They have been national news off and on since 2010. A mother, father, and their two young children vanish without a trace. Authorties have no leads, no witnesses. Finally, some answers are beginning to be uncovered.. link to story below.
CNN: The man accused of killing four members of the McStay family in 2010 will stand trial for the murders, a judge has ruled.
Charles "Chase" Merritt, former business associate of Joseph McStay will be tried on four counts of first degree murder for the bludgeoning deaths of Joseph, Summer, Gianni and Joseph Jr. who disappeared from their California home and were found buried in shallow graves in the desert, north of Los Angeles.
After their disappearence they were thought to have taken a trip to Mexico but there were signs that the family had not left on vacation and that they had left without taking things that would have been taken on a trip.
Merritt was the one who told police that the McStay family was missing as well as claiming he was the last person to see Joseph Sr. alive.
San Bernadino,CA: The DA has announced he will seek the death penalty for a California man accused of killing a family of 4 in February of 2010. Charles "Chase" Merrett is being tried on four counts of first degree murder, and scheduled to begin on August 10, 2015. He is being held without bail and has pled not guilty.
From CBS Crimesider: Newly released documents in the case of the McStay family, found buried in the desert in California, show that "Chase" Merritt, 58, owed Joseph McStay $30K for a gambling debt and that he was about to be fired from his job. Merritt was a subcontractor who worked for McStay's fountain manufacturing business.
Merritt was also writing a book about the disapearance of the family he is now being accused of murdering, the manuscript found in his home. From reading this, it sounds like they found a boat load of dirt on this guy.