As the search for an elderly couple missing from a Southern California nudist resort continues, police said Thursday that investigators have been tipped off about a person who may be involved in their disappearance.
Daniel Menard, 79, and his wife, Stéphanie Menard, 73, Missing from Olive Dell Ranch Nudist Resort Police said the two men died around 10 a.m. Saturday in San Bernardino County. Their dog, a small white Shih Tzu named Cuddles, was with them. In the days that followed, friends expressed concern as police dispatched dogs and a sheriff’s office helicopter to help with the search.
Sandy Marinelli
“We suspect foul play,” Carl Baker, a spokesman for the city of Redlands and the Redlands Police Department, told reporters at a brief news conference Thursday afternoon.
Authorities have not identified the person being sought, describing him only as the Menards’ neighbor. Police searched the person’s home after someone gave investigators information.
“We obtained a search warrant to attempt to locate the suspect,” Baker said.
Baker would not reveal whether a homicide investigation was underway.
“While we were out there knocking on doors and canvassing the area, we received information that someone potentially involved in the couple’s disappearance was here,” Baker said. “We are trying to make contact and conduct further investigation.”
Baker spoke from a location in Redlands, near the Menards’ home.
“He lives here,” Baker said. “We believe he’s here on site.”
About 30 minutes later, a window was broken at a home in the neighborhood that was being searched. Tactical police vehicles were circulating in the area as officers walked around with K-9 units.
SWAT teams used armored vehicles to break down walls instead of entering the home “for the safety of the officers,” Baker said.
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Investigators don’t know if the neighbor is armed, Baker said. He said the man came to their attention through a tip but provided few additional details.
“All I can say is we’ve received information that he may be involved in their disappearance,” Baker said. “We received a phone call from someone who informed us that there is a person here in the park who may be involved in their disappearance.”
Shortly after the couple was last seen, their unlocked car was found down the street from their home in the 26000 block of Keissel Road in Redlands. Some of their belongings, including their cellphones and Stephanie Menard’s purse, were found in the home.
The circumstances of their disappearance have caused concern among friends.
“I just want them back,” said Sandy Marinelli, who has been friends with the couple for more than a decade. “They don’t deserve this. They’re just good people. They go to church. They don’t deserve any of this.”
Marinelli said another neighbor went to the couple’s home Sunday when they weren’t ready for church and discovered Stephanie Menard’s purse and cane inside. She also said a television and computer had been left on.
But the couple was nowhere to be found.
“It was very suspicious that they left,” Marinelli said.
Daniel Menard’s friends said they don’t walk very well, so it would be unusual for them not to be in their car. Police said Daniel Menard suffers from dementia and diabetes, adding to the urgency of the search.
Anyone with information can contact Redlands Police Department detectives at 909-798-7681.
