Members of a nudist resort outside Los Angeles said their once-idyllic community has dissolved into a “nightmare” after a California couple's neighbor was charged with their murder.
“It's a nightmare,” Tony Wiley, 69, told People. “You hear things like this on the news, but you never imagine in your life that it would be one of your friends, and in such a strange way.”
Laurie Riffel, 69, told the outlet that residents feel “on guard” after the double murder.
“There is a dark cloud over us,” he said. “There is a feeling of being on guard all the time, the fear of not being safe here.”
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The uneasy feeling came after the Redlands Police Department announced the arrest of Michael Sparks, 62, on Aug. 30 in the deaths of Stephanie and Daniel Menard at Olive Dell Ranch in Colton. He was later charged with two counts of murder.
The Menards were last seen on August 24, police say. (Redlands Police Department)
At a news conference following the discovery of Menard's remains, Redlands city spokesman Carl Baker said Sparks was found hiding under his home Thursday night after failing to respond to police for several hours. .
He had been hiding inside a 5-foot-deep concrete space beneath the home, forcing officers to remove the front wall of the home, police said.
Baker said the suspect attempted suicide when police discovered him hiding.
“He had a rifle and tried to kill himself when police discovered him, but the rifle misfired,” Baker said.
The next morning, a cadaver dog was used to search the couple's bodies at Sparks' home. Baker said “the dog alerted, indicating the presence of a body somewhere under the house.”
Michael Royce Sparks, 62, was charged with two counts of murder. (Redlands Police Department)
Members of the clothing-optional community told People that tensions between the Menards and Sparks came to a head over the trimming of a tree that was shading their properties.
“I've talked to them and I know they had a problem with a tree being cut down because the branches were going towards the Menard house,” Tony Garrett, 63, told People. “But I can't say that's it. I can't say it's just one thing.”
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“When I first got here, he was telling me which neighbors he liked, which neighbors he could do without, and then he pointed in their direction. And he said, 'And I hate those s—ts,'” Tammie Wilkerson said. 61, he told People.
“I'm like, 'Dang, Sparky, that's a little harsh.' And that's when he told me about the tree. I was thinking it's a lot to hate someone. There might be other reasons, I don't know.
“I don't know if that's what caused this or if it just broke one day. I really don't know.”
The Redlands Police Department says the Menards' dog, Cuddles, has not been found. (Redlands Police Department)
Residents remembered the couple for their warm personalities.
“They had a great little house for the two of them and their dog,” the couple's friend, Michelle Ann Archambault Reese, told People. “They had a beautiful outside patio to relax on. They were just someone you wanted a hug from. They were just wonderful people.”
Neighbors said Sparks seemed more of a loner.
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“You'd see him from time to time, but mostly he liked his hot tub,” Garrett said. “He wasn't a bad guy. He wasn't any different than the other residents. Just a little quieter, a little more reserved.”
“He said he hated the 'textile world' and had always been a nudist for as long as he could remember,” Wilkerson told the outlet.
