Vigil held for missing Redlands couple believed to be dead

A heartfelt vigil was held Saturday evening in Reche Canyon to honor the lives of Stephanie and Dan Menard, a missing couple who are believed to be dead.

Their neighbor - 62-year-old Michael Royce Sparks - was arrested on suspicion of murder Thursday after authorities swarmed the neighborhood and locked down the area surrounding the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort.

Sparks was booked at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. He surrendered voluntarily after he was found underneath his home, which was tore down by a police armored vehicle with a hydraulic battering ram.

"He did have a rifle and he did attempt to kill himself when police discovered him," said City of Redlands spokesperson Carl Baker. "The weapon misfired ... it didn't go off."

On Friday, human remains, believed to be those of the Menards, were found in what authorities described as a concrete bunker underneath Sparks' home.

"We just want to be very sensitive to everyone that's going through this ... friends, neighbors, you know, residents that knew the Menards and then just knew them as their neighbors, and just didn't necessarily know them personally, you know, just heard the story and were touched," said Michelle Mick, who organized Saturday night's vigil.

Resident Chris Hernandez said the community is simply taking it one day at a time.

"It's been really hard," he said. "A lot of confusion, a lot of questions. I'm sure like everyone has ... we have questions. We're dealing with it and we still don't know anything."

The touching tribute came with well-received support for a community that Hernandez believes doesn't always feel seen.

"It means a lot," he said. "To show that we have such a strong community here in Reche Canyon and Redlands. A lot of times, in our community, living in a nudist resort, we feel very isolated because we get judged. People do assume things about our lifestyle, and we're just people. We hurt just like everybody else, and this is a time where everybody's hurting."

In one of the many stories shared about the Menards, one community member came forward and said Stephanie loved playing bingo in the community.

They said from now, they plan on leaving an empty seat for the couple, right in the front row where Stephanie loved to sit.

An arrest was made in a Redlands nudist ranch where SWAT ripped apart the home of a person of interest in the disappearance of a missing couple.

The motive for the alleged killings remains unclear, but authorities said the suspect and victims were neighbors.

Tammie Wilkerson, who also lives in the community, told Eyewitness News this week that she was aware of tension between Sparks and the Menards.

"When I first moved here, he told me how much he hated them, and he hated Dan specifically because Dan would cut the tree ... trim the tree down," she said.

Others, however, said they never had any problems with Sparks.

"Always cordial, always respectful, never aggressive, never mean, just a very sweet person," said Hernandez.

What happened to Stephanie and Daniel Menard?

The Menards had last been seen last weekend leaving their home in the 26000 block of Keissel Road, according to the Redlands Police Department. A friend reported them missing the next day.

The couple's vehicle was found unlocked down the road from their home Sunday. Stephanie's purse was found inside the home and both of their cellphones were also found at their home. Their dog, a small white shih tzu named Cuddles, was also missing. Baker could not provide more information about the fate of the dog.

"There's no way that Stephanie or Dan could have walked away from that car," Wilkerson told Eyewitness News. "She has a cane. It was at home, her purse, their cellphones - things they would never have left at home."

Daniel Menard suffered from dementia and is diabetic, police say.

Friends say the couple, who is part of a possible lawsuit against the ranch, was being harassed and feared that may have had something to do with their disappearance.

The couple was said to be very active in their church and in the Olive Dell community.

"They're very sweet people. There's not a mean bone in their body at all, which makes this very confusing," Wilkerson said.