Business Associate Charles Merritt Arrested On Murder Charges! ~ Remains of Joseph, Summer McStay & children missing from San Diego since Feb of 2010 found in Victorville, CA

Sheriff’s investigators say a missing Fallbrook family’s computer records indicate they had been looking into passport rules for children traveling to Mexico.

Homicide Lt. Dennis Brugos said investigators found e-mails sent to unspecified recipients in late January that indicated Joseph and Summer McStay were asking about entry into Mexico.

The couple and their two small children, who lived in Fallbrook, were last seen Feb. 4. Their sport utility vehicle was found parked near the border four days later.

“It appears they went into Mexico of their own volition,” said Brugos, who would not say to whom the e-mails were sent. “There is nothing to suggest any coercion or anything like that, at least that we have uncovered…this still isn’t a criminal investigation.”

Relatives, however, say they are worried and baffled as to their disappearance. They said the family had not given any indication to relatives that they were going anywhere.

Joseph McStay, 40, is a businessman who operated an indoor water fountain business.

“The whole thing does not make any sense to me at all,” said Joseph’s brother, Mike McStay, who lives in Orange County.

Friends and relatives have also said that Summer McStay, 43, had expressed concerns about safety in Mexico in the past. While her husband had traveled there, she wasn’t interested in going with the children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3.

Their home showed no signs of a planned trip: Perishable food had been left out in the kitchen, their two dogs were left uncared for, and Summer McStay’s passport was expired. Investigators confirmed that Joseph McStay had a valid passport, though the children did not. Mike McStay said that a grandmother had their youngest son’s birth certificate, required for re-entry to the United States for minors under 16.

Sherriff’s investigators have been working with Baja California state police, which has followed up on tips and checked hotels, transportation centers, hospitals, the Tijuana morgue and and other sources with no success.

The McStays’ white Isuzu Trooper was found in a parking lot by the border in San Ysidro Feb. 8, the same night a Border Patrol video recorded two adults and two small children walking toward the border turnstile into Mexico. However, investigators have not been able to enhance the video enough to identify its subjects.

Investigators have also viewed a surveillance video taken by a neighbor’s security camera Feb 4. that shows a vehicle backing out of the McStays’ driveway at 7:47 p.m. The tape ended at about midnight, said Mike McStay, who has also seen it, and there is no sign of the car returning before then.

Brugos said that because of its angle, the surveillance tape does not show people getting into the car, and that it is also difficult to identify the vehicle.

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This is a really strange story...It seems that they intended to drop out of sight, making it look like foul play since they left food out and the dogs untended...Maybe they were involved in some shady deal or deals that were about to collapse on them?...Maybe running away from debts they couldn't pay? I just wonder if the brother knows more than he is saying. He seemed determined to discount the border video as being the family, and the comments about the Youtube videos sounded a little contrived to me..but who knows?

Sheriff's deputies told 10News they just got the forensic results back from the McStay family computer and what they found leads them to believe their disappearance was very well planned.
"They were making inquiries concerning travel in Mexico and passports which would indicate there was some type of planning ahead that we weren't aware of before today," San Diego Sheriff's Lt. Dennis Brugos said Monday.

Brugos says the McStays made that computer search on Jan. 28, one week before the family was last seen. The new information falls in line with the theory investigators had when they found video taken at the border of two adults and two small children crossing into Mexico. The video was shot on Feb. 8, the same day Joseph and Summer McStay's SUV was found abandoned just a few blocks from the border.
"We had been somewhat focused on the fact there's a high probablity they had entered Mexico on their own volition and this somewhat reinforces that," Brugos said.
With an entire team of sheriff's deputies, Mexican liasons, and the Center For Missing And Exploited Children devoted just to this case, the question now is: how many resources should they continue to lend?
Brugos said, "Law enforcement has put in a great deal of time and effort trying to locate them and if they could simply contact someone and let us know they're all right that would be a huge relief to a lot of people."

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Maybe they are in the Witness Protection Program.

qwertysaid
According to another article this guy was a chemistry school teacher and started making meth to pay for his expensive cancer treatment with another guy on the side. The cartels in Mexico found out about him and the quality stuff he was producing and they theorize they forced him to go work for them or they would kill him and his family. His brother-in-law is actually in the DEA and knew nothing about it.

Johndem10
Ha. Yes the article is searchable under the alias he uses of "Walter White". Hopefully the cops are looking into it as we speak.

I agree with the person that made the comment (below and on the same page as the one above) and thinks the comment about Walter White was meant to be a joke....

bmoved qwertysaid: ...... is referring the storyline to AMC's series called "Breaking Bad." I'm sure it was meant to be tongue and cheek. Great series, BTW.

I don't get it...Are they saying that this McStay guy makes Meth? and uses Walter White as an alias? Or are they just talking about somebody else? Or is it all just a joke?

No, I think they were saying that he may have been pulled in by a relative using the alias, but I think BJ is right in that the missing McStay family situation was pulled into the story line of "breaking bad".

Thanks BJ, the remainder of the posts following the CNN article were on the next page on my computer and I didn't read on.

by lisette Today at 11:04 am I don't get it...Are they saying that this McStay guy makes Meth? and uses Walter White as an alias? Or are they just talking about somebody else? Or is it all just a joke?

I think it was a :tongue in chee reference to the TV show "Breaking Bad".

Oh, OK :headbashing: I'm a little slow today....

Sadly if we're going to take information from Bloggers and not the actual NEWS Source we'll have unsubstantiated info. floating around. I think before we quote other bloggers... we should check out their opinions for FACTS!
:scared10:

New Leads on the Missing McStay Family
by Jamal Al-Sarraf 23 hrs ago

New evidence has surfaced on the whereabouts of the disappearance of the McStay family, suggesting they may have planned to intentionally disappear in Mexico, authorities said.

Josephy McStay, his wife, Summer and two children went missing on Feb. 4. According to authorities a surveillance tape from a neighbor’s house shows the family leaving that night. Then their Izuzu Trooper was found four days later in San Ysidro near the Mexican border. Since then, aerial drones have been dispatched, flyers have been distributed and authorities work tirelessly to find the missing family.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in over 35 years of experience in the business,” said Lt. Dennis Brugos of the San Diego San Diego Sheriff’s department. According to the department the family apparently left voluntarily to Mexico.

According to McStay’s brother, Michael, the new leads change the entire scenery of the family’s disappearance. “The San Diego sheriff’s department told me they found evidence that dated to Jan. 28 on their computer,” he said. “Someone used their computer visited About.com to find out how to get the kids into Mexico without passports.”

Susan Blake, McStay’s mother, said she had a sense something was wrong before the family vanished. “Joe told me he wasn’t feeling good that day,” she said. “His equilibrium wasn’t right and I felt that something was wrong.”

Michael is also determined to find his brother, no matter what the cost is. “If I have to sell my business, I’ll do it,” he said. “I’ll go down to Mexico myself and find them if I have to.”

The FBI has also joined forces with the sheriff’s department and will be briefed on Friday.

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LESLIE BERESTEIN, REPORTER, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE: Well, there`s a little bit more going on that we`ll have in the next day or two that I can`t really tell you yet. But indeed, they have made inquiries to a Web site trying to find out about travel to Mexico with children and whether a passport`s required. Of course it is not. A birth certificate is.

The youngest child does have a birth certificate that`s still with his grandmother. Photocopies are OK to get back into the country. And of course, Summer`s passport is expired, but it appears from what the authorities are saying that this is leading them toward Mexico. That`s where the investigation`s going to be focused. And family members are still trying to wrap their head around that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What is it that you can`t tell us? Why can`t you tell us? Can you give us a hint? Is it bigger than a breadbox?

BERESTEIN: It`s slightly bigger than a breadbox. But it has to do more with the investigation. Today`s a state holiday. Sheriff`s investigators are kind of taking the day off, so to speak. But we should have a bit more for you in a couple of days.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I guess what I`m saying is that you do you think police know a whole lot more, Leslie, than they`re saying? That`s a yes or no.

BERESTEIN: They very well may. I`ll tell you, I`d like to know if there`s a destination. You know, family members haven`t been told that they were inquiring as to a specific destination or not. Nobody really has that investigation. The investigation is ongoing. I`d like to know more. Right now I`m trying to learn about how the investigation will be expanding.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now more than ever police are convinced they spotted the family of four on border surveillance video. Take a look. You can see two adults and two children holding hands casually walking across the border. Police say multiple family members have confirmed they recognize Summer`s white coat, her boots and the children`s knit caps.

Tim Miller, there`s been no activity on any of their bank accounts. Their cell phones haven`t been used since the night that they initially went missing. They`ve been missing for two months. What is your theory?

MILLER: My theory was when I left there after I met with detectives and Mike McStay, when he was shown the surveillance of them walking across the border, and we know the timeline when the vehicle probably got there compared to the time that it showed them walking across the border. And it was like, you know, we`re not going to Mexico, number one. Especially if they went on their own, we`re certainly not going there. And I feel as though it was just a big waste of time, money and resources.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What are you saying? Do you believe they went across the border voluntarily as the police now apparently believe?

MILLER: I believe that. Yes, I do. I mean, I was in their house, Jane. When I was in their house, I wondered where are their clothes at? I know this lady has more than two pair of shoes. And the high heeled shoes. And I asked Mike, she certainly is not working in this house doing construction with high heel shoes that have never been worn. Where`s his shoes? There`s not even one pair of his shoes in the house. And it was like there`s a lot of things that are gone. I know that they`re moving. But they still have to wear some clothes. They`re working their yard. They`re working on their house, they`re not wearing those type of clothes. And there was two shirts hanging in the closet of his and there are three coats of hers. And period, the end, that was it. It was just really strange.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So Marc, why -- if they wanted to go to Mexico, why not tell everyone? Because cops have said there`s no evidence of criminality or financial problems. Why would they feel the need to just drop off the radar screen and flee to Mexico and never use their credit cards and cell phones again?

MARC HARROLD, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Well, you never know what people are thinking. There`s certainly something we don`t know. Maybe the police know it here. As far as the search goes, they probably haven`t broken any laws. And at some point you have to look at the resources and the manpower --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, no. I want to know what the theory is. I mean, at this point we`ve got to have a theory. You know, my theory is maybe they went to Mexico thinking they were going to come back that night for a specific reason, a rendezvous or something, and then something might have gone awry on the other side of the border. We`re going to have more in just a moment. Stay right there. We`re just getting started.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN BLAKE, JOSEPH MCSTAY`S MOTHER: We need to find them. I worry about those babies. And are they fed? Are they warm? Are they, you know, happy? Are they sad? My nights are hell. You know, you pray, and then you cry yourself to sleep.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was Joseph McStay`s mom. Brand new details tonight. Police say the McStays searched for information about traveling to Mexico and passport rules for kids in the days before they vanished. Did they stage their own disappearance? Dunnie Texas (ph), your question or thought, ma`am.

CALLER: Yes. My question is why did they wait 11 days to call them in missing when they`d seen the house?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Let`s go over the timeline. Leslie Berestein, they disappeared February 4th, a Thursday, and they called a business associate that night at 8:37 p.m. It was just about an hour after they left their home. The leaving of the home was caught on surveillance video by a neighbor. And they made a call to the business associate of the dad that lasted one minute.

That was the last activity either of the families, two cell phones, had. And four days later their car shows up near the Mexican border at around the same time as the surveillance video of what some believe are them crossing the Mexican border. That`s correct, right?

BERESTEIN: That night, yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yeah. So what is your theory? Because I just gave a theory. OK? My theory is OK, they get a phone call or they make a phone call to a business associate. Something is said to them that triggers this desire to suddenly go to Mexico. They go to Mexico. They think they`re going to have a rendezvous or some business transaction, they`re going to come right back. But something untoward happens down there. What`s your theory?

BERESTEIN: Well, we all wish we knew, don`t we? You know, I can`t really speculate --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, then I`m going to ask Tim Miller. What is -- not to cut you off, but Tim Miller, theory, a possibility, we`ve got to speculate here.

MILLER: My question going into this was how come Summer had so many different alias names? You know, we hear she had anywhere from four to 11 aliases. And that kind of set up a red flag in the very beginning. But you know what? They were missing. We had to go out there and attempt to do something.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But why would anybody just disappear off the face of the Earth with their kids? I don`t -- cops have said they`ve never seen anything like this.

MILLER: Well, I don`t know. I mean, again, hopefully they`re safe, hopefully they`ll come back, they`ll make a lot of apologies and we`ll know why. But it doesn`t make any sense. That`s for sure.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Marc, any theories that you`ve had a couple minutes to think about it?

HARROLD: Well, my guess would be that if they went willingly something happened down there. My guess is they didn`t just go down there willingly with the intention to stay. Don`t know why the car was on this side of the border. I don`t know what their plan was. Something probably went wrong. They went down there in a little bit of a hurry, something went wrong when they were down there --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What about the possibility that something went wrong in the United States that nobody knows about and they felt the need to disappear because they felt their lives might have been in danger? Again, this is total speculation.

But if you want to go to Mexico, you could drive your car across the border. You don`t have to leave your car on the U.S. side of the border and then walk across the border. You can use your cell phones on the other side of the border. You can use your credit cards. They did none of that. Marc, 10 seconds.

HARROLD: Yeah, they may have wanted somebody on this side of the border to think they had gone down there and they weren`t coming back. I think you`re exactly right. Maybe something that happened here, they were afraid of something, they thought they`d go down there, they didn`t have time to plan and now something`s gone wrong and they can`t come back.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we`re out of time. The thing is the cops say there`s no evidence of a problem or criminality. So what is it that they were fleeing? We don`t know.

END

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The FBI is joining the search for a Fallbrook family that has been missing for almost two months and is believed to be in Mexico.

Homicide Lt. Dennis Brugos of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department said the federal agents will be briefed on the case Friday. “They have more resources in Mexico,” Brugos said.

FBI special agent Darrell Foxworth in San Diego acknowledged the briefing and provided no other details about the agency’s involvement.

Businessman Joseph McStay, his wife Summer and their two young sons were last heard from Feb. 4. Their white Isuzu Trooper was found in a San Ysidro parking lot near the border four days later.

Brugos said that while the investigation continues in both countries, the primary focus is on Mexico. Earlier this week, investigators said the couple’s computer records revealed that the week before they disappeared, inquiries were made about passport requirements for traveling to Mexico with children. The McStays have two children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3.

Sheriff’s homicide investigators have been working with the state Department of Justice and with law enforcement agencies in Mexico, including Tijuana police, Baja California state police and the Baja California attorney general’s office.

Investigators there have checked transportation centers, hotels, hospitals and other sources within Baja California and followed leads beyond the border region, including in the Los Cabos area.

Jesus Quinones, an international liaison for the Baja California state attorney general’s office, said information about the missing family has been shared with state agencies throughout Mexico and with the national immigration service, which checks foreign travelers’ documents at airports and highway checkpoints.

While it’s presumed that they crossed the border, he said, to date, nothing has turned up.

“We are searching, but so far, there has been no indication that they are in Mexico,” Quinones said.

Joseph McStay’s brother, Mike McStay, said the computer inquiries were made to About.com, a site to which users can send in questions. The inquiries were made Jan. 27 and 28, he said.

McStay said he is glad the FBI will be joining the search. But the recent news that the family might have planned to go to Mexico has not put relatives any more at ease.

Relatives of both Joseph, 40, and Summer, 43, say it would be uncharacteristic of them to simply pick up and leave the country without telling family members.

“I know I should feel a little bit better, but I don’t,” said Summer McStay’s sister, Tracy Russell, 40. She last spoke to her sister on the phone Feb. 4.

“My mother is distraught. I don’t think my sister would torture my mom like that.”

Russell, who lives in Rancho Cucamonga, said her sister had told her during that last conversation that she was planning to visit her next week.

She said that her sister had visited Baja California many years ago, but that given the violence there in recent years, she had no interest in returning and would not take her sons. Furthermore, she said, her sister is a stickler for proper use of car seats; the family Trooper was found with the childrens’ car seats inside.

Mike McStay, 37, who lives in Orange County, said the news this week has prompted more tips about possible sightings to a Web site he has set up, which he has forwarded to authorities. So far, he has heard no word from investigators as to any possible destination, if there was one.

Neither of the McStays is fluent in Spanish, according to relatives. And only Joseph McStay has a valid passport; his wife’s is expired. Their youngest son’s birth certificate, required for re-entry to the United States by minors under 16, is with a grandmother.

Mike McStay said he has applied for a passport so that he can travel to Mexico if necessary. He still has a hard time with the idea that the family would pick up and leave, but at least there is more direction to the investigation, he said.

“I don’t know that they are safe,” McStay said. “All I know is that I have a direction to go in with the case. If I have to go there myself, I am going there myself.”

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What reason could there be for a family to plan and execute their own "abduction", especially involving their children?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What about the possibility that something went wrong in the United States that nobody knows about and they felt the need to disappear because they felt their lives might have been in danger? Again, this is total speculation.

But if you want to go to Mexico, you could drive your car across the border. You don`t have to leave your car on the U.S. side of the border and then walk across the border. You can use your cell phones on the other side of the border. You can use your credit cards. They did none of that. Marc, 10 seconds.

HARROLD: Yeah, they may have wanted somebody on this side of the border to think they had gone down there and they weren`t coming back. I think you`re exactly right. Maybe something that happened here, they were afraid of something, they thought they`d go down there, they didn`t have time to plan and now something`s gone wrong and they can`t come back.

I tend to agree with this theory. Something happened here in the states. They were threatened. We just don't know. Maybe they were being blackmailed. Maybe I watch too many movies but something made them look up websites on Mexico, get passports together, leave their car on the US side and casually walk across the border. I think they may have drawn money out of the bank or had a different bank account under another name. They can purchase pre paid cell phones in Mexico.

I tend to think the same thing, Wrap. The food left on the counter to rot and the dogs left without food was most likely to throw off the investigation and give them more time to complete their disappearance.......while LE investigated a possible abduction of the family. I think the McStays wanted to get lost and I feel for the parents and siblings that may never know the truth, though they may know more than they are letting on. Who knows?

If their lives were in danger here, why would they be safer in Mexico and why would they leave enough clues for the conclusion that is where they are? If it was not an abduction, the person they were in fear of knows it was not an abduction, but that they fled to Mexico, or did they? I think if they were in fear for their lives here, they would have simply disappeared, and not make it seem like an abduction nor a secret from their family, thereby not involving LE and the media.

They left home on Feb. 4...On JVM, they say that the car was left 4 days later, the same day that they have video of them crossing the border---Where were they for those 4 days!? No phone records, transactions, nothing!? I would like to know what the conversation with the business associate was about. Who was it and what is he/she saying? It's almost like they were in seclusion somewhere, getting "briefed" on new identities or something before they went to Mexico...And why did this woman have so many aliases? Has anyone heard any family member talk about that? It is just so STRANGE! I hope they, especially the little boys, are OK.

It would be very easy to get lost in Mexico, if you wanted to. I have a sis in law that lives there and the bills for her utilities are thrown into her yard.....not mailed. If you don't rent a post office box you don't get mail. There is not much down there that is organized.

I was just looking at the McStay videos...Does anybody know who the boy named Jonah is (about 9 or 10 years old)? Is he Joseph's son from a previous marriage?

I just think if someone has threatened their lives, why would they advertise their disappearance, involving LE and the media, and indicate they fled to Mexico. Why would they not just disappear without all the fanfare and start new identities here in the US? JMO, but this doesn't sound like a retreat to safety from someone making threats against their lives.

McStay has a 14-year-old son, Jonah, from a previous marriage.

I am confused.

Did the Mcstay's make a fan-fare about their disappearance? I don't get it. They just up and left. They didn't leave and then call friends/family or media, corrrect? So, how did they advertise their disappearance?

Wrapitup wrote:I am confused.

Did the Mcstay's make a fan-fare about their disappearance? I don't get it. They just up and left. They didn't leave and then call friends/family or media, corrrect? So, how did they advertise their disappearance?

If this was all a PLAN by them as is now believed, they did "advertise" their disappearance, I think. They made it seem as though they did not leave on their own, dogs, food, etc. They did not let any family know their plan, which of course triggered the notification of LE who then found their car near the Mexico border and car seats inside, no atm or cell phone activity. Interesting story, so the media picked up on it quickly. IF their plan was to escape from a threat to their lives, this person/s knows they did not kidnap them or force them to leave as the scene tried to indicate. The person/s threatening their lives also learn they may be in Mexico from LE and the media, even though it may be easy to get lost there, there is a lot of criminals there and the life threatening person/s could surely find them if so inclined since they know so much. IDK, an escape from a life threatening to Mexico just doesn't make sense to me.

I am becoming more and more certain that this was an intended "disappearance" for some reason that we don't know...Maybe they drove into Mexico during those four missing days, made arrangements for their new life there or somewhere else, and then came back, parked the car, and walked back in. (Wonder if videos have been checked for cars entering and leaving Mexico Feb.4-8.) If they planned this, they are very selfish and cruel people to do this to their mothers and other relatives! Unless it was a desperate situation that offered no other choice (they thought). I do so hope that we'll find out what happened to them!!

Possible sightings in Mexico of a missing California family have been reported to a relative's web site.

According to an update on [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] the potential sightings were received on Thursday and the information was forwarded to authorities.

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Could they have worked their way down to Belize where they own property?
I tend to think that they staged the whole thing as a ruse. They could have flown anywhere out of Tijuana airport. If they really didn't want anyone to know they were interested in Mexico they would have used a library computer to ask about passport restrictions-not their own.
As far as whether Summer had a valid passport-you can buy a fake one in L.A. for cheap. My 15 year old nephew was offered a drivers license as soon as he stepped out of the car at MacArthur Park a couple of weeks ago. Did either of the parents come up to L.A. before the disappearance and have i.d. made?

Two e-mails were sent to Joseph's brother, Michael McStay, about potential sightings via his Web site, McStayFamily.com. One person said they saw Joseph McStay and his sons in a store on the Gulf side of Mexico. Another reported a sighting on the Pacific side. Michael said he would not go into further detail and was leaving interpretation up to authorities.
A call to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department inquiring about the tips was not immediately returned.

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Family and friends of a missing Fallbrook family will hand out fliers tomorrow at the San Ysidro shopping center where the McStays’ white Isuzu Trooper was found four days after they disappeared.

The fliers will ask in English and Spanish, “Have you seen us?” and will print the photographs of businessman Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and children Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3.

“This is a starting point,” said McStay’s brother Mike, who is driving down from San Clemente to distribute 3,000 to 5,000 fliers.

He said he has obtained a passport and is prepared to go to Mexico to search for his relatives if clues lead him in that direction.

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I had my doubts before about the surveillance video of the McStays approaching the turnstile to cross over into Tijuana, Mexico. But now I have developed my own photo of the family in silhouette, and am more convinced than ever that this is indeed the McStays. The figure of Summer with her long black hair is the most recognizable.

The investigation into the February 4th disappearance of the McStay family is morphing in the direction of a flight into Mexico, and probably deliberately. This only muddies the waters all the more. My theory is that with their fleeing into Mexico by choice, they must have been trying to avoid someone. They left behind a beautiful brand new home and a very happy existence. Or so it would appear on the surface?

I am going to back up here and spell out a handful of new facts that cast this case in a different light. The best reporting is coming from the Union-Tribune in San Diego and specifically from staff writer Leslie Berestein. Leslie seems to have the inside scoop with the McStay family and with the San Diego Sheriff's Department, who is oh so selective in what clues they'll disclose to the public.

A primary new clue is that the McStay's were researching passport requirements for traveling to Mexico with children. These inquiries were found on their computer and were made on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28; they visited the site About.com. However, it doesn't look as if they followed through with obtaining the proper legal documents.

Joseph was the only one who had a valid passport. Summer's had expired and the youngest son's birth certificate, required for reentry into the United States, was left with a grandmother. Therefore, I believe that a sudden unexpected event or development (a third party intervention) hastened their plans to depart Fallbrook on February 4th. (Union-Tribune-FBI joins search for McStays by Leslie Berestein-Friday, April 2, 2010)

A new fact that I find significant is that a neighbor's security camera shows a vehicle backing out of the McStay's driveway at exactly 7:47 P.M. on Feb. 4th. Why were the family of four leaving so late on their trip? Some event, perhaps a phone call, must have triggered an impetus to move up the clock of departure?

Why leave so late for Mexico? This makes no sense. And remember, it would be four more days until their car was towed from a strip mall parking lot in San Ysidro. Where were they during this time and what were they doing for those four days?

The last phone call made was by Joseph McStay, on his cell phone at 8:37 PM to his business partner. The call was for only one minute and was made one hour after their departure for an unknown destination. After this time the cell phones go dead. Also, bank activity completely drops off the earth.

Could they have been living on cash alone? They would have to. A sizeable withdrawal of cold cash is required to make this fit. Yet the police haven't mentioned any cash withdrawal such as this? This is the key to a fundamental hypothesis of mine that I will postulate for you shortly.

What I find most odd is why hasn't the business partner come out with a statement to the press? This partner of Joseph in his home fountain business has not even given his name. Is he hiding something? What did he discuss with Joseph in this last one minute phone conversation? If he has nothing to hide, why not just come out with a statement to the press? Perhaps he has a piece of information that could unravel this unsolved mystery?

Tim Miller of Texas Equusearch was a guest on Jane-Velez Mitchell on Wednesday, March 31st. When Tim looked over the McStay house, he observed that it appeared that many clothes were missing. This implies that the family packed these belongings with the idea of leaving on a planned trip. Maybe a trip of some length, I might add. There were only high heels for Summer, and where were Joseph's shoes and shirts? Packed in luggage, I would think.

And what about the notion that they staged their disappearance? What's for sure, is that they left in haste! Food was left out. And Summer forgot her prescription sunglasses! The dogs were left without food and water (most puzzling). Trays of paint and rollers were abandoned, as if some event altered Summer's flow of work, her painting of the kitchen, a dramatic gear shift. A statement of Summer's friend for ten years, Jesi Silveria, reinforces my theory of a rapid change in plans.

"I was one of the last people speaking to her and for three days straight it was all about moving in and setting in. There was no mention about hesitancy or challenges she was having. If she had any stress or strain or worry you could have heard it in her voice. It just doesn't make sense to anyone who personally knows them."

A life altering development occurred on February 4th. This event was reinforced by previous happenings, however. This is cause and effect here. Think of when you shoot a pool ball with a cue stick. The ball hits other balls and they move to a new location on the pool table. In turn, this affects the player's strategy on his next shot. The 'McStay Plan' was a work in progress. It shifted with the sifting sands of fate.

Testimony from Susan Blake, Joseph's brother, adds to my belief that something BIG went down on February 4th. Susan Blake felt as if something was out of place when she spoke to her son on that day. "Joe told me he wasn't feeling good that day. His equilibrium wasn't right and I felt something was wrong." I think that Joe knew it was time to get away. Not doing so would be a more negative decision for his family.

I'm going to lay out my theory, so don't scoff at me for idle speculation. I'm sure that the FBI is doing that very thing even as I type these words. But here goes nothing. A favorite movie of mine, 1998's A Simple Plan, directed by Sam Raimi, is my model for what happened to the McStays. In the film Hank Mitchell, his brother Jacob, and a friend Lou stumble upon a downed airplane. They find a dead man inside the crash and $4.4 million dollars in cash, stashed in cargo bags.

The brothers and the friend devise a 'simple plan' to lay low and to keep the money as a sort of retirement account for their old age. This is where the irony comes in, this is anything but a 'simple plan' as a rapid sequence of events put a tire iron in the spokes of a well-oiled scheme. In this parallel the McStays must have discovered some money that they weren't intended to have. I think it was a sum of more than a million dollars. This cash may have been hidden in one of the fountains that Joseph purchased from Mexico. Narco-traffickers may have been attempting to launder vast amounts of drug money by way of these fountain craftsmen on the other side of the border. The McStays were not supposed to be aware of this scheme.

As such their men on the American side would retrieve this money and smuggle it away to another safehouse. But Joseph accidentally discovered this money when he was working on one of these fountains. The amount was so great, that he decided to keep it after discussing the situation with Summer. In the film Bill Paxton does something similar with Bridgett Fonda. The money pushes their button. This is where a 'simple plan' comes into play.

And so this would explain why the bank accounts suddenly went dead. The McStays would operate strictly on a cash-only-basis, going forward. They figured that could hide out in Mexico undetected, maybe in some simple village up in the mountains, away from civilization. And their cash would stretch out as far as the eye can see.

Fitting in with my theory, the McStays had to hide out in the states from the 4th to the 8th. They didn't want to cross over into Mexico too rapidly, lest the traffickers might surprise them at the crossing. Why leave the white Isuzu Trooper in San Ysidro? Because the Bad Men knew of the vehicle from the news, so they had to get rid of it. And what about the last call to the business partner?

This is why I think he knew. He may have tipped off the McStays that 'they' were looking for them. This would also explain why he won't give his name or provide the media with a statement of some kind. Also, I believe the police know of his involvement and are providing him with a makeshift 'witness protection program.' This would also explain why it took so long to report the disappearance to the authorities. Enough time was allowed for the McStays to hide away in the remotest regions of Mexico.

And then you might wonder why the McStays didn't just return the money to these traffickers? The reason why is this wasn't even an option! Even if they did return the money, they would still be killed to silence them. This is how these ruthless criminals operate, in say, Ciudad Juarez. The McStays had no choice but to flee with the money in tow. They had but one choice-a permanent departure from their once beautiful life.

My theory of what might have happened to the McStays is the only one that fits all the known facts we that we have at our disposal. Today Michael McStay is distributing fliers down on the border. He intends to go to Mexico very soon, and has already gotten his passport. And now the FBI is taking a stake in this case.

This is further support for my theory. I don't believe they would get involved if they didn't believe their case had taken on wider parameters. As such maybe it's more international in scope, involving U.S. citizens and narco-traffickers, who operate without impunity on both sides of the borders.

You may think I'm spinning cotton candy here, but how can one juxtapose these disjointed facts into a cogent theorem that fits for their sudden disappearance? My theory works. And don't you look upon me as if I'm lingering on the Dark Side (I don't live in a Gingerbread House)!

I do believe that they are still alive! I'm an optimist. Two possible sightings have already been reported. The case may break tomorrow or it may remain unsolved. Words of Lt. Dennis Brugos best characterizes the McStay case: "I've never seen anything like this in over 35 years of experience in the business."

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~By the way, I've seen the movie A Simple Plan and it's an excellent movie!~

I hope this is the case-that they had to leave for their own safety.

If they had packed clothes in luggage as was mentioned above (Tim Miller wondered about the lack of clothes in the house), where was the luggage? I don't think I saw any large bags in the video of the border crossing...That's why I wonder if they actually drove into Mexico initially, got "set up" somewhere during those four missing days, drove back across, parked the car, and walked back into Mexico.

BJ, your theory is very plausible, but I would think that they wouldn't want to go into the country where the thugs that they "ripped off" are located...I would head in the opposite direction, like Canada.

The business partner has been named-Charles Merritt-I believe is his name...He fits in with you theory, also, because I read that he has somewhat of a shady past...I believe that he may be an ex-con-- burglary or fraud or something like that...I hope I'm not wrongly accusing him, but it was a ways upthread that I read about it...He was quoted as saying that he didn't have any comment about his past--he just wanted to find the family.

by lisette Today at 8:50 pm BJ, your theory is very plausible

Thanks, Lisette, but it's not MY theory. I just copy and paste.
:geek2:

Family and friends of a missing Fallbrook family fanned out Saturday near the area where the family’s sports utility vehicle was last seen nearly two months ago in hopes of gathering any possible leads.


Armed with colorful, photo-filled fliers, Mike McStay, the brother of missing businessman Joseph McStay, said somebody had to have noticed something. The family of four hasn’t been heard from since Feb. 4. Four days later their car turned up in a San Ysidro parking lot near the border.

“Did somebody, with all these people around, see something from here to the border?” said Mike McStay, 37, standing in the same shopping center parking lot where the family’s white 1996 Isuzu Trooper turned up.

A grainy video showed two adults and two young children approaching the San Ysidro border crossing on Feb. 8, though authorities haven’t been able to determine for sure whether it is the missing family.

McStay and more than a dozen family friends yesterday passed out more than 4,000 fliers with photos and descriptions of Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and two children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph, 3.

McStay and family friend Don McCutcheon, of Mission Viejo, said several leads pointing to sightings of the family in Mexico were passed along to authorities this week. The tips leads have placed the family across Mexico, from the Yucatan area on the Gulf of Mexico to the Jalisco area on the Pacific Coast.

Asked if he thinks the family is still alive and in Mexico, McStay said, “I’m leaning that way.”

Standing near stacks of fliers, McCutcheon insisted the family just had no reason to leave their lives.

“Nice house, cars paid off, business doing good and you leave?” McCutcheon said. “Doesn’t make sense...We believe they did not go on their own accord.”

San Diego Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Jan Caldwell confirmed Friday that the FBI had been briefed on the case, joining an effort headed by sheriff’s investigators.

“The FBI has sources south of the border, and that is what we would like to tap into,” she said.

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Well, isn't that interesting about Charles Merritt.

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Interesting info from someone who knows Charles Ray Merritt on this link.

That was some interesting stuff, BJ...Thanks for the link. I really think that Chase Merritt is connected to this whole thing somehow...Remember, it was a business associate that Joseph spoke to on the phone last...I think it was him, and something that he said caused them to "disappear"...

I wonder if the poster has gone to LE or the FBI with that information. If the Mexican mafia is involved, that is serious stuff. They don't play!!

This case is eerie!

Thanks for that link, BJ.

One of the articles states that the man on the video doesn't look like McStay-could he have gone ahead as he had a passport? Did someone else lead Summer and the children across the border?

Possible sightings of the McStay family in Mérida and Barra Navidad, Mexico, have been reported, according to the McStay family Web site.

Joseph McStay, his wife Summer and two children went missing abruptly on Feb. 4. Since then, no traces of phone calls have been found or evidence of foul play. Four days later on Feb. 8, the family’s Izuzu Trooper was found in San Ysidro, next to the Mexican border. After authorities scanned the computer of the family, the history of their internet browser showed that someone was seeking to find a way into Mexico without visas. Since their disappearance, the FBI, aerial drones and a large distribution of fliers have all aided in the search.

Michael McStay, Joseph’s brother, also maintains there is promising evidence of the family’s whereabouts. “Two sightings occurred in Merida and Barra Navidad,” he said. “Joey owns property in Merida and he wouldn’t take off without telling us.”

Last week, Michael McStay was handing out fliers on the border in hopes of finding someone who might have seen the family. “While I was on the border a Mexican police officer from Tijuana walked up to me,” he said. “I grabbed the person closest to me to interpret what the officer was saying. According to the translator this is the first time the officer heard of the investigation.”

Michael McStay is also convinced that authorities have not done their best to find the family. “One of my questions was that if someone did a search on the PC, did they look for a specific destination,” he said. “The detective simply said ‘no’ and I’m not convinced. Truthfully I should be able to know this information.”

Michael McStay will travel with the FBI to Mexico this week.

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BJ in OR on Fri Apr 09, 2010 1:37 am Possible sightings of the McStay family in Mérida and Barra Navidad, Mexico, have been reported, according to the McStay family Web site.

I just read on WS that Joseph McStay owns property in Merida, Mexico.

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A map allegedly left behind at a Baja California restaurant, where two waiters think they may have served a missing Fallbrook family, has been turned over to authorities, the missing man’s brother said.

Michael McStay said family friends have traveled to Mexico to distribute fliers with photos of missing businessman Joseph McStay, his wife and two young sons. In the course of that effort, a friend learned last month from waiters at a restaurant about halfway down the Baja California peninsula that a family the waiters thought resembled the McStays dined there in late February, he said.

The family has been missing since Feb. 4. Their SUV was found in a parking lot near the border in San Ysidro four days later.

McStay said the waiter described the father as looking “ill and kind of stressed” and commented on a mark on the youngest child’s forehead — the couple’s youngest son, Joseph Jr., has a birthmark. McStay said that the waiters saved a map left at the restaurant by these diners, and that it has since been turned in to authorities.

Lt. Dennis Brugos of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department would not confirm any developments in the case, saying only that the investigation into the missing family continues. Mexican law enforcement agencies have participated in the search, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation joined in last month.

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I don't get it.. if the waiters found this map in late February and have kept it this long with out turning it into LE until NOW.. WTH??

They probably were not questioned regarding the McStay's until someone came into their place and asked if they had been there. It could be a more remote area of Baja. Not much t.v. or newspapers. They probably thought the map was important to the family and that they might return for it.

True Charming, but why would they have kept that map all that time?? Wouldn't a waitress normally just throw away a map? I guess they could have kept it thinking someone might come back for it? IDK..

According to Michael McStay, he recalled that the family left behind a map. McStay said he did not know any further details about the map. He said it was handed over to the FBI, who did not return calls for a comment.

McStay also said the waiter commented at the time on what he thought was a bump on the little boy’s head. It was actually a birthmark, Mcstay said.

McStay told CNN that the waiter remembered that Joseph McStay “looked ill, he looked sick.”
“My understanding was in the last year he’d been having these vertigo type symptoms,” McStay said. “He was in the hospital for a couple of weeks, and on the (February) 4, he was talking to my mother and he had to pull over when he was driving home because he felt vertigo type symptoms.”

Michael McStay does not understand why his brother would, it appears, voluntarily abandon their life in the U.S.

“It’s like they are afraid of something,” he said. “That’s what to me it appears to me.”

“What I can’t gather is what’s compelling him to go down there…I can’t figure it out.”http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/12/missing-family-seen-with-map/

Well if their plan was to disappear they have failed. To much media coverage for them to disappear. I agree if they did it was to avoid the law or mafia (meth is a bad drug) Scared of something for sure.

Another possible Mexico sighting of a family that went missing in February has been reported, just a month before a popular TV show will air a segment about the disappearance, a family member said.
A family friend was recently distributing fliers in Baja about the McStay family, who went missing soon after moving from their longtime home in San Clemente to Fallbrook. A waiter at a restaurant said he recognized the McStays, which include Joseph, 40, his wife Summer, 43, and their children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph, 3.

Michael McStay, left, his mother, Susan, and his daughter, Shekinah, pray for the safe return of his brother, Joseph McStay, 40, his brother's wife, Summer, 43, and their two young sons who went missing in early February from their San Diego home. The family held a candlelight vigil and prayer service in February in Laguna Niguel for the missing family.
An episode of "America's Most Wanted" about a former San Clemente family who has been missing almost four months is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. June 19 on Fox, according to a show representative.
Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph, 3, disappeared in February soon after moving from San Clemente to Fallbrook.

The McStays' white Isuzu Trooper was found Feb. 8 in San Ysidro, near the Mexican border, but there have no confirmed sightings of the family.


Michael McStay, the elder Joseph's brother, said he hopes the exposure on "America's Most Wanted" will help law enforcement solve the case.
The family's Isuzu was towed as an abandoned vehicle from a parking lot near the Mexico border a few days after they went missing. They were last heard from Feb. 4, friends and relatives say. Police have said their house appeared to have been left in a hurry.
A family member has paid to place full-page missing-persons fliers in three Mexican newspapers, according to a post on Michael McStay's website, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Several possible sightings of the McStays have been reported in Mexico.
Friends and relatives have said they do not know why the family disappeared. Many have described them as happy and in good financial standing.
The waiter remembered the family because they had eaten dinner and breakfast at the restaurant called El Rosario, said Michael McStay, Joseph's brother. He also recognized the 3-year-old because of a red birthmark on his forehead, Michael said.
These aren't the first reported Mexico sightings of the family. In April, Michael received two e-mails through his website [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] about potential sightings on the Gulf and Pacific sides of the country.
Michael, a San Clemente resident, turned the information over to the San Diego Sherriff's Department and FBI, which are in charge of the McStay case.
The family's Isuzu was towed as an abandoned vehicle from a parking lot near the border a few days after they went missing. They were last heard from on Feb. 4. Police have said their house seemed to be left in a hurry as food had been left out on the counter.
After searching the family's computer, police found evidence that someone had searched for information about going to Mexico with children without passports. A surveillance video shows a family of four walking across the border holding hands. While some think the group resembles the McStays, others disagree.
Friends and family have said they do not know why the family disappeared. Many have described them as happy and in good financial standing.
Afredo Arenas, an international liaison between Mexican law enforcement and U.S. authorities, told The San Diego Union-Tribune that investigators conducted interviews at the restaurant on May 11, confirming that the family had allegedly been seen eating there.
"The waiter was very, very convinced that that was my family," Michael said.
The restaurant also turned over a map to authorities, which was believed to be left behind by the McStays.
At first the map was a ray of hope.
"If they found their prints (on the map) that would take the worst out of the equation," Michael said.
Michael taped an interview about the disappearance for "America's Most Wanted" on Thursday. The episode about the McStays is expected to air next month, he said.
After the taping, he met with San Diego Sherriff's Department officials, who gave him some disappointing news. The prints didn't match those of Summer or his brother. Both had fingerprints on record because they are licensed real estate agents.
But officials said they had sent the prints back to the lab for a second check, Michael said.
"It can go a bunch of different ways at this point," he said, adding that he had been very tired lately. He has been taking care of his business as well as his brother's, an indoor water fountain company. "Is it possible they were still there? Yeah, it is. It's also still possible it was their map."
Michael added that he hoped the exposure from "America's Most Wanted" will help get the word out about his family, who he wants to come home safely.
"It's been a long week," he said.

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