Man suspected of killing couple at Redlands nudist ranch 'hated them,' neighbors say

REDLANDS, Calif. - Police have arrested a man on suspicion of killing his neighbors at a Redlands nudist camp, and found human remains underneath his home. While the coroner's office has yet to confirm the remains belong to the missing couple, neighbors say the suspect had said on multiple occasions that he "hated them."

Stephanie and Daniel Menard, and their dog Cuddles, were reported missing on Sunday, Aug. 25. They were last seen leaving their home at Olive Dell Nudist Ranch in Redlands. 

Police arrested 62-year-old Michael Royce Sparks, a neighbor of the Menards, after a massive search at his home on the ranch on Thursday. Officials said Sparks was arrested in a bunker underneath his home. 

In that same bunker, authorities said Friday, they'd made a chilling discovery.

"We've located human remains," said Carl Baker, a PIO for the City of Redlands. "We believe Dan and Stephanie are deceased."

The coroner's office is still working to confirm whether the remains belong to the Menards.

Another neighbor, Irene Engkraf, was the one who reported the couple missing. She told FOX 11 that she noticed the couple's vehicle abandoned on a road near the neighborhood Sunday. Then, she got concerned when they weren't at church service. That's when Engkraf said she went to their home to check on them.

"We went in and there was Stephanie’s purse, and their phones were still there and everything," said Engkraf. "That’s when we knew this isn’t normal."

Neighbors described Sparks as a quiet guy who, for the most part, kept to himself.

"Mike was very quiet, laid back, it’s hard to believe he’d be involved in something like this," said Chuck Harrison.

One neighbor recalled a feud between the Menards and Sparks involving a tree between their properties.

"[Sparks] didn’t like the Menards," said Tammie Wilkerson, another neighbor. "He said it many times that he hated them, but I never thought he’d do something like this."

Michael Royce Sparks was arrested and booked for murder following his neighbors' disappearance.  (Redlands PD)

Redlands PD said that Sparks tried to shoot himself with a rifle moments before he was arrested, but it misfired.

Now, the Olive Dell community is mourning neighbors they called friends.

"God, he's got our strength," said Engkraf. "[The Menards] are on holy ground, and there's angels all around them now."

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