He was sentenced to death 5 months later and was put to death on January 21, 2020. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? The memorial is located about 200 feet west of Quary road He was a big part of my life and my familys life. [7] Summer was born Virginia Lisa Aranda, and had also been known as Summer Martelli. The comments below have not been moderated. District Attorneys Office spokesman Christopher Lee declined to comment Thursday, saying it would be inappropriate given the ongoing criminal case. Its been a tough road.. Crying for Mommy and Daddy? WebInvestigators found four people who resembled the McStays walking across the border at approximately 7:00 p.m. on February 8, less than two hours after parking the car in the Perhaps this wasnt the case because three days before the disappearance, Joseph McStay was planning on firing Merritt and sent him an email asking him for the $42,000 he owed him after mismanaging his job. Publicly Merrittwho had several prior convictions on his recordclaimed to be Josephs best friend. WebMcStay Family Murder Investigation: Search Warrants Unsealed, Reveal Details Of Fallbrook House. 'This despicable, evil monster. An acquaintance of Merritt's told a San Diego reporter, "I think police should look at him and anyone associated with him. But jurors disagreed and Merritt was convicted and later sentenced to death for the slayings in January 2020. The familys white 1996 Isuzu Trooper was found near San Ysidro, adjacent to the Mexico border. Summer, meanwhile,spoke with her sister, whod recently had a baby. 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. Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, vanished from their home inFallbrook, California, on February 4, 2010. [10], Over the next several days, relatives of the McStays unsuccessfully tried to contact the family. Merritts cellphone was also traced to the burial site area in the days following the McStays disappearance. [4], On June 10, 2019, a San Bernardino County jury found Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family. Merritt not only had motive to carry out the grisly slayings, it seemed that he also had the opportunity. ', A decade after the family went missing, their killer was sentenced to death in January 202. ABC 7. 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. Autor de la entrada: Publicacin de la entrada: junio 16, 2022 Categora de la entrada: jobs hiring 16 year olds with no experience Comentarios Patrick said, "I truly believe she loved my son. The family did not appear to have any plans to be gone that day. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. My fear is that Im looking for two adult shallow graves and my two nephews crosses, Josephs kid brother, Michael, told the Orange County Register a few weeks after the Feb. 4, 2010, disappearance. Duchess is seen visiting woke coffee brand she invested in - her first public Lovely in lilac! Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! [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. Merritts trial finally began on January 7, 2019 and on June 10, 2019, a San Bernardino County jury found Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family. However, a new discovery on border surveillance video changed the course of the investigation. Investigators are questioning everybody, Michael McStay tells PEOPLE. Theyre not there, but their dogs are in the backyard and theres food rotting in the kitchen. he was moved to death row on january 21, 2020, NOT executed. It did appear, however, as though the family left the home quickly. And they should be. February 23, 2010 Had the family gone off the grid? The following year, authorities filed murder charges against Merritt, Josephs onetime business partner. It gives us courage to know that theyre together and theyre in a better place, said Mike McStay, who attended the conference. poorly researched and poorly written blog. [19] Relatives of the McStays doubted that they would travel to Mexico, saying that Joseph and Summer avoided the country because of the safety threat posed by recent drug wars. The driver for all Investors is the continuous search for investment opportunities. Michael did not find any family at home, and their two dogs were in the backyard. November 11, 2013 A motorcyclist finds human remains in the desert near Victorville, California, 100 miles north of the McStay home. '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. [2][11], During their investigation, the police learned that around 11:00 pm on February 8, the family's Trooper had been towed from a strip mall parking lot in San Ysidro, San Diego, near the Mexican border. Investigators also uncovered an email from Joseph dated Feb. 1, just days before the family disappeared, stating that Merritt owed him nearly $43,000. He is in San Quentin Prison on death row. Merrit wasarrested a year after the McStay familysskeletal remainswere discovered in two shallow graves, west of the 15 Freeway and north of Stoddard Wells Road, near Victorville. His last known call was with Charles Chase Merritt, a business associate. Although a search of the house found no evidence of a struggle or foul play, there were indications of a hasty departure: a carton of eggs had been left on the counter, and two child-size bowls of popcorn sat on a sofa. [2], On November 7, 2014, police announced they had arrested Charles "Chase" Merritt, Joseph McStay's business partner, and intended to charge him with the murders. Merritt is documented as writing checks totaling $21,000 on McStays business account, after McStay went missing. The tragic case will be featured in the Season 2 premiere of Killer Motive, hosted by Troy Roberts and airing Saturday at 6/5c on Oxygen. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! He was given the death penalty for killing Summer, Gianni, and Joseph Jr. Now, Merritt is on San Quentin Death Row. What Happened to the McStays, Who Vanished 3 Years Before They Were Found Buried in the Desert? Cell phone records as well as forged checks also linked him to the crime. WebSan 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 How they stalked the stalker: A gripping new true crime 'It did get weird': Couple who are in the middle of divorce Woman finds out her husband was cheating on her after he was made an equally emotional statement ahead of the sentencing being handed down, telling the court how the killings had scarred their lives. He boasted it had a A California businessman has been sentenced to death for brutally murdering a family of four and then dumping their bodies in shallow graves in the Mojave Desert. 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. "Business partner arrested in McStay family slaying, desert burial", "Trial underway for man accused of killing 4 from San Diego", "Charles Merritt Sentenced to Death for Killing McStay Family, Burying Their Bodies in Mojave Desert", "Authorities distribute 'endangered missing' flier pertaining to missing McStay family", "Buried bodies identified as members of missing McStay family", "Man last phoned by McStay father says he took polygraph test", "Author of McStay book criticized by victim's family", "After discovery, mystery of McStay family's disappearance deepens", "Investigators say Missing McStay family left voluntarily", "McStay Family Update: FBI Joins Search for Missing Family", "Search for Missing Fallbrook family continues", "McStay family Mystery: Who is Chase Merritt", "Tentative trial date set for McStay family murder suspect 'Chase' Merritt", "Backlash over book's new theory on McStay murders", "Merritt attorneys want McStay case dismissed", "McStay family murder suspect Charles 'Chase' Merritt fires attorneys", "McStay family murder suspect Charles 'Chase' Merritt wants new attorneys", "San Bernardino judge allows McStay family murder suspect to have more case files in his cell", "Lawyers for defendant in McStay family murder case want some evidence tossed", "San Bernardino judge delays ruling in bid to exclude key evidence in McStay family murder case", Charles Merritt Found Guilty Of Slaying McStay Family, "Jury recommends death penalty for man who killed McStay family", "Southern California man sentenced to death for killing family of 4", "ID's Two Shallow Graves: How did Charles "Chase" Merritt know the McStay family and where is he now? Dad Broke into Ex's Home and Fatally Stabbed Their Children, 3 and 5, in Their Beds, Idaho Murders Timeline: Everything to Know About the Case, Phoenix Dad Kills Wife, Toddler Son and Twin Baby Daughters in Murder-Suicide: 'Complete Shock', Investigators Reveal How They Learned Chris Watts Was Lying and that He Killed Pregnant Wife, 2 Daughters, Fla. Joseph's cellphone pinged a tower in Fallbrook. 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. What looked normal to Josephs brother but was alarming to investigators. At one point, investigators wondered if the family had decided to start a new life in Mexico. Two days later, two sets of remains were officially identified as those of Joseph and Summer McStay. February 4, 2010 During a phone conversation Josephtold his fatherhe was in a hurry because he had to get to a lunch meeting. search the McStay family home. Investigators tell Interpol to be on the lookout for the McStay family, who could be in Mexico, they theorize. He started as a crime reporter and went on to cover a variety of beats including courts and the cities of Colton, Highland and Grand Terrace. The bodies were identified asJoseph, Summer, Joseph Mateo, and Gianani McStay.. that one huge mistake calls into question everything youve written. Nelson is a graduate of California State University Fullerton. Chase Merritt /edit November 8, 2014, 3:05 PM 2:09 The McStay family is seen in this undated family photo provided to KGTV. Summer had stated that she felt that Mexico was too unsafe and that she would never go willingly. The original memorial consisting of 4 white crosses. After the family of four was reported missing, the authorities discovered surveillance footage from the US-Mexico border in San Ysidro, California. Sheriffs investigators arrested Charles Chase Merritt, 60, of Homeland, in November 2014. Were they victims of a crime? ', 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?' On February 4, 2010,Summer McStay, her husbandJoseph, and their young sonsGianni andJoseph Jr.disappeared from San Diego, California. 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