Episode 309: The McStay Family Murder

In February 2010, the 4 members of the McStay family - Joseph, Summer, Gianni, and Joseph Jr. - disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, CA. For the next several years, many believed they were voluntarily missing, but their family was sure they had met with foul play. When their bodies were found in November 2013, investigators revisited some suspects they initially talked to, but the man they ended up charging with the murders maintains his innocence to this day. 

Sources for this episode:

https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/cold-cases/mcstay-family/#google_vignette

https://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/charles-merritt-on-trial-for-mcstay-family-murders

https://www.oxygen.com/killer-motive/crime-news/mcstay-family-murders-who-killed-them

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/murder/man-convicted-of-killing-couple-their-2-sons-10-years-after-familys-skeletal-remains-found-in-desert

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/mcstay-murder-california-documentary-chase-merritt-b2084210.html

https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-and-theories-about-the-mcstay-family-v1/ada-hart

https://www.vvng.com/new-evidence-suggest-a-sledge-hammer-was-used-in-murdering-mcstay-family/

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/01/18/no-retrial-for-mcstay-family-killer-charles-merritt-judge-rules-at-sentencing/

Two Shallow Graves: The McStay Family Murders