Five days after Redlands residents Dan and Stephanie Menard were last seen alive, police received a crucial tip on Thursday, Aug. 29, that broke the case and shifted it from a missing person to a homicide investigation.
“Police dispatchers received information from an individual, identified as a family member, indicating that the suspect, Michael Sparks, was involved in the disappearance and had admitted to killing two people and was threatening suicide,” Redlands Police Chief Rachel Tolber said during a news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
Dan Menard, 79, right, and his wife Stephanie Menard, 73, are believed to been killed, Redlands police said. (Courtesy of Redlands Police Department)
Michael Royce Sparks, 62, was charged Tuesday, Sept. 3 with two counts of murder in the deaths of Dan Menard, 79, and his wife, Stephanie Menard, 73. Investigators spent days removing bags of human remains, believed to be those of the Menards, from under Sparks’ home. (Courtesy of Redlands Police Department)
A vigil was held by residents of the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort and others in Redlands for Stephanie and Dan Menard, an elderly couple who lived there and who police say were killed by their neighbor, Michael Royce Sparks. on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)
San Bernardino District Attorney Jason Anderson answers questions from the press Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in San Bernardino about the missing couple from Reche Canyon, Stephanie Menard, 73, and Dan Menard, 79. Police arrested the Menards’ neighbor, Michael Royce Sparks, 62, on Thursday, Aug. 29, and he was charged with two counts of murder on Tuesday on suspicion of killing the Menards and dismembering their bodies. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
San Bernardino District Attorney Jason Anderson answers questions from the press Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in San Bernardino about the missing couple from Reche Canyon, Stephanie Menard, 73, and Dan Menard, 79. Police arrested the Menards’ neighbor, Michael Royce Sparks, 62, on Thursday, Aug. 29, and he was charged with two counts of murder on Tuesday, Sept. 3 on suspicion of killing the Menards and dismembering their bodies. (Phot by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Redlands Police Chief Rachel Tolber answers questions from the press Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, at the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office about the missing couple from Reche Canyon, Stephanie Menard, 73, and Dan Menard, 79. Police arrested the Menards’ neighbor, Michael Royce Sparks, 62, on Thursday, Aug. 29, after finding remains on his property and on suspicion of murder. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Show Caption
1 of 6
Dan Menard, 79, right, and his wife Stephanie Menard, 73, are believed to been killed, Redlands police said. (Courtesy of Redlands Police Department)
Expand
District Attorney Jason Anderson announced the filing of two counts of murder against Sparks, 62, of Redlands, including special circumstance allegation of committing multiple homicides. Sparks will be arraigned Wednesday,
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
(Visited 5 times, 1 visits today)
