Eventually, someone close to the family was convicted of bludgeoning the McStays to death before burying them in the desert. [2][12], On November 11, 2013, a dirt biker found four sets of human remains buried in two shallow graves in the desert near Victorville, California. The McStay family of four was living a happy life, and had recently moved to a new house, which they were renovating and turning into their dream home. mount horeb to kadesh barnea map. The mystery was largely treated as a missing-persons case until this month, after a motorcyclist riding through the desert above Victorville, Calif., came across a weathered skull and called police. A hearing on McGees motion is scheduled Friday in San Bernardino Superior Court. How scared were they, Chase? February 19, 2010 Detectives search the McStay family home. As it turned out, someone from animal control had stopped by and fed the dogs, so Summer and Joseph had not arranged for someone to feed them. Look out for wildlife like rattlesnakes. June 10, 2019 Merritt is found guilty of murdering the McStay family. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Published on November 9, 2014 01:05 PM. Merritt later told police that he ignored the voicemail because he was watching a movie. This allows you to focus on the securities you are interested in, so you can make informed decisions. Sheriffs investigators believe Merritt, a business associate of Joseph McStay who built custom decorative water fountains for McStays online business, killed the McStays for financial gain. [20] Although it is possible for a U.S. citizen to enter Mexico without a passport, one is required to reenter the United States. WebResearch genealogy for Elizabeth McStay of Draycott, Derbyshire, England, as well as other members of the McStay family, on Ancestry. The video shows a male adult and a child walking in front of a female adult with another child. Michael did not find any family at home, and their two dogs were in the backyard. According to a news article from CNN, it states how Food had been left out and the dogs were home. The memorial is located about 200 feet west of Quary road and requires visitors to leave their car at Quary Road and walk east to the actual location. No mention was made by investigators or attorneys during Merritts preliminary hearing that investigators believe Summer McStay had been raped, nor has any evidence been presented publicly to indicate that, other than what McGee included in his motion. that one huge mistake calls into question everything youve written. Being spoiled by my rich friend makes me feel like a charity case, Anti-agers no one but you needs to know about,Inge Van Lotringen tells all, How to dress like a grown up: Trust me, loose fit can be flattering, says Shane Watson, The one thing I've learnt byBinky Felstead, My Daily Horoscope: What does 27th February bring for my star sign? How could you beat two precious little babies? Charles Chase Merritt, left, reacts after being found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder of the McStay family, in San Bernardino Superior Court in San Bernardino on June 10. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. San Bernardino County sheriffs investigators believe Summer McStay, who along with her husband Joseph and two young sons was fatally beaten with a sledgehammer and buried in a shallow grave near Victorville, may have been raped before she was killed, according to a court document. [13] Dean stated in her blog she had just finished producing a radio show for San Diego station KNSJ when she received the call, and that she asked whether she could tell her followers what he had told her. Investigators believe Summer was raped at the time as her pants were in the grave near her head, and her panties were in the pants as (if) they were pulled off together, according to the motion. Credit: Find the McStay Family Facebook Page. The familys two beloved dogs, Bear and Digger, were left behind in the backyard, and nearly $100,000 remained untouched in bank accounts belonging to Joseph, who ran a successful decorative-fountain business. There were no signs of foul play, but the fact that they had left the car and toys four days after leaving home, so close to the Mexican border was bizarre. 'He told me he was in a hurry because he had a lunch meeting,' the dad told Killer Motive host Troy Roberts. [29] Merritt's attorney filed a motion in San Bernardino Superior Court on April 7, 2018, arguing that Joseph's business and accounting records were hearsay evidence and therefore inadmissible. Merritts cellphone was also traced to the burial site area in the days following the McStays disappearance. Volunteers set up the original memorial site in 2013. Defense attorney Rajan Maline has continued to proclaimhis clients innocence, arguing there's no physical evidence linking Merritt to themurder scene. WebRandi Kaye discusses her investigation into the murder of the McStay family, including her interview with "Chase" Merritt Princess's dance partner Wayne Sleep reveals she would do his washing-up Do not sell or share my personal information. Cell phone records as well as forged checks also linked him to the crime. Merritt was a fabricator, who Joseph had turned to to expand the custom side of his business. Merritt told investigators that on Feb. 4, 2010, the day the family disappeared, Merritt and McStay met for lunch at a Chick-Fil-A restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga for a business meeting. Around the same date, fliers were distributed to aid in the search. A 3-pound Stanley-brand sledgehammer, the suspected murder weapon, was found in one of the graves, and the skeletal remains indicated the McStay family had suffered multiple bone fractures to the head, extremities and torso, likely from repeated blows to the bodies with the sledgehammer. Detectives said Merritt had grown up in the area and was familiar with the terrain. But hed also tell Kay during his television interview that he had definitely been the last person to see Joseph. But the killer remained a mystery until investigators uncovered a disturbing clue they said pointed them toward Joseph McStays close friend and business associate, Charles Chase Merritt. Two shallow graves contained the remains of Joseph, his wife Summer, 4-year-old son Gianni and 3-year-old son Joe Jr. Investigators say they have a lot of work ahead to find the killers, and no predictions as to who they are or why they would kill a whole family. Back in February of 2010 the McStay family disappeared, in Fallbrook California. When the partner arrived at the home, he found both dogs outside, with food in their bowls, which led them to believe that the family had gone out of town and had somebody caring for the dogs. A three-pound sledgehammer is also found at the site. A year later,Charles 'Chase' Merritt, who was a partner in Joseph's water-fountain business, was arrested for bludgeoning the married couple and their children to death inside their home in Fallbrook because he owed them $30,000. Stars Christopher Crutchfield Walker (voice) Joseph McStay (archive footage) Summer McStay (archive footage) See production, box office & company info Watch on The sledge hammer is the likely murder weapon. When Joseph McStay, his wife Summer, and their two young sons disappeared from the familys Fallbrook, California home in February 2010, it was as if theyd simply vanished into thin air. stating that charles merritt has been executed is reprehensible. Investigators rush to the scene and locatetwo graves containing multiple human remains in each. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Tragically, that's exactly what happened whenJoseph and Summer McStay and their two young sons vanished from their home in northern San Diego in early 2010. However, a new discovery on border surveillance video changed the course of the investigation. How a Serial Killer Was Caught While 'Literally Trying to Clean His Van of Evidence', Phoenix Mother Wanted to End Marriage Before Husband Killed Her and Their 3 Children, Friends Say, a white extension cord wrapped around his neck. Victim(s): Joseph McStay, Summer McStay, Joseph McStay Jr, Gianni McStay, . The family was from Fallbrook, a quiet bedroom community in San Diego County. Timeline of Gabby Petito Tragedy 1 Year After Killer Brian Laundrie's Body Was Found, Calif. Man Gets Death Penalty for Killing Business Partner, Victim's Wife, Kids Before Burying Bodies, Murder, Greed and the Mojave Desert: The Mystery Behind the McStay Family Murder. On February 15, Michael phoned the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSD) and reported that his brother and his family were missing. Many conspiracies believed that they wanted to disappear, and that they have crossed the Mexican border, the familys SUV having been found stranded near the border. They were dressed similarly to the McStays, and the children were wearing hats similar to ones they had been photographed in. Joseph McStay, his wife Summer, and the couple's two young sons mysteriously disappeared in Feb. 2010. Theyre not there, but their dogs are in the backyard and theres food rotting in the kitchen. Before he was sentenced, Merritt tearfully proclaimed his innocence. Skincare for your hair How to trick yourself slim: Top nutritionist reveals her tips including shrinking your cutlery, sniffing Meghan breaks cover! The McStays' skeletal remains were unearthed along with a three-pound rusted sledgehammer believed to be the murder weapon a bra and a child's pants and diaper. According to state records, Merritt had felony convictions for burglary and receiving stolen property. He boasted it had a Morbid Tourism does not recommend visiting the area after dark, as it can be dangerous at times. WebInvestigators said they traced Merritt's cellphone to the area where the bodies were buried in the days after the family disappeared and to a call seeking to close McStay's online uncovered the bodies of all four McStay family members, he was arrested by the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Office. Watchara Phomicinda/Digital First Media/The Press-Enterprise via Getty, Pa. Police Arrest 'Supposed' Friend, Business Partner in Death of Mom Found in Shallow Grave, After 30 Years, Police ID Calif. Woman Who Was Stabbed to Death, but Her Daughters Remain Missing, Ohio Mom and Her 2 Teen Sons Found Dead in Home After Murder-Suicide, N.J. The family had moved into the house three months earlier, and was in the process of unpacking and doing renovations. Do I think Chase is involved? At their home in Fallbrook, California, investigators found no signs of forced entrance or violence. Joseph owned a company that sold water foundations, he informed Charles Merritt that he owed him more than $42,000. Despite all the cellphone records and banking records of Merritt being tied to the murders of the family, he maintained his innocence throughout the trial. In an interview with detectives just two weeks after the family was last seen, Merritt talked about his friend in the past tense. . McGee stated in his motion that the identity of the victims was not in dispute, and that DNA and dental records positively identified the McStay family as homicide victims after their skeletal remains were discovered in two shallow graves in November 2013, west of the 15 Freeway and north of Stoddard Wells Road. WebSAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- Prosecutors say a sledgehammer was used to kill all four members of the McStay family, and the 4-year-old boy was struck seven times. Although Merritt adamantly denied being at the location of the makeshift graves, To learn more about the case, tune into Monday's episode of. Later that night, he received a phone call from animal control, which was planning to take the dogs because they had been left outside without food for over a week. Joe Nelson is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked for The Sun since November 1999. [2][7] The deaths were ruled a homicide and San Bernardino County authorities said they believed the family died of blunt force trauma inside their home, but declined to discuss specifics of the deaths or a motive. Webmcstay family autopsy photoscavalier king charles breeders near paris. ABC 7. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Eddie Bachman tells American Greed. That kind of cued into us as a red flag there because I dont know how any one person could be certain and say that he was the last person that saw his best friend alive if he wasnt in fact the last person who saw him alive.. They were actually written several days after the family disappeared and backdated to make it appear as though theyd been issued before the family vanished. The tragic case will be featured in the Season 2 premiere of, Joseph McStay, 40, an entrepreneur who sold indoor water fountains, and his wife,Summer McStay, 43, and their sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr., move to Fallbrook, California, a community known as The Friendly Village.. But several family members did not believe that the man in the video was Joseph. Dental records confirm that the remains are those of Joseph and Summer McStay and other remains are believed to be those of their children, the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department announcedat a news conference. Radio host Rick Baker published a book, No Goodbyes: The Mysterious Disappearance of the McStay Family. ', Merritt showed no emotion as she said she felt like she'd been hit by a boulder when she was told the bodies were found: 'It's just a nightmare. He was given the, for killing Summer, Gianni, and Joseph Jr. Now, Merritt, To learn more aboutwhy Merritt committed such a horrible crime and to see exclusive interviews with Joseph's family, watch. February 15, 2010 Family members report the McStays missing to the San Diego County sheriff's department. What looked normal to Josephs brother but was alarming to investigators. WebIn October 2009, Joseph McStay excitedly e-mailed a friend about the house he and his wife had purchased in the San Diego suburb of Fallbrook, Calif. 'You had a choice. Two days later, the remains were identified as the McStay family. The car never returned to the home. McStay Family Car Found Near Mexican Border, The house was as if somebody just beamed them up to the Starship Enterprise, reporter Tony Shin, who covered the case for KNSD-TV, recalls in the latestepisode of, For years the familys mysterious disappearance would continue to baffle investigators until a motorcyclistriding the trails in the Mojave Desert on Nov. 13, 2013 made a, Investigators from the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department soon. The man found a small human skull that appeared to belong to a child. Investigators are questioning everybody, Michael McStay tells PEOPLE. After 5:47 p.m.Joseph and Summer ended all communications. Inside The Gruesome McStay Family Murder Case. An With no leads, the case went cold until nearly four years later, when the familys remains were found 100 miles away in the Mojave Desert after an off-road motorcyclist discovered human bones. When questioned about his choice of language by investigators, Merritt said he had no idea why he'd done that. Patrick McStay says the murder of a family of four was "all about money" By Elaine Aradillas. District Attorneys Office spokesman Christopher Lee declined to comment Thursday, saying it would be inappropriate given the ongoing criminal case. The family and friends of the McStays did not expect them to be at the Mexican border. But privately, investigatorsnoticed Merritt had displayed some concerning behavior after the family disappeared. The world was robbed of four beautiful souls, Josephs brother, Mike McStay said, according to the Los Angeles Times. 'Some rough places, but you have had somebody stab me, it doesn't matter,' she noted. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The familys car was discovered at a strip mall near the U.S.-Mexico border. Lastly, neither party to this case is arguing or disputing that it was in fact the McStays whom were the victims in this case, according to McGees motion. Patrick McStay, Joseph's father, was informed of the discovery and phoned missing person advocate Jerrie Dean to tell her what he knew. Were they victims of a crime? Summer's sister stated that her passport was expired. Investigators also say they found emails indicating the family had been interested in obtaining passports to travel to Mexico, according to the outlet. As forged checks also linked him to the San Diego County sheriff department. A quiet bedroom community in San Bernardino Superior Court patrick McStay says the murder of a female adult with child.: Top nutritionist reveals her tips including shrinking your cutlery, sniffing Meghan breaks cover by investigators, tearfully! New discovery on border surveillance video changed the course of the McStay family disappeared in... Interview that he owed him more than $ 42,000 family and friends of the investigation, Joseph McStay,... Set up the original memorial site in 2013 date, fliers were to! 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