A neighbor of 62-year-old Michael Sparks, the man accused of killing an elderly couple and hiding their remains in a bunker beneath his Redlands home, told KTLA the trauma of the whole ordeal has left her shaken and unsure if she can remain in her own home.
Daniel Menard, 79, and Stephanie Menard, 73, had last been seen at their home inside the Olive Dell Ranch Nudist Resort on Aug. 24.
Days later, on Aug. 29, after police were tipped off about where the couple, now presumed dead, 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 later 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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What’s left of Michael Sparks’, 62, home, after being accused of killing his elderly Redlands neighbors. (KTLA) -
Michael Sparks is seen in an image provided by the Redlands Police Department. -
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) -
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) -
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)
A fenced in pile of rubble is now all that’s left of Sparks’ house, which sits directly next door to where the Menards, his presumed victims, lived.
“I look out my window or open my door, I can see it and it’s still traumatizing,” Tammie Wilkerson, who lives on the other side of Sparks and was a friend of the Menards, said. “I could see inside his house and to know that they had to have been there somewhere and not found was even worse.”
Investigators with the Redlands Police Department conducted an extensive search of the 62-year-old’s property over four days, finding additional human remains on Sunday.
Carl Baker, Redlands PD Spokesperson, told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson they do not believe the additional remains are a new victim.
“As far as we know, the remains that we’ve recovered are those of Dan and Stephanie and there are no others,” he said.
The San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office is working to positively identify the remains recovered on Sparks’ property.
As for Wilkerson, who has been staying in a hotel for much of the investigation, the harrowing experience has taken a heavy emotional toll.
“I still get nauseous. My hands shake, my heart races,” she explained. “I don’t think I can stay here.”
Wilkerson said she was also friends with Sparks, but never could’ve imagined he would be responsible for the Menards’ death, even though she was aware the trio did not get along.
“He was mad because Dan cut some tree limbs on a tree that belonged to him and he has held a grudge ever since then,” Wilkerson said. “That’s the only thing I can think of that was making him do what he did.”
Sparks, who remains in custody, has since been charged with murder and is due to appear in court tomorrow.