The remains of the McStay family were found buried in a shallow grave near Victorville, CA., with evidence of blunt trauma thought to be from a sledgehammer also buried with the family. Reports also stated that Summer McStay may have been raped before she was murdered.
Attention soon turned toward Joseph’s former business partner, Chase Merritt. Cell phone records indicated that Joseph had tried to call Chase the day of the disappearance, but he didn’t answer. Merritt had also written checks under Joseph’s name in the days following the vanishing. In 2014, Merritt was arrested and charged with first degree murder in relation to the McStay family. At trial, he declared, “I would have never raised my hand for a woman or child. I did not do this thing” and claimed the prosecution was framing him. In 2020, a decade after the murders, Merritt was found guilty and sentenced to death.
The Martin Family Vanished While Collecting Christmas Decorations
Kenneth and Barbara Martin left their Oregon house on December 7, 1958, with their three daughters: Virginia, Susan, and Barbie. They planned on going out to the country for a little bit to collect some holiday greenery use for Christmas decorations. They would never return home.
The family was officially declared missing when Kenneth didn’t show up for work. An investigation went underway. It was clear that the Martins never returned home from their trip because nothing in the house was disturbed. Three months after the family vanished, the bodies of Susan and Virginia were found in the river. The remaining bodies were never discovered.
Several theories have come up about what happened. It has been theorized that Kenneth lost control of the vehicle and drove into the river. However, the car was also never found, so that seems unlikely. Two individuals were arrested the day after the disappearance for car theft. While police initially thought the two cases could be connected, nothing tangible ever came to light linking them.
