An elderly couple that went missing from a nudist ranch in Southern California last month died of “blunt force trauma of the head,” according to the San Bernardino County coroner.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s coroner division concluded, “The cause of death [is] determined to be homicide,” the sheriff’s spokeswoman Mara Rodriguez told The Epoch Times on Sept. 18.
The Menards’ neighbor, Michael Sparks, 62, was arrested Aug. 29 by the Redland Police Department and is suspected of killing them. He was booked into the West Valley Detention Center, where he remained held without bail Wednesday, according to inmate records.
Sparks is charged with two counts of murder. His next scheduled court date is Oct. 18.
After arresting Sparks at his home next door to the Menards’ house, detectives continued searching his property.
The house where the bodies were buried was nearly destroyed before the arrest when police used a vehicle with a battering ram attached to it to gain entry.
Once the structure was stabilized, detectives used a cadaver dog, which alerted them to an area under the house.
The unusual missing-persons case drew national attention after a neighbor reported the Menards missing in August. Police found the couple’s vehicle down the road from the home at the ranch with the car keys still inside.
Investigators also found the TV and air conditioning on at their house.
Police used a helicopter and a drone to search nearby ravines and park grounds before zeroing in on their neighbor’s property.
Police have found no evidence of the Menards’ dog, a small white Shih Tzu named Cuddles, which went missing with the couple.
“At this point, the property has been turned back over to the owners,” Redlands Police spokesman Carl Baker told The Epoch Times. “There was no sign of Cuddles.”
According to court records in San Bernardino County, Stephanie Menard had filed three restraining orders in June. Police were not able to confirm whether the orders were connected to the case.
The case has been turned over to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, Baker said.
