• U.S.
  • California

California Man Charged With Murder in Disappearance of Elderly Couple From California Nudist Resort

2 minute read
Updated: | Originally published:

A California man charged with the murder of husband and wife Dan and Stephanie Menard, who disappeared from the Olive Dell Ranch—a "family-friendly nudist resort" in Southern California.

Per an update shared on the Redlands Police Facebook page: "Michael Royce Sparks, 62, was arrested for murder and booked at West Valley Detention Center."

On Tuesday, Sept. 3, Sparks was charged with the murders. He is being held without bail and is due to appear in court Wednesday. 

Dan, 79, and Stephanie, 73, were reported missing by a friend on Aug. 25, and were last seen at their residence, located a few miles from San Bernardino and Riverside, around 10 a.m. on Aug. 24, according to the Redlands Police Department.

Authorities had shared the urgency of finding the couple, noting that Dan suffers from dementia and is diabetic. The couple’s dog, Cuddles, a small white shih tzu, was also marked as missing.

Stephanie MenardRedlands Police Department
Daniel MenardRedlands Police Department

The Redlands Police Department previously said the Menard's unlocked vehicle was located down the road from the couple’s home, and that Stephanie’s purse and both of their cell phones were located inside their residence.

"There’s no way that Stephanie or Dan could have walked away from that car," a friend of the couple, Tammie Wilkerson, told ABC News before the arrest was made. "She has a cane. It was at home, her purse, their cellphones—things they would never have left at home."

TIME has reached out to the Redlands Police Department for further comment and information.

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com