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10 Scary Facts About The Mcstay Family Murders

The Mcstay family murders were a series of murders that took place in February 2010 when the family disappeared from their home. The family used to stay in Fallbrook, California, in the United States of America. 40-year-old Joseph McStay lived with his 43-year-old wife, Summer, and their sons Gianni who was 4 years old, and Joseph Jr. three years old.

Joseph was the owner of Earth Inspired Products company that built decorative fountains, and Summer was a renowned and licensed real estate agent. On 4^th February 2010 at 7:47 PM, a surveillance camera of their neighbor captured the McStay family’s Isuzu Trooper leaving. However, the occupants of the vehicle could not be seen.

Several days after they went missing, police officers started investigating. On February 8^th, the McStay’s Trooper was towed from a strip mall parking lot near the Mexican border. On 11^th November 2013, four sets of human remains were found by a dirt biker. The remains were buried in two shallow graves located in the desert near Victorville, California.

Here are the 10 Scary Facts About The Mcstay Family Murders;

1. McStay’s Neighbour’s Surveillance Captured their Vehicle Leaving their Home before Disappearing

The McStay family used to stay in their home located in Fallbrook, California. However, on 4^th February 2010 at around 7:47 PM, the surveillance system of their neighbor captured the McStay vehicle leaving the compound.

The camera captured the bottom 18 inches of the vehicle believed to belong to the McStay family. However, the occupants of the vehicle could not be seen clearly.

Charles Merritt was called through Joseph’s cell phone at 8:28 PM but it went to voicemail. This was the last time the McStay family was seen and any contact made with them.

2. The Mcstay Family went Missing after Several Days of Unsuccessful Contact with Relatives

Rear view of a Silhouette man in a window. Author; Donald.

For the next few days, some relatives of the McStay tried to contact them without any success. That is when Michael, Joseph’s brother decided to travel to Fallbrook to check out on the family. On 13^th February, Michael climbed and accessed the home after finding their back window open.

No one was found at home, but their two dogs were still in the backyard. Michael made the report of his brother and his family missing on February 15^th.

On 19^th February 2010, officers arrived at the home and found no evidence of a struggle or foul play. However, the family might have left the home in a hurry as there was a carton of eggs on the counter and two child-size bowls of popcorn on the sofa.

3. The Family Trooper had been Towed at a Strip Mall Parking Lot at the Mexican Border

Investigations commenced after police made a notice that the McStay family had gone missing. In the course of the investigations, police were made aware that on 8^th February at 11:00 PM, the McStay’s Trooper was towed into a certain strip mall parking lot.

The Trooper had been towed from the parking lot in San Ysidro, San Diego located near the Mexican border. The vehicle had been parked at the spot between 5:30 and 7:00 that same evening.

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4. Remains of Four Humans were Found in a Shallow Grave by a Dirt Biker 3 Years Later

A skull in the soil. Image by shauking from

Three years after the disappearance of the McStay family, the first step to finding their bodies began. On 11^th November 2013, four sets of human remains were found by a dirt biker in the desert near Victorville, California. These bodies were buried in two shallow graves.

Joseph’s father, Patrick McStay was made aware of the discovery and he made a call to missing person advocate Jerrie Dean. Two days after the discovery of the remains, a set of the remains were confirmed to belong to Joseph and Summer McStay.

5. The Family had Died of Blunt Force Trauma

After the confirmation of the identities of the remains found buried in a shallow grave, investigators had to determine how they were murdered. Investigators ruled the murders to be homicides.

The San Bernardino County authorities also stated that the McStay family had died of blunt-force trauma. They also believed that the families had been killed in their homes, but authorities refused to discuss more on the deaths or the motives.

6. Investigators Speculated the Family had Voluntarily Moved to Mexico

There were several speculations about the whereabouts of the McStay family after their disappearance. Investigators found out that the family had searched for documents required for children who are traveling to Mexico as well as Spanish language lessons.

Their speculations were supported by the fact the family car was found close to the Mexican border and a surveillance system showed a family of 4 resembling the McStays crossing the border. The San Diego sheriff’s department announced in April 2013 that the McStays had traveled to Mexico voluntarily.

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7. A Family Friend Alleged that Summer had Anger Issues and Joseph had a Mysterious Ailment

Speculations about the murders of the McStay family continued with their close friend, Merritt being one of the suspects. However, in January 2014, Merritt made a revelation about the McStay family and what they had gone through.

He had suggested writing a book about the family as he stated that Summer had anger issues. Merritt also revealed that Joseph had been struggling with a mysterious ailment. However, Joseph’s father confirmed that Summer loved his son very much.

8. Merritt’s DNA was found on McStay’s Trooper making Him a Suspect in the Murders

Investigators and police working on a crime scene. Image by F. Muhammad from

The main aim of investigators was to get a suspect linked to the murders of the McStay family. Merritt, a close friend of Joseph McStay became the prime suspect in the murders of the McStay family.

Investigators had a clear lead to arresting him as on 5^th November 2014, detectives from San Bernardino discovered Merritt’s DNA in the McStay’s Trooper. This led to the arrest of Merritt on 7^th November 2014.

9. A 3-pound Sledgehammer was used in the McStay Family Murders

A sledgehammer. Image by Steve Buissinne from

Autopsies revealed that all four victims had been beaten to death with a blunt object. The murder weapon, according to investigators, was a 3-pound sledgehammer.

The sledgehammer was discovered in the grave that contained the remains of Summer and her son. Investigators testified that they thought the victims had been tortured before being killed.

10. Merritt’s Gambling Issues led him to Kill the Family for Financial Gain

After the arrest of Merritt, investigators and prosecutors were trying to get to know the reason behind the McStay family murders. Prosecutors came up with an allegation that Merritt had a gambling addiction which led him to kill the family and gain financially.

It was revealed that Merritt had written checks totaling more than $21,000 on Joseph’s business account some days after the family was killed. Merritt then went on a gambling spree where he lost thousands of dollars.

Merritt was found guilty of the murders of the McStay family on 10^th June 2019. He was sentenced to death on 21^st January 2020. A docuseries known as Two Shallow Graves took a look at the case on 22^nd May 2022 and featured a lot of things linked to the case.

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