(TheIndependentStar.com) – In a “suspicious” case, authorities are actively seeking information about an elderly couple who mysteriously vanished from a nudist ranch in California over the past weekend.
According to friends, given their significant health issues, it’s implausible that they left the area voluntarily.
Stephanie and Daniel Menard were last observed on Saturday morning at their residence on Keissel Road, as reported in a social media announcement by the Redlands Police Department.
A friend raised the alarm on Sunday when the Menards were uncharacteristically absent from their usual church services, as per a report by CBS News.
“(They) went inside their home to see if they would be OK … and they didn’t find them in there,” said Sandy Marinelli, a friend of the couple, cited by The New York Post.
She noted the eerie presence of Stephanie’s belongings such as her purse and cane, alongside electronic devices left running, indicating a hasty or unplanned departure.
Subsequently, local law enforcement discovered the couple’s unlocked vehicle a short distance from their home.
The presence of personal items like Stephanie’s purse, cane, and both of their cellphones in their home further deepened concerns.
Their pet, a white Shih Tzu named Cuddles, was also missing.
“Each day just gets longer and longer, and we get more and more worried,” Marinelli expressed to ABC 7, highlighting the growing anxiety among friends and family.
The absence of any clues has compounded the community’s worry.
“There’s just nothing. Not even anything to go off of right now,” Marinelli elaborated, stressing the abnormal nature of the situation for them.
Given Daniel’s advanced age of 79, his diabetic condition and dementia, coupled with Stephanie’s mobility issues necessitating a cane, friends argue they couldn’t have wandered far on their own.
“There’s no way that Stephanie or Dan could have walked away from that car,” Tammie Wilkerson, another friend, told ABC.
She pointed out the critical items left behind which they normally wouldn’t have forsaken.
The Menards resided at the Olive Dell nudist ranch, described on its website as “Southern California’s favorite nudist resort for families and couples.”
Located near San Bernardino and Riverside, the ranch promotes itself as a prime location for both day visits and longer stays, endorsing the nudist/naturist lifestyle.
Moreover, the couple was reportedly entangled in legal disputes with the ranch and had experienced harassment related to this issue, although friends hope this has no link to their disappearance.
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