A man has been arrested in connection with the case of a missing Redlands couple. This video was broadcast on the NBC4 News at 6 a.m. on Aug. 30, 2024.
A man has been arrested in connection with the case of a missing Redlands couple.
According to Redlands police, 62-year-old Michael Royce Sparks was arrested Thursday night.
Authorities on Thursday were conducting a search operation inside a nudist resort in Redlands to locate a man who they believed to be linked to a couple who was reported missing since Sunday.
Updated Story: Suspect in Redlands couple's disappearance found under home
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Seventy-three-year-old Stephanie and Daniel Menard, 79, were reported missing Sunday by a friend. They were last seen at 10 a.m. Saturday at their home in the 26000 block of Keissel Road.
"When we found out that they, they had gone missing, obviously, it was just a big blow to the entire community," said Jim Hynd, who lives in Olive Dell Ranch. "They were an older couple, nice, they kept to themselves, they had their dog."
The couple's dog, a white Shih Tzu named Cuddles, also is missing.
Police said they received a phone call about a man who may be involved in the disappearance of the Menards at the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort. The missing couple and the man are neighbors, Carl Baker with the city of Redlands said.
"We don't know where the subject is. He may still be inside or he may be somewhere else on the grounds," Baker explained. "We're certain that he has not been able to escape from the area. We were informed that he is inside the park, not necessarily inside his residence."
The couple and the dog were not located as of Thursday afternoon.
Baker said investigators are using "remote equipment" to find the neighbor after they entered his residence as well as assistance from the K-9 unit including cadaver dog.
Newschopper4 was overhead when SWAT teams moved into the ranch with guns drawn cautiously, appearing to approach trailers inside the resort.
