Neighbor charged with murder of couple who went missing from California nudist resort

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — A man was charged Tuesday with the murder of two of his neighbors in a Southern California nudist community.

Michael Royce Sparks, 62, was charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances in the deaths of Stephanie Menard, 73, and her husband, Daniel, 79, court records show. The couple had been reported missing in the desert community of Redlands.

Sparks is being held without bail and is due to appear in court Wednesday. It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer and online court records did not list one.

Sparks was arrested last week after he was found under a home at Olive Dell Ranch, which is described on its website as a residential RV park and family-friendly nudist resort. Authorities said they discovered human remains a day later in bags in a concrete bunker underneath the home some 60 miles (96 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.

Jacquelyn Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office, said the remains were believed to be those of the couple but authorities could not immediately confirm that. She declined to comment on how they were believed to have been killed or a possible motive.

Rodriguez said authorities did not believe there were any other victims in the case.

The couple were reported missing by a friend who said they were last seen at their home on Aug. 24. Their pet dog, a shih tzu named Cuddles, was also missing.

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