menard, were found at their home, raising further suspicions.

Sandy Marinelli, a friend of the Menards for over a decade, expressed her dread regarding the situation, saying, “I just want them back. They don’t deserve this. They’re just good people. They go to church. They don’t deserve any of this.”

Marinelli reported that another neighbor went to the couple’s home on Sunday after noticing they hadn’t shown up for church. Inside, she found Stephanie Menard’s cane along with electronic devices like a TV and computer left on, but the couple was nowhere to be found. “It was just very suspicious for them to be gone,” Marinelli remarked.