It didnt take this long. Detectives with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department described in detail what they found, describing the remains of four bodies, 45 groups of bones, including ribs and parts of legs from two adults and two children. 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. Prosecutors said he bludgeoned the family to death with a sledgehammer. However, the rest of the family thought it was unusual for them to just leave so abruptly. The gift by aselin debison free sheet music. As it turned out, someone from animal control had stopped by and fed the dogs, so Summer and Joseph had not arranged for someone to feed them. Everything to Know About the Murdaugh Family Murders, Including Alex's Conviction, The McStay Mystery: A Family's Tragic End, Man Killed Business Associate, Wife and Kids Before Burying Their Remains in Calif. Desert, Detective Testifies in Court He Found No Evidence McStay Family Was Killed Inside Their Home. Investigators immediately seized the car and searched it for evidence. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. This led to speculation that the family may have willingly fled the country. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The authorities also found Chases DNA on the steering wheel and the gearshift handle of the McStay family car; he had claimed earlier to have never driven that vehicle. Joseph had a newly successful business designing and installing water fountains. Earlier in the week before the family disappeared, Summer had made plans to visit her sister, who had recently had a baby. Merrit himself, the producers say, was nervous to participate since he could not control the narrative. He seemed caught off guard, like Oh, I didnt realize I was doing that, San Bernardino County District AttorneyBritt Imes tellsAmerican Greed.. The cops also learned that his cellphone had been pinged in the area where the family was buried. They were living at Fallbrook and simply listed as missing. Charles Merrit was found guilty of the murders in 2019. Merritt's DNA was found on the steering wheel and gearshift, even though Merritt told detectives he had never driven that vehicle. On February 15, the family reported them missing, and the authorities searched the house. 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. Prosecutors claim he killed business partner Joseph McStay, McStay's 43-year-old wife Summer, and the couple's sons--4 year-old Gianni and 3-year-old Joseph Jr. Chase further stated that Joseph called him at around 8:28 pm on that evening. Their house didnt show any signs of a struggle, but it was clear they had left in a hurry; there was food left out on the counter, and their beloved pet dogs were left behind. Just a monster.". Investigation Discovery aired a docuseries focused on the McStay family murders in late May. There were no signs of foul play or any forced entry. If you have any suggestions for any crime locations, infamous crimes or infamous people you want me to cover, (mostly around WA state as that is where I live. The remains were identified as the McStay family's and were buried in two shallow graves. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. On February 15, eleven days after the family was last heard from, the police searched the McStay family home. Photo: McStay Family/ZUMA. As the investigation continued, it also emerged that the last call from Mr McStays phone had been to Merritt whose cell phone pinged near a tower in the desert in the vicinity of the shallow graves. In an email Thursday, sheriffs Lt. Sarkis Ohannessian declined to comment, citing the ongoing criminal case. California man sentenced to death in killings of McStay family members in 2010 "I did not do this thing," Charles Jan 22, 2020 Smith upheld the recommendation the jury made on June 24, 2019, which said Merritt should be put to death for the murders of Summer McStay and Apr 22, 2020 Chase Merritt sentenced to death.. Much evidence linking Chase Merritt to the McStay family murders were presented by the prosecution.. Perhaps Jan 20, 2021 February 15, 2010 Family members report the McStays missing to the San Diego County sheriff's department. He tried to deflect the cops by claiming that Summer suffered from anger issues and that Joseph had failing health. There was a couple bowls of I believe popcorn that it looked like the boys were eating, possibly watching TV. Authorities say Merritt, a business associate of 40-year-old Joseph McStay, beat the family to death inside their residence. Merritt was arrested for the family's killings the following year, when his DNA was discovered inside the family vehicle, dumped near the border, and fake company checks traced back to him. A hearing on McGees motion is scheduled Friday in San Bernardino Superior Court. Photos Of McStay Family Murder Suspect. But the killer remained a mystery until investigators uncovered a disturbing clue they said pointed them toward Joseph McStays close friend and business associate, Charles Chase Merritt. But that changed when the remains of the McStay family were found in November 2013, [] Look out for wildlife like rattlesnakes. I never knew who did it, Ms Watson says in Two Shallow Graves. The remains were identified as the McStay familys and were buried in two shallow graves. The family had been savagely beaten to death. The McStays looked like the All-American family living the dream. A 3-pound sledgehammer was found with the bodies . Autopsy Photos. All rights reserved. BREAKING: A jury found Charles 'Chase' Merritt GUILTY of first-degree murder in the bludgeoning deaths of the McStay family, Joseph (40), Summer (43), Gianni (4), Joseph Jr. (3). Lying beside the family was a sledgehammer. Although Merritt adamantly denied being at the location of the makeshift graves, To learn more about the case, tune into Monday's episode of. The family did not appear to have any plans to be gone that day. John F. Kennedy autopsy photo (#1) 0. Charles "Chase" Merritt, who has been convicted of killing the 4-member McStay family of Fallbrook and burying their remains in the San Bernardino County desert back in 2010, carries papers to . In 2019, Charles "Chase" Merritt was accused of killing Joseph McStay's family during his trial for the murders. This gave him a flexible schedule and the ability to work from home, so he could spend more time with his family. Prosecutors contend greed is the motive for the murders. No mention was made by investigators or attorneys during Merritts preliminary hearing that investigators believe Summer McStay had been raped, nor has any evidence been presented publicly to indicate that, other than what McGee included in his motion. We just had to go over all kinds of money stuff, Merritt told detectives in an interview recording obtained by American Greed.. The story of the McStay family is one that has baffled San Diego investigators for years.. On February 10, 2010, Josephs business partner, Charles Chase Merritt, asked the authorities to check on the family, but an officer felt nothing was amiss. mcstay family autopsy, mcstay family autopsy photos, mcstay family murders autopsy, how did the mcstay family died, did they ever find the mcstay family, why was the . You can also watch "The McStay Family Mystery" on Oxygen's "Killer Motive.". Nearly a decade after the skeletal remains of a family of four were found buried in the California desert, their accused killer was sentenced to death. In 2020, Merritt was sentenced to death following a conviction on four murder counts. The McStay family murders occurred on or near February 4, 2010, after the family disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, United States; their bodies were found in the desert near Victorville, California, on November 13, 2013. The 58-year-old Merritt is charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of McStay, 40; McStay's wife, Summer, 43; and the couple's two sons, Gianni, 4; and Joey, 3. . Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! A 3-pound sledgehammer was found with the bodies, which was believed to be the murder weapon. Selena autopsy photo. So when the family seemingly disappeared four months later without telling any relatives, friends or business associates, and their car turned up four days later at the Mexican border, many people who knew them feared the worst. The discovery of the McStay family's remains in November 2013 brought an end to more than three years of speculation regarding what happened to them. The sledge hammer is the likely murder weapon. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Lee Harvey Oswald autopsy photo. The deaths have been ruled a homicide. This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this . The motive was greed and the murders were brutal. 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. Summer and Joseph McStay as well as their sons Joseph Mateo and Gianni had vanished without leaving much behind in terms of clues or without really informing any of their kith and kin. Merritt not only had motive to carry out the grisly slayings, it seemed that he also had the opportunity. Investigators believed that the family was willingly walking across the border, with no indication that they were in any distress. "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 latest episode of CNBC's "American Greed . Charles Meritt did the welding, creating some of the metal work, the fountains, and Joseph was the businessman behind it all, and from all accounts, he was flourishing, Shin tells American Greed.. Additionally, a family friend was helping paint the house, and left with the intention of returning on Saturday, February 6, to finish the job. District Attorneys Office spokesman Christopher Lee declined to comment Thursday, saying it would be inappropriate given the ongoing criminal case. However, there was raw food left out, which seemed to indicate the family left in a hurry or had the intention to come back soon after. A bombshell witness upends the Merritt murder trial, claiming someone else confessed to the McStay murders. 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. Part of the mystery was solved in November 2013 when a motorcyclist stumbled upon two shallow graves in the desert near Victorville and unearthed human remains. Prosecutors pushing for the death penalty for McStay family murder suspect Charles "Chase" Merritt can use one family photo of the victims during trial, a San Bernardino Superior Court judge . According to reports, denying his involvement in the murders, Merritt told the court. Its kind of remarkable, Ms Davis says. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner Walker's body was discovered in a "pugilistic stance," meaning the 40-year-old actor died with his arms up, instinctively trying to shield his head and face from impact. Investigation Discoverys Two Shallow Graves delves into a case that garnered national news headlines, eventually culminating in the killer being brought to justice close to a decade later. Heavy. Though simply changing her name is not an indication of anything sinister, it did stir up a number of theories that Summer was responsible for the disappearance. Source: wikipedia | CBS News |. I would follow all of these paths, but I never followed just one to the exclusion of the others., She says: To be honest, I was not disappointed when they arrested Chase [Merritt] but scared that perhaps [investigators] didnt look into the whole thing enough because of the fact that we found so much compelling stuff in these other peoples files.. and a close friend of the family falls under suspicion. But several family members did not believe that the man in the video was Joseph. Jan 18, 2020 MCSTAY FAMILY AUTOPSY PHOTOS.. Man convicted of killing McStay family sentenced to death .. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. This site is to discuss and explore the Mcstay family murders. January 21, 2020 Merritt, 62, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Joseph McStay, 40. 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. Photos of McStay Family Murder . Merritt's girlfriend gives him an alibi, but the prosecution attempts to discredit her . But jurors disagreed and Merritt was convicted and later sentenced to death for the slayings in January 2020. While no one has the answer, there are many leads, provided by people like Josephs father, Patrick McStay, who has complained for years that the San Diego Sheriffs Department was not treating the case seriously, and Rick Baker, who traveled the world researching his book, No Goodbyes: The Mysterious Disappearance of the McStay Family. On November 11, 2013, the remains of two adults and two children were recovered in the California desert. Similarly, on February 6, his phone pinged off of towers in Victorville, placing him at the burial site. The family was from Fallbrook, a quiet bedroom community in San Diego County. Investigators would discover evidence that showed someone had taken control of Josephs checking account right before and right after he disappeared, writing a total of nine checks to either Merritt or those who he owed money to totaling nearly $15,000. Charles 'Chase' Merritt is currently on death row in California after his 2019 conviction for the murders of Joseph and Summer McStay and their two young sons. Whether or not Merritt receives the death penalty has yet to be decided. When all four members of the McStay family seemingly vanish into thin air -- here one day, gone the next -- a years-long quest for answers begins. The McStay Family Memorial is located in a very rural desert area directly north of the I-15 Stoddart Wells/Quary Rd exit. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The man accused of killing the McStays, a family of four who disappeared in 2010 and whose remains were found in 2013 in the . Tribune Broadcasting. Charles "Chase" Merritt, left, reacts after being found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder of the McStay family, in San Bernardino Superior Court in San Bernardino on June 10. Merritt, a business associate of Joseph McStay, was arrested in 2014. That changed in November 2013, when the bodies were found in the desert along with a sledgehammer believed to be the murder weapon. In late November 2009, the family moved to Fallbrook, California, for a fresh start in a peaceful and friendly neighborhood. Inside, they found a relatively normal scene: there were a number of new toys, the childrens car seats were in their positions, and the front seats were adjusted to Summer and Josephs relative sizes.

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