Neighbor charged with murder, human remains found at California nudist ranch where elderly couple disappeared

California investigators discovered human remains Friday under the home of a man charged with murder in the disappearance of an elderly couple from the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in San Bernardino County.

Redlands police said at a news conference Friday that they found the remains beneath the home of Michael Royce Sparks, 62, the neighbor of Daniel Menard, 79, and his wife, Stephanie Menard, 73. Police arrested Sparks Thursday and he was booked at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. 

"We don't know we've located their bodies," Redlands Police Department spokesman Carl Baker said during a Friday news conference. "We located human remains. I can't verify that that's Dan and Stephanie [Menard]."

Baker said that around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Sparks was found underneath his home and surrendered to police. 

"Let me say he surrendered voluntarily. I won't say he's been cooperative, but he did surrender voluntarily last night after lengthy negotiations," Baker said. 

On Thursday, police said the Menards' neighbor was a person of interest in the couple's disappearance but did not identify Sparks by name.

The Menards were last seen at the Olive Dell Ranch around 10 a.m. Saturday, according to police. Their dog, a small white Shih Tzu named Cuddles, was with them. 

A cadaver dog was used to search for the couple's bodies at Sparks' residence Friday morning. Baker said at a news conference that "the dog did alert, indicating the presence of a body somewhere underneath the house."

"I can confirm the presence of human remains under the house"

In the days following the Menards' disappearance, friends expressed concern as police dispatched dogs and a sheriff's office helicopter to aid in the search.  

On Thursday, police said that a tip had been called into investigators, prompting them to obtain a search warrant "to try and locate the suspect." 

"We suspect that there may have been foul play," Baker said during a news conference Thursday afternoon. 

A SWAT team used armored vehicles to tear down the walls of Sparks' house instead of entering it directly "for the officers' safety," according to police. On Friday, Baker said Sparks was armed with a rifle and barricaded in the home. 

"He did have a rifle and he did attempt to kill himself when police discovered him, but the rifle misfired," Baker said. 

Baker added on Friday that police will continue investigating the dismantled home to search for the couple.

Investigators discovered the human remains along with "bags of evidence" under Sparks' home. 

"At this time, I can confirm the presence of human remains under the house," Baker said. "We have a representative from the Coroner's Office here who [is] evaluating the remains, but obviously, we are not going to be able to identify those at this time."

While police have not yet identified the remains, they "believe that Dan and Stephanie [Menard] are deceased," Baker said. 

"Very suspicious for them to be gone"

Shortly after the couple was last seen, their unlocked car was found down the street from their home in the 26000 block of Keissel Road in Redlands. Some of their possessions, including their cellphones and Stephanie Menard's purse, were found at the home.  

The circumstances of their disappearance had led to concerns from friends.

"I just want them back," said Sandy Marinelli, who has been friends with the couple for more than a decade. "They don't deserve this. ... They're just good people. They go to church. They don't deserve any of this."

Marinelli said another neighbor went to the couple's home on Sunday when they weren't ready for church and discovered Stephanie Menard's cane inside. She also said a TV and computer were left on. 

But the couple was nowhere to be found.

"It was just very suspicious for them to be gone," Marinelli said.

Tammie Wilkerson, who also lives at the ranch, said Sparks had an ongoing dispute with the Menards. 

"He didn't like them. He hated them, and he told me many times," Wilkerson said. "It's such a stupid reason. They had a tree that was on their property line, and Dan used to go trim the limbs and he hated that. That formed his hatred towards them."