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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Susan explained that her son and daughter-in-law would often go on 'little mini-trips' with their kids in California, so they weren't alarmed at first., 'And then as the days went by, you start thinking, "Okay, something's not right here." The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. he was moved to death row on january 21, 2020, NOT executed. Its been a tough road.. February 19, 2010 Detectives search the McStay family home. In addition, security cameras for the parking lot from which the car was towed confirmed that the car had not arrived there until the afternoon of February 8, so there was four days of which the family was unaccounted for. We need to find the killer., For more on the tragic case that has baffled authorities pick up this weeks issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Monday. . 'We went all the way down to Cabo because at first they said there were sightings, and then we just took the car and went north. 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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. There was no evidence of forced entry or a struggle. [27], Prosecutors allege that Merritt had a gambling problem and killed the McStay family for financial gain. I loved Joseph, he said. Officers arrived at the home and requested a search warrant, executed on February 19, 2010. November 11, 2013 A motorcyclist finds human remains in the desert near Victorville, California, 100 miles north of the McStay home. PEOPLE Explains: How the McStay Family Disappeared Into the Desert but Who Killed Them? Oscar Cainer tells all. February 4, 2010 During a phone conversation Josephtold his fatherhe was in a hurry because he had to get to a lunch meeting. Gavin Newsom has placed a moratorium on executions while he's in office. You start calling his cellphones, her cellphones,' she said., Susan had her son Mike stop by the family's San Diego County home on February 13, 2010, nine days after her son was last heard from. WebRandi Kaye discusses her investigation into the murder of the McStay family, including her interview with "Chase" Merritt Though it is possible that Summer was using a different name, there are no records of passports under any of her other names. Their disappearance was extensively reported on national news stations across the country. Merritt was transferred to San Quentin State Prison until an execution date is scheduled.. McStay Family Car Found Near Mexican Border. District Attorneys Office spokesman Christopher Lee declined to comment Thursday, saying it would be inappropriate given the ongoing criminal case. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Published on November 9, 2014 01:05 PM. On February 13, Joseph's brother Michael traveled to the McStay residence and climbed in and gained entry to the home upon finding an open window in the back. Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Snowed in during the SoCal storm, this Lake Arrowhead resident traded in a car for cross-country skis, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, As many as 700,000 Illinois residents could lose Medicaid health coverage this year, Balloon ban made official in Laguna Beach, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. The video, NBCSandiego reportedin 2010, is dated around 7 p.m. Feb. 8. ', Susan said they would stop in little towns that had just a gas station and a grocery store to post flyers., Patrick also searched for their son in Mexico and thought he had a lead when a family claimed to have seen the McStays at Walmart, but security footage confirmed it wasn't them., Inconclusive:After three years of searching, the San Diego Sheriff's Department investigators concluded in April 2013 that the McStay family had gone to Mexico voluntarily, Frustrating: The McStays friends and family insisted they would never go to Mexico with their children, but there was no other explanation, Heartbreaking: On November 11, 2013, an off-road motorcyclist came across the family's human remains in San Bernardino County's Mojave Desert, After three years of searching, the San Diego Sheriff's Department investigators concluded in April 2013 that the McStay family had gone to Mexico voluntarily., Seven months later, on November 11, 2013, an off-road motorcyclist came across human remains in San Bernardino County's Mojave Desert. [20] Although it is possible for a U.S. citizen to enter Mexico without a passport, one is required to reenter the United States. Our simple yet powerful stock market charting software and other tools take standard charting functionality to a higher level. It gives us courage to know that theyre together and theyre in a better place, said Mike McStay, who attended the conference. 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. The McStay family murders occurred on or near February 4, 2010, after the family disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, United States; their bodies were found in the desert near Victorville, California, on November 13, 2013. In 2014, he completed a fellowship at Loyola Law School's Journalist Law School program. Heavy. [3] Merritt was charged with four counts of murder, and the district attorney sought the death penalty. At their home in Fallbrook, California, investigators found no signs of forced entrance or violence. 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.. The missing persons flier for the McStay family. Investigators rush to the scene and locatetwo graves containing multiple human remains in each. Investigators and the public also focused on Merritt, the last known person to have had contact with Joseph and the first to notice his disappearance. Investigators also discovered that the same car had been towed on February 8 for a parking violation near the Mexican border. KGTV/ABC News -- A business associate of a California family that mysteriously disappeared more than four years has been charged in the four murders - including two young boys, police said today. It gives us courage to know that theyre together and theyre in a better place, said Mike McStay, who attended the conference. What looked normal to Josephs brother but was alarming to investigators. An Their skulls and jaws were smashed and fractured. Webmcstay family autopsy photoscavalier king charles breeders near paris. ABC 7. Merritt used the money to fuel his gambling addiction at nearby casinos, in which he lost thousands of dollars. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. How scared were they, Chase? 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 gruesome discovery. Merritt not only had motive to carry out the grisly slayings, it seemed that he also had the opportunity. Charles Meritt did the welding, creating some of the metal work, the fountains, and Joseph was the businessman behind it all, and from all accounts, he was flourishing, Shin tells American Greed.. Michaels worst fears were realized. Summer had also ordered a Spanish-language education program a few months prior to their disappearance., DNA samples were collected from the McSays' family, friends, and associates, but investigators couldn't get a search warrant to access their financial records because there was no evidence of a crime at the time., Vanished: Mike also discovered Summer's prescription sunglasses on the kitchen counter, Looking back: Summer is pictured wearing her prescription sunglasses prior to the family's disappearance, Case to crack:There were no signs of forced entry or any foul play, which baffled investigators and suggested the family left on their own accord, First clue: Their neighbor's surveillance camera had captured what appeared to be the family's Isuzu trooper leaving the cul de sac at 7:47 p.m. on the night they went missing, They got their first clue when they learned a neighbor's surveillance camera had captured what appeared to be the family'sIsuzu trooper leaving the cul de sac at 7:47 p.m. on the night they went missing., A license plate search for the vehicle led to the discovery that the McStay's SUV had been towed from a parking lot near San Ysidro, California, right near the U.S.-Mexico border, on February 8, 2010, four days after they went missing., As a precaution, investigators took DNA samples from the car, but there was still no evidence of foul play., On February 23, 2010, detectives notified Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, to be on the lookout for the family heading to Mexico., The next week, deputies released a video of a group of people similar to the McStay family entering Mexico hand in hand through the pedestrian gate around 7 p.m. on February 8, 2010, the same day their vehicle was towed., Huh? Detectives testified during Merrittspreliminary hearingin June 2015 that Merritt was a gambling man who had written multiple checks totaling more than $21,000 on Joseph McStays QuickBooks account in the weeks after the McStay family was last seen on Feb. 4, 2010. A three-pound sledgehammer is also found at the site. ", Missing McStay family killed, buried in desert, sheriff says, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McStay_family_murders&oldid=1138842709, February 2010 crimes in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 23:11. Nov. 5, 2014Business associate Merritt is arrested for the murders of Joseph, Summer, Gianni, and Joseph Jr. McStay. 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 CNBC's American Greed, airing Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. [9] In the surveillance recording, the vehicle's occupants could not be seen. Your email address will not be published. Summer's sister stated that her passport was expired. The man found a small human skull that appeared to belong to a child. The family went missing in 2010, four months after they moved into a new house in the San Diego suburb of Fallbrook, California. There was a couple bowls of I believe popcorn that it looked like the boys were eating, possibly watching TV. 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. WebJoseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, vanished from their home in Fallbrook, California, on February 4, 2010. Ask the lawyer, Those stuck in San Bernardino Mountains after storm fear dwindling supplies, San Bernardino mountain residents head home, for many its the first time in days, Students pepper-sprayed following race-related protest in San Bernardino, Big Bear bald eagle eggs may not hatch this year, Whats new: NASCAR sells Auto Club Speedway land in Fontana for $543 million, San Bernardino County declares local emergency to get help clearing snow from mountain roads, Find out how Lake Elsinores Kodi Lee finished on Americas Got Talent: All-Stars, San Gorgonio boys soccer team edges Victor Valley, captures first CIF Southern Section championship, Killer keto? [6] Joseph owned and operated Earth Inspired Products, a company that built decorative fountains, and Summer was a licensed real estate agent. WebBack in February of 2010 the McStay family disappeared, in Fallbrook California. 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. San Quentin, Calif Death Row, Your email address will not be published. The FBI will lend their resources in Mexico, where San Diego Sheriff's investigators are focusing their search, reports CBS Newsat the time. But privately, investigatorsnoticed Merritt had displayed some concerning behavior after the family disappeared. Copyright 2022 Crime Museum, LLC - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy |. It would have been impossible for the McStays to travel into Mexico with insufficient documents. What Happened to the McStays, Who Vanished 3 Years Before They Were Found Buried in the Desert? 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. Crying for Mommy and Daddy? He was sentenced to death 5 months later and was put to death on January 21, 2020. In the book, he speculated that Summer might have committed the murders. Miles north of the McStay family home also found at the home and requested a search warrant, on. 2020, not executed Summer, Gianni, and Joseph Jr. McStay TV provider to stream episodes... Llc - all Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | brother but was alarming to.! It would have been impossible for the murders claim that the McStays Who! Joseph, Summer, Gianni, and the district attorney sought the death penalty better. 3 ] Merritt was charged with four counts of murder, and Joseph Jr. McStay up forOxygen all. The site.. 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