Additional human remains were found at the home of a California man arrested last week for murder, following the disappearance of his neighbors.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the Redlands Police Department arrested 62-year-old Michael Sparks last week on murder charges linked to the disappearance of 73-year-old Stephanie Menard and 79-year-old Daniel Menard.
On Sunday, investigators recovered additional remains during their fourth day of searching Sparks’ property, located at the Olive Dell Ranch Nudist Resort in Colton. A fire department search-and-rescue team found the remains in bags inside a concrete bunker located under Sparks’ home.
The remains have yet to be identified, NBC Los Angeles reports.
“We are confident that they are deceased and that they are still here on the property,” Redlands public information officer Carl Baker said.
When officers initially arrived at the defendant’s home on August 29, Sparks barricaded himself inside with a rifle, prompting the use of a drone and a battering ram to gain entry.
Police located Sparks in a cement bunker beneath the house. Shortly before his arrest, Sparks attempted suicide, but police said the rifle misfired.
A woman who reported the missing couple to 911 on Sunday said she became worried when they failed to attend their usual Friday potluck and karaoke gathering at a neighbor’s home.
Neighbor Irene Engkraf recounted that, on Sunday, she was heading to church when she spotted the couple’s abandoned car. After checking their home and attending church, she couldn’t find them.
Nearby residents told KTLA 5 that Sparks held a long-standing grudge against the couple, and they had an ongoing feud.
Meanwhile, a friend of the missing couple, told KABC-TV that they were active members of a nudist ranch community at the Olive Dell Ranch RV Park in Colton, where they lived.
“They’re very sweet people,” Tammie Wilkerson said. “There’s not a mean bone in their body at all, which makes this very confusing.”
Their vehicle was found unlocked “down the road” from their home, police said. Stephanie’s purse and Daniel’s cell phone were both discovered inside their home.
“There’s no way that Stephanie or Dan could have walked away from that car,” Wilkerson continued. “She has a cane. It was at home, her purse, their cellphones — things they would never have left at home.”
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Redlands police at 909-798-7681.
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[Feature Photo: Stephanie and Daniel Menard/Redlands PD]
