By The Diary
Aug 31, 2024, 12:02 PM EDT
Authorities in California recovered human remains yesterday at the home of Michael Royce Sparks, suspected of killing an elderly couple who lived on the same nudist ranch.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m. yesterday, police officers in Redlands discovered the remains in a concrete bunker.
Authorities have not yet determined whether they are responsible for Stephanie and Daniel Menard, 73 and 79 years old, respectively, who have been missing from the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort since Sunday.
Sparks, 62, was arrested after officers canvassed the Rancho Cucamonga neighborhood. Officers cordoned off the area surrounding the nudist resort on Thursday.
Police were attempting to execute a search warrant at the man’s residence that day and he refused to cooperate with officers. This led to officers using an armored vehicle with a hydraulic ram to tear apart part of the home.
“Redlands Fire Department members certified in closed-space operations entered the crawl space of the suspect’s residence and began removing bags of evidence,” Redlands Police spokesman Carl Baker said at a news conference.
“At this time, I can confirm the presence of human remains under the house,” the spokesman added.
Cadaver-sniffing dogs alerted police to the underground space.
Sparks was, in fact, found in that area. He eventually turned himself in after arduous negotiations with officers.
Investigations at the scene were supposed to resume on Saturday.
Work had to be suspended earlier due to the possibility of the underground structure collapsing.
San Bernardino County coroners are examining the remains to determine if they are those of the missing.
The Menards and their Shih Tzu were reported missing by a friend on Sunday after the person saw them leaving the residence the day before.
According to information handled by the authorities, the couple’s vehicle was found without insurance near their home. Stephanie’s purse was found inside their residence along with both of their cell phones.
Sparks hated the Menards, neighbor alleges
Another neighbor, identified as Tammie Wilkerson, told KCAL that Sparks allegedly hated the couple.
“He didn’t like them,” she revealed. “He hated them and he told me that many times.”
“It’s a stupid reason,” the woman said. “They had a tree that was on their property line and Dan used to go and cut the limbs off and (Sparks) hated that. That formed his hatred for them,” she said.
Sparks remains held without bail at the West Valley Detention Center and is due to appear in court on Sept. 3.