A year after the discovery of the McStay family remains, the man responsible for the murder has been arrested. A motorcyclist found the remains of four people. Later the remains were identified as the McStay family, who had misteriously disappeared from their home in 2010. The man believed to be responsible for the deaths is Charles “Chase” Merritt. He has been charged with four counts of murder, for the deaths of Joseph, Summer and their two boys. The announcement was given by San Bernardino County, California District Attorney Michael Ramos.
Charles “Chase” Merritt, who is 57 years old was arrested on Wednesday, according to Chatsworth, California Detective Chris Fisher. Investigators assigned to the McStay family case say the family members died because of blunt force trauma. Their deaths are believed to have happened inside their home, north of San Diego. Other details regarding the incident have not been released to the press. Charles “Chase” Merritt was a business partner of Joseph McStay. He appreared in court on Friday but his hearing was postponed for Wednesday. A bail has not yet been set.
Charles “Chase” Merritt had earlier declared he had received a phone call from Joseph McStay on the night he and his family disappeared. However, he said he did not answer the phone because he was busy and tired. He said: “There are hundreds of scenarios. I have gone over all of them in my head. Of course I regret not picking up the phone.”
After the McStay family disappeared, investigators found eggs in the kitchen and popcorn in the living room. The family dogs were still inside the home when the police arrived. There were clearly no signs of struggle. The car belonging to the McStay family was found in San Ysidro, California. It had been towed there from Mexico. A video camera caught on tape images of a family, matching the description of the McStay family members crossing the border. However, it was uncertain what had happened to the McStay family until their bodies were accidentally discovered. The bodies were found on November 11, 2013. A motorcyclist discovered two shallow graves near the Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County. The remains were identified by using dental records. Sheriff John McMahon declared that the killings were very carefully orchestrated and that they believed there were more people involved. After thorough investigations, 60 search warrants and 200 interviews, the investigators settled on Merritt. They concluded that Merritt acted alone and killed all four of the McStay members in their home.
The mother of Joseph McStay was grateful for the results in solving her family’s death. She declared: “I need justice from the law and the courts and to get to talk to the judge. And most of all, justice upstairs for my lovely family.”