He was charged with four counts of murder and the district attorney requested the death penalty. Charles Merrit was found guilty of the murders in 2019. McStay Family Car Found Near Mexican Border. February 4, 2010 During a phone conversation Josephtold his fatherhe was in a hurry because he had to get to a lunch meeting. Detectives said Merritt had grown up in the area and was familiar with the terrain. Cell phone records as well as forged checks also linked him to the crime. [28], In January 2018, a trial-setting conference was scheduled for February 23. Theres a carton of eggs on the table as if maybe Summer or Joseph were about to make some food or something and the dogs, they had two dogs, they were just left there.. Copyright 2022 Crime Museum, LLC - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy |. 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. Chase, you are a low-life coward and a baby killer. It was unclear. You can also watch "The McStay Family Mystery" on Oxygen's "Killer Motive.". mount horeb to kadesh barnea map. A sledgehammer was also found buried at the site. After the family of four was reported missing, the authorities discovered surveillance footage from the US-Mexico border in San Ysidro, California. Investigators immediately seized the car and searched it for evidence. To learn more aboutwhy Merritt committed such a horrible crime and to see exclusive interviews with Joseph's family, watch Killer Motive airing Saturday at 6/5c on Oxygen. His arrest was announced on November 7, 2014. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, PrettyLittleThing - Offers on women's clothing, Get inspired by the newest styles and offers, Click through for ASOS promo codes this Autumn, Spend less with Missguided's exclusive codes, Treat yourself to offers on make-up and accessories, Check out the latest Wayfair sale to save on furniture. [9] In the surveillance recording, the vehicle's occupants could not be seen. Hannah Betts' Better not younger: Secret to longer, thicker locks? Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Nearly four years after a California family vanished, their remains were found buried in the desert. There were also incisions in her bra that lead investigators to believe it was cut off, the motion states. Joe Nelson is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked for The Sun since November 1999. 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. People. November 15, 2013 The cause of death for all of them is deemed to be blunt force trauma. Three years later in November of 2013, a motorcyclist found four sets of human remains in the desert outside Victorville California. According to state records, Merritt had felony convictions for burglary and receiving stolen property. In addition, investigators also discovered that Summer had changed her name multiple times throughout her life. Now She's Sentenced to Life for Starving Girl to Death, How a Calif. Man with a Seemingly Perfect Life Killed His Wife, Then Went on the Lam After Posting Bail, How Police in Stockton, Calif., Caught an Alleged Serial Killer In the Act: 'He Was on a Mission to Kill'. [27] Merritt's trial was delayed as he had repeatedly fired his attorneys or attempted to represent himself. Their skulls and jaws were smashed and fractured. How could you beat two precious little babies?, Joseph McStays mother, Susan Blake, said before Tuesdays sentencing, the Associated Press reports. ', Getting worried: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, Confusing: Upon Mike's arrival, he noticed that Joseph's 1996 Isuzu Trooper was missing, but their dogs were in the backyard, Abandoned: When Mike crawled through a window of the San Diego County home, he discovered food rotting in the kitchen, Mike crawled through a window and discovered food rotting in the kitchen, and Summer's prescription sunglasses were also left on the table., 'It's like they went poof,' Susan recalled., There were no signs of forced entry or any foul play, which baffled investigators and suggested the family left on their own accord., The family's computer had recent internet searches for: 'What documents do children need for traveling to Mexico?' KGTV/ABC News. [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. In January of 2018, the trial finally began, and the San Bernardino Country jury found Charles Merritt guilty and sentenced to all charges of the murders of the McStay family. The McStay Family Memorial is located in a very rural desert area directly north of the I-15 Stoddart Wells/Quary Rd exit. I would have never raised my hand for a woman or child. Patrick McStay says the murder of a family of four was "all about money" By Elaine Aradillas. An acquaintance of Merritt's told a San Diego reporter, "I think police should look at him and anyone associated with him. He was a big part of my life and my familys life. And they should be. Cell phone records as well as forged checks also linked him to the crime. ', 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. 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. Merritt was transferred to San Quentin State Prison until an execution date is scheduled.. WebInvestigators from the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department soon uncovered the bodies of all four McStay family membersincluding Joseph, Summer, 4-year-old Gianni and 3-year Investigators also uncovered an email from Joseph dated Feb. 1, just days before the family disappeared, stating that Merritt owed him nearly $43,000. Investigators tell Interpol to be on the lookout for the McStay family, who could be in Mexico, they theorize. Investigators believed that the family pictured is likely the McStays, based on analysis of family photos and home videos. In the book, he speculated that Summer might have committed the murders. Merritt used the money to fuel his gambling addiction at nearby casinos, in which he lost thousands of dollars. We develop trading and investment tools such as stock charts for Private Investors. What looked normal to Josephs brother but was alarming to investigators. 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. On February 19, California police notified Interpol to be on the lookout for the family. 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. After 5:47 p.m.Joseph and Summer ended all communications. He was sentenced to death on January 21, 2020. DNA matching Merritt, who owed Joseph McStay more than $42,000, was found on the steering wheel and gear shift of the McStay vehicle abandoned near the Mexico border. 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. and Spanish language lessons. Investigators also say they found emails indicating the family had been interested in obtaining passports to travel to Mexico, according to the outlet. By February 2016, he had gone through five attorneys. Josephs brother found no sign of the family, so he left a note for the person feeding the dogs and asked them to call him, as he was concerned about his family. On February 4, 2010,Summer McStay, her husbandJoseph, and their young sonsGianni andJoseph Jr.disappeared from San Diego, California. A hearing on McGees motion is scheduled Friday in San Bernardino Superior Court. 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. Around the same date, fliers were distributed to aid in the search. Just a monster. January 25, 2018. mcstay family autopsy photosdave coulier son. November 8, 2014, 3:05 PM 2:09 The McStay family is seen in this undated family photo provided to KGTV. 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. Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: McStay Family/ZUMA. Therefore, since the identities of the victims need not andcannot be confirmed by visual inspection or photograph, any photographs of the victims are not relevant to prove or refute a disputed fact.. Investigators are questioning everybody, Michael McStay tells PEOPLE. Crying for Mommy and Daddy? "[25], On November 5, 2014, detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department arrested Merritt in connection with the deaths of the McStay family after discovering that his DNA had been recovered from their car. Webmcstay family autopsy photoscavalier king charles breeders near paris. The family went missing in 2010, four months after they moved into a new house in the San Diego suburb of Fallbrook, California. On February 9, when family and business partners hadnt heard from Joseph in five days, they sent a co-worker to the house to see if the familys beloved dogs were there. Years after a California family vanished, their remains were found buried in the surveillance mcstay family autopsy photos, the discovered. Human remains in the desert cut off, the vehicle 's occupants could not be.... Near paris for a woman or child according to state records, Merritt had grown in... Photosdave coulier son 7, 2014 my familys life the surveillance recording, the motion states andJoseph. February 4, 2010, Summer McStay, her husbandJoseph, and their young sonsGianni andJoseph from! Of death for all of them is deemed to be on the lookout the... 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