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Foul play suspected in disappearance of elderly couple from California nudist resort, police say
As the search for an elderly couple who went missing from a Southern California nudist resort continues, police on Thursday said investigators have been told about someone who may have been involved in their disappearance.
Daniel Menard, 79, and his wife, Stephanie Menard, 73, vanished from the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in San Bernardino County on Saturday at around 10 a.m., according to police. Their dog, a small white Shih Tzu named Cuddles, was with them. In the following days, friends have expressed concern as police dispatched dogs and a sheriff’s office helicopter to aid in the search.
“We suspect that there may have been foul play,” Carl Baker, a spokesman for the city of Redlands and Redlands Police Department, told reporters during a brief news conference Thursday afternoon.
Authorities have not identified the person they are looking for, describing him only as the Menards’ next-door neighbor. Police searched the person’s home after someone called in a tip to investigators.
“We obtained a search warrant to try and locate the suspect,” Baker said.
Baker would not disclose whether there is a homicide investigation underway.
“While we were here, knocking on doors and canvassing the area, we got information that a person who is potentially involved in the disappearance of the couple was here,” Baker said. “We are attempting to make contact and doing further investigation.”
Baker spoke from a location in Redlands, near the Menards’ home.
“He does live here,” Baker said. “We believe he’s here on site.”
About 30 minutes later, the window of a home in the neighborhood being searched was bashed out. Tactical police vehicles were driving through the area as officers walked around with K-9 units.
SWAT teams used armored vehicles to tear down walls instead of entering the home “for the officer’s safety,” according to Baker.
Investigators do not know if the neighbor is armed, Baker said. He said the man came to their attention through a tip but provided few additional details.
“All I can say is that we got information that he may be involved in their disappearance,” Baker said. “We received a phone call from somebody with information that a person potentially involved in their disappearance is here at the park.”
Shortly after the couple was last seen, their unlocked car was found down the street from their home in the 26000 block of Keissel Road in Redlands. Some of their possessions, including their cellphones and Stephanie Menard’s purse, were found at the home.
The circumstances of their disappearance have led to concerns from friends.
“I just want them back,” said Sandy Marinelli, who has been friends with the couple more than a decade. “They don’t deserve this. … They’re just good people. They go to church. They don’t deserve any of this.”
Marinelli said another neighbor went to the couple’s home on Sunday when they weren’t ready for church and discovered Stephanie Menard’s purse and cane inside. She also said a TV and computer were left on.
But the couple was nowhere to be found.
“It was just very suspicious for them to be gone,” Marinelli said.
Friends have said the Menards do not get around on foot very well, so it would be unusual for them not to be in their car. Police said Daniel Menard has dementia and diabetes, adding to the urgency of the search.
Anyone with information can contact Redlands Police Department detectives at 909-798-7681.
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.