“Foul play” is suspected in the disappearance of an elderly couple from a California nudist resort, police say.
Daniel Menard, 79, his wife, Stephanie Menard, 73, and their Shih Tzu named Cuddles disappeared from Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort and RV park in Redlands on Saturday around 10 a.m., according to officials.
Redlands is a city of about 73,000 residents about 60 miles east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County.
Investigators said Thursday there may be one person potentially involved in their disappearance.
“We suspect there may have been foul play,” Carl Baker, a spokesman for the city Redlands and Redlands Police Departmenttold reporters at a press conference.
The identity of the possible suspect was not released, but police said the person is the couple’s neighbor.
“While we were here, knocking on doors and looking at the area, we received information that a person potentially involved in the couple’s disappearance was here,” Baker said. “We are trying to make contact and do further investigation.”
“We obtained a search warrant to try to locate the suspect,” Baker said. A SWAT team stormed the home at one point, but did not immediately locate the suspect.
Baker did not say whether a homicide investigation was underway.
“All I can say is that we received information that he may be involved in their disappearance,” Baker said. “We received a phone call from someone with information that a person potentially involved in their disappearance is here at the scene [resort].”
After the couple disappeared, their car, cellphones and Stephanie Menard’s purse, among other things, were found in the couple’s Redlands home. Searchers have since used horses, helicopters and volunteers on foot to search for the pair without success.
A neighbor who reported the couple missing said their TV and computer were still on in their empty home Sunday morning.
“It was just very suspicious for them to be gone,” longtime friend and neighbor Sandy Marinelli told KCAL News.
Friends said it would be unusual for them to travel on foot because Stephanie Menard has mobility issues and Daniel Menard has dementia and diabetes.