More human remains have been found at the home of 62-year-old Redlands resident Michael Sparks, who was arrested on suspicion of murder last week in connection with an elderly couple reported missing out of Colton.
Investigators with the Redlands Police Department on Sunday were in their fourth day of an extensive search of Spark’s property at the Olive Dell Ranch Nudist Resort when they recovered the additional remains.
On Aug. 29, after police were tipped off about where the now presumed dead 73-year-old Stephanie Menard and 79-year-old Daniel Menard might be located, authorities attempted to locate Sparks at his home.
The 62-year-old had barricaded himself with a rifle inside, prompting police to use a drone and then a battering ram to tear through the house.
He was located in a cement bunker beneath the residence, the same location where a cadaver dog alerted police to bags stuffed with human remains.
Authorities said Sparks attempted to take his own life moments before he was captured, but the rifle misfired.
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Daniel Menard and Stephanie Menard are seen in an image provided by the Redlands Police Department. -
Daniel Menard and Stephanie Menard are seen in an image provided by the Redlands Police Department. -
The home of Daniel Menard and Stephanie Menard in Colton. (KTLA) -
The home of the missing couple’s next-door neighbor was raided and destroyed by SWAT Team members and law enforcement on August 29, 2024. (KTLA) -
The home of the missing couple’s next-door neighbor was raided and destroyed by SWAT Team members and law enforcement on August 29, 2024. (KTLA) -
SWAT officers gather near the home of a missing Colton couple on Aug. 29, 2024. (KTLA) -
A SWAT Team’s armored vehicle arrived to execute a search warrant at the suspect’s home on August 29, 2024. (KTLA) -
Sky5 view of the home of Michael Sparks inside the Olive Dell nudist resort in Colton, California on Aug. 30, 2024. (KTLA) -
The missing couple’s vehicle was found abandoned and unlocked down the road from their home in Colton. (KTLA)
The Menards were last seen on Aug. 24 and reported missing the next day by a friend when they didn’t show up for church. Their abandoned vehicle was found about a half mile down from the RV Park.
The Menards and Sparks had been neighbors for years. Other nearby residents told KTLA that the trio had an ongoing feud, and that Sparks never liked the couple.
While authorities have yet to comment on how the alleged killings happened, others, like longtime friend and neighbor Irene Engkraf, have been asking their own questions.
“If [Sparks] drove that car down there, how did he come from there all the way around and up that hill without anybody seeing or knowing who drove that car,” she told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson.
Authorities say they are continuing the work of positively identifying the remains found on Spark’s property as that of the Menards.
It remains unclear if the additional human remains found on the property Sunday may be another victim or victims.