SAN BERNARDINO, California — A man was charged Tuesday with the murders 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 scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. It was not immediately known if he had an attorney, and online court records did not list one.
Sparks were arrested last week after he was found under a home in Olive Dell Ranch, which is described on its website as a residential RV park and family-friendly nudist resort. Authorities said they found human remains in bags a day later in a concrete bunker beneath the home, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
Jacquelyn Rodriguez, a spokeswoman 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.
According to Rodriguez, authorities do not believe there are any additional victims in this case.
The couple were reported missing by a friend who said they were last seen at their home on August 24. Their dog, a Shih Tzu named Cuddles, was also missing.