Silver Alert CA - Stephanie Menard, 73, Daniel Menard, 79, & Cuddles, white Shih Tzu, unlocked car found, Redlands, 24 Aug 2024 *arrest*

[Soulmagent]

5 pages since yesterday?
I gotta go back and read but impressive no doubt.

 

[mickey2942]

I wonder if there was a mechanical issue with the vehicle, or it ran out of fuel? Is it electric? A lot of older people buy new electric cars and then don't know how to charge them.

I think that needs to be ruled out. If the car had a problem, they go to walk home, the dog gets away, they go after the dog, get lost or fall, end of story.

 

[BenjaminJAndersonAlly]

Brief Summary of Stephanie Menard, 73 and Daniel Menard, 79

• Couple last seen at their home about 10 AM 26000 block of Keissel Road 8/24/24
• Home is part of Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort Colton CA where they have lived 15 years.
• Cuddles, their small white Shih Tzu is missing too
• Couple reporting missing Sunday 8/25 by friend Sandy Marinelli when they did not show up for church and she checked on their well-being.
• Cell phones, Stephanie's cane and purse & wallet left behind
• TV and computer were left on
• Menard's unlocked vehicle found abandoned on side of road later shortly after reported missing.
• Redlands CA police department begins search in area
• Surrounding area is mostly desert with daytime temps in 90s.
• Daniel Menard suffers from dementia and is diabetic. Not known to wander.
• Stephanie has MS and needs cane to walk
• Some neighbors report recent vandalism/burglaries in area
• Menards had possible dispute and/or pending lawsuit with Olive Dell Ranch management over recent changes to the facility's operation.
• LE says search dogs from Riverside Sheriff's Office and a helicopter from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office being used in search.
• Neighbors have searched nearby Reche Canyon area on foot and horseback

Summary may be missing some details. Please add if necessary

Great synopsis.

Does anyone know whether the house was unlocked when neighbor did welfare check?

Were the keys to the vehicle in the ignition or even in the car, or were the keys missing from the vehicle?

 

[Ravenmoon]

I wonder if there was a mechanical issue with the vehicle, or it ran out of fuel? Is it electric? A lot of older people buy new electric cars and then don't know how to charge them.

I think that needs to be ruled out. If the car had a problem, they go to walk home, the dog gets away, they go after the dog, get lost or fall, end of story.

Good reasoning.

But, still... why would she have left without her purse, cellphone, cane etc?
To run out with the 3 of them minus needed items seem to indicate urgency or force.

 

[Ravenmoon]

Great synopsis.

Does anyone know whether the house was unlocked when neighbor did welfare check?

Were the keys to the vehicle in the ignition or even in the car, or were the keys missing from the vehicle?

I read that the keys were in the ignition/car.

Back at their home, both the television and computer were left on, which the neighbor said was not normal for them.Elderly couple still missing after vanishing from California nudist resort: "Suspicious for them to be gone"

 

[PommyMommy]

Great synopsis.

Does anyone know whether the house was unlocked when neighbor did welfare check?

Were the keys to the vehicle in the ignition or even in the car, or were the keys missing from the vehicle?

I don't know whether the house was locked or unlocked but it has been reported that the keys were in the vehicle.

Beloved elderly Inland Empire couple, dog seemingly vanish after leaving nudist ranch

A desperate search continues for a beloved elderly couple and their dog after they vanished after leaving their Inland Empire home last weekend.

www.foxla.com

Investigators said the Menards’ vehicle was found unlocked, with the keys inside...

 

[BenjaminJAndersonAlly]

I wonder if there was a mechanical issue with the vehicle, or it ran out of fuel? Is it electric? A lot of older people buy new electric cars and then don't know how to charge them.

I think that needs to be ruled out. If the car had a problem, they go to walk home, the dog gets away, they go after the dog, get lost or fall, end of story.

I think this is a very plausible theory.

Just last night my kids and I were heading home, and we encountered a lady, probably in her late 50s or early 60s, with the hood raised on her vehicle. It was dusk, and she was obviously alone.

I rolled down my window (only enough for her to hear me as I am super cautious since Ben’s murder wi/ANY interaction with an unknown individual). She didn’t seem to have a cell phone. I asked, “Do you need us to call someone to come to help you?”

She replied, “There is no one to call. I’m from
out of state.”

That made my mind head the same direction as yours in this particular case … Car trouble? However, I still don’t know why she would have left w/out her phone, purse, cane, etc.

Even if it was a case where the dog ran off, surely she would have known she would have needed her cane to even attempt to go after him, search for him, etc. Wouldn’t you think? Hmmm …

 

[PommyMommy]

Just musing...

Might Stephanie have more than one cane?
One that she keeps in the car?
What about a walker or rollator?

https://www.healthylivingcatalog.com/c/mobility-support/walkers/

 

[Cedars]

I wonder if there was a mechanical issue with the vehicle, or it ran out of fuel? Is it electric? A lot of older people buy new electric cars and then don't know how to charge them.

I think that needs to be ruled out. If the car had a problem, they go to walk home, the dog gets away, they go after the dog, get lost or fall, end of story.

There was a video showed the car, it looked pretty old...

Silver Alert - CA - Stephanie Menard, 73, Daniel Menard, 79, & Cuddles, white Shih Tzu, unlocked car found, Redlands, 24 Aug 2024 *arrest*

Update as of yesterday from their church https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=533152975887579&vanity=100075786441684

www.websleuths.com

 

[Cedars]

I don't know whether the house was locked or unlocked but it has been reported that the keys were in the vehicle.

Beloved elderly Inland Empire couple, dog seemingly vanish after leaving nudist ranch

A desperate search continues for a beloved elderly couple and their dog after they vanished after leaving their Inland Empire home last weekend.

www.foxla.com

Investigators said the Menards’ vehicle was found unlocked, with the keys inside...

Who would leave their keys in their car ignition out on the road? I can see unlocked, but in the ignition seems like a crisis situation - or someone else who wore gloves.

JMO

 

[mickey2942]

There was a video showed the car, it looked pretty old...

Silver Alert - CA - Stephanie Menard, 73, Daniel Menard, 79, & Cuddles, white Shih Tzu, unlocked car found, Redlands, 24 Aug 2024 *arrest*

Update as of yesterday from their church https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=533152975887579&vanity=100075786441684

www.websleuths.com

Then, it could have easily had a mechanical issue. Dad gets out of the car to look at it, even if they know nothing about engines they do anyway. Dog gets loose, Mom goes after dog, Dad follows Mom.

 

[clorenc]

I wonder if there was a mechanical issue with the vehicle, or it ran out of fuel? Is it electric? A lot of older people buy new electric cars and then don't know how to charge them.

I think that needs to be ruled out. If the car had a problem, they go to walk home, the dog gets away, they go after the dog, get lost or fall, end of story.

Seems like that would be easy to determine pretty quickly, and that info would’ve been shared by now?

 

[SophieRose]

There is clearly a security camera on the building near the gated entrance. I assume police have checked the footage.

There are two security cameras inside the building with a sticker on the window "24 HR."

 

[truthfinder2019]

Seems like that would be easy to determine pretty quickly, and that info would’ve been shared by now?

One news article videos mentioned that one of the neighbours, after police inspection, brought it back in front of Dan s and Steph home, as it had been abandoned on a private property and it would have been removed.
I’ll find the video.
So the car was open with the keys inside and was functioning

 

[SandyQLS]

JMO Dementia patients are notorious for becoming sudden wanderers, getting lost. I think he took off with the dog for a walk maybe at 2:00AM. She was unable to convince him not to go. She only took the car keys because she wasn't going to any destination, just after him and the dog, pick them up. He would not listen to her and get in the car; instead he wandered off-road. She stopped, got out to follow on foot, leaving keys in ignition. Good idea someone had upthread that she may have an extra cane in the car.

People with dementia and people who use a cane are far more likely to go downhill, to be found low, in a ravine, a creek bed - they do not climb up difficult hill terrain. They will take a path of lesser resistance. (I was right about that when our dementia relative went missing in similar terrain in the middle of the night - found wet but safe in the lowest terrain.) JMO not foul play.

 

[Bethan]

Great synopsis.

Does anyone know whether the house was unlocked when neighbor did welfare check?

Were the keys to the vehicle in the ignition or even in the car, or were the keys missing from the vehicle?

Yes, thank you @FoxxTraxx. Very helpful

 

[kimmo]

Interesting comments. I've learned so much i had no idea how much i didnt know. It's made for an interesting afternoon.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/olive-dell-ranch-colton

Seems there is a very common theme here.

 

[truthfinder2019]

Friends of the Menards told ABC that the couple was being harassed, and that they fear this might be related to their disappearance.
When asked if she thought the seventy-year-olds would return, Wilkerson said: 'my gut feeling is that they're not.'

If the Menards are found, friends are worried about under what circumstances.

'If they do find them, how?' Marinelli said.

Frantic search for elderly couple who vanished from nudist resort

Authorities are desperately looking for an elderly California couple who mysteriously vanished from their home on a nudist ranch in Redlands.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Inthedetails]

Who would leave their keys in their car ignition out on the road? I can see unlocked, but in the ignition seems like a crisis situation - or someone else who wore gloves.

JMO

I can see leaving the keys in the car and also leaving home without the cane if you're searching for your dog in your neighborhood. I am thinking she could've assumed the dog would come to her when called from the car so she wouldn't need her cane. (Or maybe she keeps a cane in the car too?)

If the dog didn't come when called, perhaps she got out of the car to fetch him, having no other choice. And, then, for some reason, all three of them got lost, perhaps hurt?

Nothing makes as much sense as searching for a lost dog does. It is the scenario that holds the most hope so I'm clinging to it.

Another other scenario is they were forced from home, but that seems like effort beyond what would be motivated by a lawsuit dispute, imo - plus, very risky for the perpetrator.

jmo

 

[Molly's Mom]

Do we know if they have considered the water tank seen on Google Maps? It's within the property boundaries, I think.