Murder Investigation Continues as Police Arrest Suspect in Elderly Couple’s Death
Redlands, CA – Police are still looking into the shocking deaths of Stephanie and Dan Menard, an elderly couple. Today, investigators and special teams are back at the crime scene, focusing on searching the suspect’s property for more clues.
Ongoing Search
Teams with special tools are at a Redlands nudist ranch again today. They’re trying to figure out if it’s safe to go inside the home of Michael Sparks, the man thought to have killed the Menards. This follows several days of careful searching.
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Body Found
Dogs trained to find dead bodies, working with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office, found human remains in a underground shelter on Sparks’ property. Sparks was the Menards’ neighbor. The body hasn’t been identified yet, but police hope today’s work will give them more answers.
What They’ve Found So Far
The Redlands Fire Department sent in workers trained to work in tight spaces. They’ve been taking out bags of evidence from under Sparks’ house. They also found a gun, which Sparks tried to use on himself when police came, but it didn’t fire.
The elderly couple was first reported missing last Saturday. Recently, the Sheriff’s SWAT team broke into Sparks’ home using a big ram. Sparks was armed and hiding in an underground shelter, but police eventually arrested him. He’s been charged with murder and is in jail without bail.
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What’s Next
Michael Sparks, who is 62, is set to go to court for the first time on Tuesday. As police keep investigating, there are still many questions. But they’re carefully gathering and looking at evidence.
