Elderly Couple Living at Nudist Ranch Died from Blunt Force Trauma to the Head: Coroner

Mar. 15, 2025

Dan and Stephanie Menard.Photo:Redlands Police Department

Redlands Police Department

A California couple who disappeared from a nudist resort both died from blunt force trauma to the head, officials say.

The San Bernardino County Coroner findings for Daniel Menard, 79, and his wife, Stephanie Menard, 73, came nearly two weeks after the couple’s remains were found in their neighbor’s basement.

Michael Sparks, 62, has been charged with two counts of murder two special circumstance allegations in connection with their deaths. He has pleaded not guilty.

Daniel and Stephanie Menard were last seen on Saturday, Aug. 24, and reported missing on Sunday, Aug. 25, theRedlands Police Departmentsaid in a statement.

Their car was found abandoned near their home at the Olive Dell Ranch RV Park, a “family-friendly nudist resort” in Redlands, which is about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Their beloved Shih Tzu, Cuddles, was also missing, police said.

Michael Sparks.Redlands Police Department

Four days after they went missing, a family member of Sparks' contacted police; that person said Sparks had claimed he had killed two people, police allege.

“We had a team that was going back out there, canvassing the neighborhood again and continuing to search,” Redlands Police Department spokesperson Carl Baker tells PEOPLE. “And while that team was out there on the site, that’s when we received a call from a person who indicated that they were a family member of Michael Sparks and that he had told them, the family member, that he had killed two people and was going to commit suicide.”

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Baker said officers tried to get Sparks to leave the home but eventually officers used an armored vehicle to tear down the walls of the house.

Police found Sparks inside a concrete space underneath his house. Human remains were found the following day.

source: people.com