McStay Family of 4 missing in So California-Missing since 2/04/10

[MuffyBee]

http://www.examiner.com/x-19632-Salt-Lake-City-Headlines-Examiner~y2010m2d23-Entire-McStay-family-missing-in-Southern-California
Entire McStay family missing in Southern California
February 23, 2010

  Joseph McStay and family have been missing since February 4




Monday, a close relative of a missing California family said that he fears the McStay family has been kidnapped. Joseph and Summer McStay, and their two children, Gianna and Joseph went missing February 4 and have not been heard from since.

Michael McStay, Joseph’s brother said Monday: "My gut feeling is telling me that they are being held against their will in some way. That's my personal opinion. That's what I think." Michael usually speaks to his brother once a week.

Joseph McStay, 40, Summer, 43, Gianna, 4, and Joseph, 3, did not appear to make plans to be gone from their home for very long. The dogs in the backyard didn’t have food or water. The family lived in Fallbrook, about 45 miles north of San Diego. Their SUV was found two blocks from the Mexican border.

"I think there were some food items left out that should have been refrigerated," sheriff's Lt. Dennis Brugos said. "Those types of things sparked our attention, and on the chance that this turns into a criminal investigation, we want to be on the ground floor with this thing."

"There is nothing illegal about disappearing," Brugos said. "[But] in this particular case, according to relatives, it would be out of character just to disappear without notifying family members."

"There is nothing in Joseph or his wife's life or background that would suggest [or] that would put them in a high risk of any criminal activity," he said.

See the video below for photos and video of the family. (Click on link to article at top of this page)

The police have asked anyone with information contact Sgt. Dave Martinez of the San Diego County sheriff's office at 858-565-5200. Anonymous calls can be made to 888-580-8477.

In a related case, Susan Powell has been missing from Salt Lake City, Utah for several months and her whereabouts are unknown. Her husband, Josh Powell has been named the only person of interest in the case. He moved out of their Salt Lake City home about a month ago and moved their children to Washington state to be closer to his family.

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[MuffyBee]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/25/california.missing.family/

California police search for missing family
February 25, 2010
CNN) -- Police in Southern California are working with Mexican authorities in the search for a missing family and poring over hundreds of hours of border security videotapes, hoping to find some clues.

"We are reviewing a lot of surveillance tapes," said Lt. Dennis Brugos of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. "On a daily basis, there may be up to 100,000 people who cross that border."

The Center for Missing and Exploited Children is also assisting in the scrutinizing of the tapes, he said.

Joseph McStay, 40; his wife, Summer, 43; and their two children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph, 3, have not been seen or heard from since February 4. Concerned relatives contacted authorities, who checked the family's home February 15, the sheriff's department said.

A vehicle belonging to the family was found abandoned near the Mexican border. The McStays' home is in Fallbrook, an unincorporated area about 45 miles north of San Diego.

The sheriff's department said two Mexican liaison detectives are conferring with their counterparts across the border.

"They were on this investigation right from the start," Brugos said. "They check the morgue, the airport, bus terminal, contact the taxi drivers who frequent the border area.

"At this point, it just seems to be a mystery," Brugos added. "There is a chance the family could have voluntarily left and disappeared, but it's unlikely."

Michael McStay, Joseph McStay's brother, fears that they may have been kidnapped.

"My gut feeling is telling me that they are being held against their will in some way," he said.

See a Web site set up for the missing family

Michael McStay said he usually speaks to his older brother at least once a week. "Every Friday, he would call me, and we'd be talking for a while. We were tight. We've always been tight."

The sheriff's office said evidence at the family home "suggested that the family had not left on a planned vacation" and that "the totality of the circumstances surrounding their disappearance was quite out of character for the family."

Brugos said the McStays' two dogs were left at the home unattended and without food or water.

"I think there were some food items left out that should have been refrigerated," Brugos added. "Those types of things sparked our attention, and on the chance that this turns into a criminal investigation, we want to be on the ground floor with this thing."

After the family's SUV was found in San Ysidro, two blocks from the Mexican border, "it was processed with a search warrant," Brugos said. "There was nothing in the car ... suggesting that this was some criminal act."

However, investigators are not ruling out the possibility of foul play and have assigned the case to the sheriff's homicide detail.
They are as close as newlyweds. Everyone needs to be on the lookout for them, because something is wrong.

"There is nothing illegal about disappearing," Brugos said. "[But] in this particular case, according to relatives, it would be out of character just to disappear without notifying family members."

Brugos also said it was unlikely the McStays were targeted by a Mexican drug cartel.

"There is nothing in Joseph or his wife's life or background that would suggest [or] that would put them in a high risk of any criminal activity," he said.

He said interviews with relatives and friends indicate no internal signs of marital trouble or conflict.

"Everyone has issues in every family, but as far as a family just disappearing, there is nothing to suggest they would do just that," he said.

A good friend of the McStays', who did not want to give her name because she said she feared for her safety, echoed that sentiment.

"They wouldn't have left. They didn't flee," she said. "They are as close as newlyweds. Everyone needs to be on the lookout for them, because something is wrong."

The friend said she spoke with the McStays on February 3 or 4, right before they disappeared.

"Everything was fine. [Summer] was excited. She was painting the kitchen. Everything was good. The kids were playing outside," the friend said. "Nothing out of the ordinary that would give us any reason to think there was a problem."

She also said the couple would not have willingly traveled to Mexico.

"We had talked about a year and a half ago about going on a vacation together and said it would be nice to go to Mexico, but it's too unsafe," she said.

Visit the Center for Missing and Exploited Children site

Michael McStay said his brother is fun-loving and easygoing.

"He's creative, he's just, you know, people like to hang with him, both of them," Michael McStay said. "Summer is very intelligent, very educated, a heck of a mom. ... This doesn't add up."

Joseph McStay is self-employed, creating and installing indoor water features, Brugos said.

Brugos called the disappearance of the McStay family unsettling and unusual.

"We've had cases where there have been incidents, but relatively quickly, we are able to determine what happened," he said. "In this particular case, it's been quite a while."

Joseph McStay is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. Summer McStay, also known as Lisa Aranda-Martelli, is 5 feet 5 inches tall and 115 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the McStay family is urged to contact Sgt. Dave Martinez of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department at 858-565-5200. Anonymous calls can be made to 888-580-8477.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.10news.com/news/22676691/detail.html
Drones Aid In Search For Missing Family
February 25. 2010
SAN DIEGO -- A high-profile search-and-rescue team is joining the hunt for a missing Fallbrook family and bringing some high-tech equipment with them.

Over the next several days, a drone will be used to search for the McStay family, who have been missing since Feb. 4.

Joseph McStay, his wife Summer and sons Gianni and Joseph Jr. have not been seen or heard from in almost a month. Family members reached out to Texas Equusearch, the same agency that helped in the search for Natalee Holloway and Jesse Davis.
"Generally, if there's an abduction or if there's a murder most time I do not take them very far they don't want to be traveling with a body in a vehicle," said Tim Miller of Texas Equusearch.

Miller said the search would stretch from the family's Fallbrook home to the San Ysidro parking lot where their white Isuzu Trooper SUV was found.

Drone pilot Mike Hennig said, "As we fly, digital camera systems on board … high-resolution, 9- or 10-megapixel digital cameras on board to do still imagery. We also use streaming video from the aircraft."

The radio-controlled drone aircraft are based out of San Diego State University. When they are launched, they can search every inch of a 15-mile area in a matter of minutes. The drones feed high-resolution digital images and GPS locations back to the search team.

"If we find something of particular interest in an image, all the material that is recorded in the aircraft is GPS logged so we can sit there, find the image, pull the GPS data and be able to direct people on the ground to search specific areas," said Hennig.

Texas Equusearch claimed one search with a drone aircraft can take the place of 100 ground searches. In the past three-and-a-half years, seven bodies were found, and two people who were still alive. With science on their side, the group hopes to find the McStay family alive.

Anything that's found during the search this weekend will be turned over to San Diego County Sheriff's investigators on Monday.

The searchers and drone pilots are all volunteers, and SDSU helps program some of the software used in the search-and-rescue missions.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12025976
Candlelight vigil for missing Fallbrook family
February 22, 2010
Video Gallery Available




Joseph McStay, his wife and two young sons haven't been seen in more than two weeks and Friday evening on February 19, friends gathered in Laguna Nigel - where the McStays lived there until a few months ago.

The vigil was an emotional gathering where family and friends of the McStays, who had recently moved from that area to Fallbrook, refuse to give up hope.

Joseph and Summer McStay, along with their boys, four-year-old Gianni and three-year-old Joey Junior were last seen February 4, and their SUV was found abandoned at the San Ysidro border.

One of the last people to speak on the phone with Summer was one of their close friends, John Cirignani.

"She was just talking about how good things were, and how they were happy in their new house and getting things done and moving forward and looking forward to all kinds of things," explained Cirignani.

The McStays both have real estate licenses, and Summer previously worked for the Cirgnani's real estate business. Joseph McStay ran a company designing water fountains.

The couple also appeared to be doing well in their relationship.

Adding to the mystery: the family's beloved dogs were left at home with no food or water.

Friday, detectives used cadaver dogs to search the McStay's home and property and are hoping a backpack, computer system and video camera will provide clues.

The sheriff's department is also working with Mexican authorities to determine if the McStay family may have crossed the border, but say so far there are no solid leads in the family's disappearance.

[Nut44x4]

Updated: 6:33 a.m.
Private agency joining search for family

Tim Miller knows what it's like to have a child go missing, so when the father of a San Clemente businessman who has been missing three weeks called him for help, he decided to involve his search agency in the hunt for Joseph McStay and his family.

Miller said his nonprofit organization called Texas Equusearch didn't plan on jumping into any new cases because of tough economic times. But "when I hear a father's or mother's voice at the other end of the phone, I can't say no," he said.

Patrick McStay, Joseph's father, knew about Miller's agency because he lives in Texas and the group has made a name for itself there, Miller said.

Texas Equusearch has been involved in several high-profile cases. It offered its free services to help search for Natalee Holloway, who went missing in 2005 during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, and Caylee Anthony, a Florida 2-year-old who was missing and later found slain. Her mother is awaiting trial on murder charges.

Miller's group spent $108,000 on the Anthony case and $2 million in the search for Holloway, who has not been found. The group is funded through donations and sponsorships, according to its Web site.

Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their two sons, Gianni, 4, and Joseph, 3, were last heard from Feb. 4, according to police. The family, who had lived in San Clemente for years, moved to Fallbrook in December. Joseph McStay operated a water-fountain business in San Clemente called Earth Inspired Products. The family's car was towed as an abandoned vehicle from a San Ysidro parking lot near the Mexican border Feb. 8. A worried family member reported them missing Feb. 15. Police have searched their Fallbrook home and said it looked like the family left in a hurry because they left their cell phones behind and their two dogs outside without food or water.

As authorities continue to mine phone and financial records, Miller's group will be carrying out ground searches. Miller plans to fly to California on Friday from the nonprofit's headquarters in Dickinson, Texas. He said Texas Equusearch takes cases only if a family member asks for help and law enforcement agrees.

"We talked to the detectives for a long time on the phone about the case," Miller said. "They're scratching their heads, too. They're really frustrated."

Miller's group uses state-of-the art aerial and sonar technology to help find missing people. Miller plans to use a drone airplane that weighs about 4 pounds and is flown remotely. It flies at about 500 feet and captures thousands of high-resolution images. The group will then piece those images together to search for clues.

"If we know the person was wearing blue jeans and a red shirt, we can wash out all the colors except red and blue and find the GPS coordinates for all the spots that show red and blue," Miller said. The technology is made by RP Flight Systems.

Michael Hennig, RP's West Coast director, said he plans to fly the drones this weekend over the off-road areas in the roughly 60-mile distance between the McStays' home to where their car was found. He said the drones can capture infrared imagery that highlights man-made materials.

Miller said his group may take its search over the border, as San Diego County law enforcement has asked for help from Mexican officials. Texas Equusearch also will be looking for any mounds or graves.

"I pray to God they're OK, but I'm not going to sugarcoat anything," Miller said. "This does not look good."

The National Center for Exploited & Missing Children also is helping with the case and has circulated a flier about the family. The center focuses more on spreading awareness, while Texas Equusearch is more hands-on, Miller said.

Lt. Dennis Brugos, a spokesman for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, which is leading the investigation, said Texas Equusearch will not be working under his department's direction. When asked whether police plan to use search technology similar to that used by Texas Equusearch, Brugos said, "We're not doing that."

In 1984, Miller's daughter Laura went missing. Her remains were found months later about two blocks from Miller's Texas home. In 2000, Miller started helping families search for missing loved ones using his horses. That small operation has grown into a team of thousands of volunteers that has carried out about 1,100 searches. About 300 missing people have been found with the group's help, many of them dead, Miller said.

"If someone told you they wanted to help bring your family home, would you say no?" said Joseph McStay's brother, Michael, 37, who lives in San Clemente.

Some have said the McStays bought granite for their new home from a store close to where their car was found. But Michael McStay said he doesn't think that's why the car was there.

Summer McStay's white Isuzu Trooper was found near the border with child seats inside, while Joseph McStay's pickup was left in the family's driveway.

"If you needed to pick up materials, would you take a little SUV or a pickup truck?" Michael McStay said.

Before Joseph McStay operated Earth Inspired Products, he owned a store called Naturally Dana Point, which has been closed for years, Michael McStay said. His mother and stepfather (who have since divorced) operated a deli in Dana Point while Michael and Joseph attended Dana Hills High School. The brothers grew up in Texas but moved to Dana Point during their high school years, Michael McStay said.

Family members have organized a fund that may be used as a reward or for other purposes, depending on what happens. Donations can be made through www.McStayfamily.com.

Michael McStay said he doubts his brother would just pick up and leave his business behind, jeopardizing his source of income, because he had three children to support. In addition to the missing boys, Joseph McStay has a 14-year-old son, Jonah, from a previous marriage.

"This just absolutely drains me emotionally," Michael McStay said. "Everybody's leaning on me. My mom is devastated. My dad is rattled. All his friends are rattled. I don't know what the future holds. I just got to keep my legs moving and my ear to the ground."

http://www.ocregister.com/news/miller-236424-mcstay-missing.html

[Lovinlife]

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/orange_county&id=7301175

Search continues for missing McStay family
Friday, February 26, 2010

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (KABC) -- Search crews will step up their efforts this weekend to find a missing Southern California family.

A businessman, his wife and their two young children vanished shortly after moving from Orange County to San Diego County. They have been missing for weeks now. A vigil for the family was held in Laguna Niguel Friday evening.

Three-year-old Joseph McStay Junior and his 4-year-old brother Gianni have been missing for more than three weeks, along with their parents, 40-year-old Joseph and 43-year-old Summer.

"As time goes by it's more and more overwhelming," said Joseph McStay's brother Michael.

Flyers are posted. Family members have searched near the San Ysidro-Tijuana border where the McStays' vehicle was found abandoned four days after they were last seen at their home in Fallbrook.

Now family members are about to get some extra help from Texas Equusearch. The non-profit agency used sonar to look for Natalee Holloway after she disappeared in Aruba.

"This is one of our fully autonomous aircraft," said Mike Hennig, San Diego State University researcher.

Hennig will help fly the remote-control aircraft, equipped with cameras and GPS, to search the area from the Mcstays' home to the Mexico border, looking for the smallest detail.

"Anything that's out of place, a trail or clothing or personal effects," said Hennig.

Originally from Orange County, the McStays moved to San Diego County three months ago.

Family members say there were happy, financially stable and were in the middle of renovating their new home.

What happened is a mystery. The family's two dogs were found wandering in the back yard.

Authorities searched the house last week and gathered possible evidence, but there are no new leads.

"Nothing to suggest foul play or violence and to leave eggs on the counter -- they left the house in haste," said Michael McStay.

Friends and family hold vigils, pray for answers and hope for their safe return.

"I'm grateful for the support," said Michael.

[Nut44x4]

JVM show from 2/25/10

Mind-blowing new developments in the case of a missing family of four, Joseph and Summer McStay and their two kids vanished from their California home without a trace. They have been missing for three weeks.

Tonight, the mystery deepens: shocking new revelations about this mom. Who is Summer McStay? Police say she has as many as six aliases. In a very bizarre twist, she reportedly changed her name from Virginia to Summer, just days before she disappeared. Why?

Take a look at this new flier, featuring the missing family. It reveals Summer didn`t just change her name. Sometimes she used a fake birth certificate, as well. And it`s not like she was shaving off just a couple years. There is a 12-year difference between the two.

So what`s going on? By every account, the McStays are normal, loving family. Check out this home video they posted on YouTube.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH MCSTAY: All right. Gee, come on, let`s go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it can`t get any worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And look, who is this? Whew, our new Cadillac bike.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Does this seemingly, happy, caring mom of two have something to hide, or is she hiding from someone? Family members fear the McStays were kidnapped.

Investigators still considering that theory, but they do find it odd that there were no signs of struggle in the family`s home or their car, which was found abandoned two blocks from the Mexican border.

Cops sifting through hours of surveillance tape from the border. Also tonight, police searching airports and bus stations.

Straight out to my fantastic panel: joining me, Director of Texas EquuSearch, Tim Miller. Tim, they are now assisting in this case; you are. Tell us why you have decided to step into this.

All right. We lost him. So we`re going to go to Jim Moret, chief correspondent "Inside Edition" and also the author of this fantastic book, "The Last Day of My Life".

You have been looking into this very bizarre story. What have you found, Jim?

JIM MORET, CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": Well, I mean, as you say it`s interesting that the mom had six aliases and she just changed her name recently to Summer. When the police went to the house and the family has been missing since February 4th, they went to the house around the 15th and they went in and they noticed that the dogs were outside, no food, no water. No apparent packing for any long vacation.

Summer`s prescription eyeglasses were still there. She needs those to see. There were eggs on the counter. By every indication, there was no foul play and no packing for a vacation.

But their car -- their -- Isuzu Trooper was found just about four miles from the Mexico-U.S. border and the car seats were still in the car. They have two small children, 3 and 4. The family simply vanished and they don`t know why.

And we talked with Summer`s mom and she is obviously distraught; she is fearing the worst. She doesn`t understand why they would go missing. There was no indication they wanted to be on the run for any reason. The husband`s brother --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Right.

MORET: -- they talk once a week, they`re just gone.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What is in a name? Summer McStay was born Virginia Lisa Aranda and local reporters caught up with summer`s ex-husband. He says he knew her as Lisa when they were married back in 1994 and she was also previously known as Lisa Aranda, Lisa Aranda-Martelli and Lisa Martelli. She basically used 5 or 6 variations of the same few names.

What does that tell you, Tim Miller, director, Texas Equusearch? Is that a disturbing sign?

TIM MILLER, DIRECTOR, TEXAS EQUUSEARCH: Well, you know there`s been some new information coming out that`s a little bit disturbing. But you know what, we`ve got one fact Jane and the fact is that they are missing. We know that -- you know the family business was successful business.

You`re right, there`s no sign of any foul play. There`s no indication they`ve planned on going, neither. So we`ve got to --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hang in there, Tim. We`re going to be back in a moment with more analysis of this total mystery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLANCHE ARANDA, SUMMER MCSTAY`S MOTHER: Just a beautiful, wonderful mother, wife, daughter. I love her. And I hope my whole family is safe. I want them to come home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was the mother of missing woman, Summer McStay.

Tonight the McStays and their two beautiful young children, ages 3 and 4, have been missing for three weeks. And we want to say that whatever we`re speculating about or asking about, it`s not to cast any aspersions on this family. It`s to try to find them. And we have to ask the tough questions, because that could lead to them. So that`s where we`re coming from. Our heart`s in the right place.

Dr. Dale Archer, clinical psychiatrist, what do you make of all of these names? What does that tell you?

DR. DALE ARCHER, CLINICAL PSYCHIATRIST: Well, Jane, you change your name for one reason only and that`s to hide something. And I will predict that if you can answer the question why here that would be the key to this entire mystery.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Investigators are now talking to Joey McStay`s business partner, a metal worker and welder, a 50-year-old gentleman. The two apparently worked together making indoor fountains and we`re going to show you the Web site that they have, these beautiful indoor fountains.

This business partner allegedly served time in prison for burglary in `78 but he`s not considered a suspect, Jim Moret.

MORET: That`s right. 1978 and then again in 1987 for receiving stolen property; the police say he was one of the first people to notice absence of his business partner but he`s not considered a suspect and there`s no indication he`s done anything.

But you know, there are all of these different things that bother you. What`s wrong with this picture? Clearly something happened.

You don`t just leave your house. You are don`t dump your car near the border and then vanish with two small kids. They`re either on the run or they`ve been kidnapped which is what the family fears but there`s no indication of any foul play so far and police are stumped.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, and Tim Miller, volunteers for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are reviewing hundreds of hours of border-crossing footage but what I hear is that 100,000 people cross the border between U.S. and Mexico daily so that`s like really looking for a needle in a haystack.

MILLER: Well, you know, they`ve got a lot of work cut out for them. I spent a long time on the phone with the detectives yesterday and of course they are scratching their head. They don`t have any indication foul play or anything.

And you know we`ve got 60-plus miles from their house to where their vehicle was found down by the border, with 40 miles of that being just extremely isolated. And so these are the areas we`re going to start in first.

We`re actually going to be doing a lot of stuff by air, with the drone airplanes again and starting the process of elimination. You know, Jane, we hope that phone call comes in next week.

Listen, we had some problems. We had to get away and things are going to end up safely.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, absolutely.

MILLER: But if something has happened, we need to get out there, start eliminating these areas, if it`s possible for them to be found. We know the sooner they`re found, if something happened --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

MILLER: -- better chance for us to determine the cause of death.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I hear you.

Jim Moret, 30 seconds. The car was found in a crowded parking lot two blocks from the Mexican border. And you know experts are saying, that wouldn`t be a place where you would leave a car if you were kidnapping, forcibly -- forcing somebody out of the car because it was very crowded.

MORET: When there`s no indication in the car of any foul play and the car seats. The children`s car seats were in the car. You`ve got kids 3 and 4 years old.

You know, there`s just so many questions. Everything is out of character and that`s the big mystery.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got to leave it right there. Thank you, fantastic panel for joining me tonight.

I want to send out my thoughts and prayers for Andrew Koenig`s family. This incredible actor, activist, man found dead tonight. He was a close friend and he will be missed.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1002/25/ijvm.01.html

[klaasend]

Don't know if there is any connection but...

http://www.10news.com/news/22713518/detail.html

Body Found Floating In Pond In East Village

POSTED: 5:00 am PST March 2, 2010
UPDATED: 9:05 am PST March 2, 2010


SAN DIEGO -- San Diego police Tuesday investigated the death of a man whose body was found floating in a small body of water in the East Village.

The body was found in a drainage pond near San Diego Bay in the 1200 block of Imperial Avenue around 11:10 p.m. Monday, said San Diego police Officer Dino Delimitros.


The body was that of a man who appeared to between 40 and 50, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/mcstay-family-still-missing-texas-equusearch-joins-hunt-2585739.html
McStay Family Still Missing: Texas EquuSearch Joins Hunt
by Jordan Yerman | March 3, 2010 at 09:06 am
McStay Family Still Missing; Private Search Firm Texas Equusearch to Assist
The McStay family is still missing, a month after their 1996 Isuzu Trooper was found in a San Ysidro towing lot two blocks away from the the US-Mexico border. The McStay family (Joseph McStay, Summer McStay, and sons Gianni and Joey McStay), who live in Fallbrook, California, were last seen on February 4.

Law enforcement officials from both sides of the border have been searching for the McStay family, but have turned up no leads. Texas Equusearch, a private, nonprofit missing-persons firm, has joined the search for the missing California family at the request of Patrick McStay, Joseph McStay's father. Texas Equusearch was also involved in the searches for Natalee Holloway and Caylee Anthony.

Tim Miller, the founder and director of Equusearch, said detectives handling the case in California told the group they could use "as much help as they can get" in locating the missing family.

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.kabc.com/Article.asp?id=1716719&spid=
San Diego Family of Four Vanishes, Missing for Three Weeks
March 3,2010
A search group experienced with investigations of several other high-profile missing persons cases has joined the search for a missing California family of four who have not been seen or heard from in nearly a month.

Texas Equusearch plans to send four members of its team to San Diego, Calif., tonight and comb the area where the McStay family was last seen Feb. 4.

Joseph McStay, 40, and his wife, Summer, 43, went missing along with their two children, Gianna, 4, and Joseph, 3.

The McStays' disappearance from their serene San Diego-area community of Bonsall has since prompted an investigation by police who still have no idea what happened.

Tim Miller, the founder and director of Equusearch, said detectives handling the case in California told the group they could use "as much help as they can get" in locating the missing family.

Miller said his crew will use drone airplanes that can spot footprints and clothing from above, as well as manpower to comb the nearly 40 miles of isolated roadway between the McStays' home and the location where their car was found.

Lt. Dennis Brugos of the San Diego Sheriff's Office said authorities located the McStay family car, a white 1996 Isuzu Trooper, with the kids' car seats still intact, two blocks from the U.S.-Mexican border and 80 miles from the family's home, prompting questions about any possible ties the family may have had to Mexico
Read more here. http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/mcstay-family-missing-calfornia-weeks/story?id=9957171

[trimmonthelake]

http://stephww.wordpress.com/
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE McSTAY FAMILY?
March 3, 2010 by Steph
Early Monday morning, myself and Tim Miller from Texas Equusearch were met by Mike McStay, the younger brother of Joseph McStay to try to piece together what happened to his brothers family.
 Joseph, along with his wife, Summer, and their 2 children, Gianna, 4, and Joseph, 3. vanished from their home Feb 4th and have not been seen or heard from since. We were joined by Kenneth Aranda, the younger brother of Summer, who flew in from Hawaii, where he lives. They allowed myself and Tim Miller from Texas EquuSearch inside the McStay family home. The brothers, bonded together through this tragedy, then take us to the location where the family’s car was found — just minutes from the Mexican border — all in hopes of digging up answers as to what happened to the McStays.

Entering the McStay house in Fallbrook, a nice middle-class suburb of San Diego, you can’t help but notice the eerie silence of an empty home, and ponder; what happened here in those minutes before the family left and literally vanished?

The home, which they had just moved to in Nov 2009, was being remodeled, so there was minimal furnishings. The stark white kitchen was almost finished being remodeled, except for a few unattached kitchen cupboard doors. According to Mike, their furniture was still in a container, awaiting the painting and re-tiling to be completed. But still, something seemed odd. Kenneth, a handsome kind guy, had not been in the house since his sister disappeared, and he appeared uneasy as he quickly darted from room to room.
What the house revealed was a busy family just moving in, living in slight disarray, but it also revealed that Summer was not the best housekeeper in the world. A dirty baby diaper lay on the floor, inside a morning jumper, beside the toilet in the bathroom off the kitchen. Piles of unwashed clothes were scattered about. “Something ain’t right here,” Miller says.

We headed upstairs to the master bedroom. The beds had been stripped, exposing blow up mattresses, one queen and one single. It looks like the whole family was sleeping in the master room. In what would be considered the kids’ rooms, there was a lot of new items, mirrors, etc. that had been purchased but not hung up. Although the house was in renovation, it was still oddly disorderly, cloths piled up in the master closet, not on hangers, actually there was no hangers at all. Except for 2 pairs of extremely high heel shoes, and a pair of never worn “Uggs,” there were no other shoes. Two new men’s shirts hung on what would be his side of the closet, and 4 fur coats were the only items hanging on her side of the large walk in closet. As Tim Miller from TES poked around the house, he was also struck by the lack of shoes. “Where are all the damn shoes? And where are their clothes and underwear, there’s no underwear here. Somethings not right here.”

The kid’s room looked barley used. His office was neat and full of papers. The garage was packed with clutter. We could barley walk around it most of the stuff looked new. “She was a bit of a hermit, so she bought alot of stuff online, she was a big online shopper” Mike said. “She was a bit of a recluse. Things were always arriving via UPS or Fedex, it drove my brother nuts.”
In defense of the condition of the McStay’s house, Police had also been through the house several times, and they have a tendency to be a little disruptive, to say the least.

The house was not homey, it was cold and unfinished…”You can still be renovating and have some sense of order.” Miller says. “There’s no order here, clothes piled everywhere.” Perhaps this disorder is a window into what was happening inside the lives of the McStay family.

Our next stop was to meet with law enforcement. Kenneth said goodbye — he had to return to Hawaii to tend to his wife and children, and continue on with his business.

Law enforcement had some evidence they needed Miller and Mike to see. I cannot, at this time, reveal what was discussed as it is part on the ongoing investigation. I can tell you this — it is crucial evidence, and as soon as I can release the information, I will. You will get it here first.

We then continued on to the place where the car was found. It was a nice, touristy strip mall, walking distance from the border…they allegedly parked there sometime late in the afternoon on the 8th, the mall closed at 9:00pm, and by 11:00pm that same evening, their car had been towed. The car could not have been there since the fourth because cars are towed from that mall nightly, so a car could not sit there for four days. So the big mystery is; Where were they prior to leaving their house on the 4th and parking the car sometime on the 8th??? We walked the short distance to the border entrance.
No signs of a struggle in the home, no ransom, no phone calls, no activity on their bank accounts. Nothing. Did they simply vanish on their own? Walk across the border? Or were they abducted and/or murdered.

Puzzled, we stand on the freeway over the border crossing into Mexico, I ask Miller, “so how do you start searching?” Miller replies “One of our resources is currently analyzing satellite photos from the border crossing” Perhaps that will begin to confirm or deny that the family even went into Mexico, willingly or unwillingly. “But, law enforcement has alot more investigating to do before TES can conduct an effective search.”

And that’s where the story ends for now..or is this where it begins? A family of 4 has literally vanished. Did they leave willingly? Are they the victims of a horrific crime, or is there something else going on?

[trimmonthelake]

ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL
Aired March 3, 2010 - 19:00:00   ET
<snipped>
What happened to the McStays? How does a family just disappear? Relatives, they don`t know what to make of it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s been almost a month and still no signs of the missing family who mysteriously vanished from their California home.

Joey and Summer McStay and their two beautiful young children were last heard from on February 4th. Two days later their car found abandoned in a busy shopping center two blocks away from the Mexican border. By all accounts this was a happy, normal family. How and why did they just vanish into thin air?

At first, Joey, the dad`s brother, Michael feared they were kidnapped. Now he`s not so sure. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MCSTAY, JOEY MCSTAY`S BROTHER: I really thought that someone was holding them against their will. But there`s been no ransom so -- and you know, for him to just up and run and not tell anybody, it would have to be something pretty heavy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What is that pretty heavy thing? Investigators search the McStay home for clues. Found no sign of struggle. But fresh eggs and other perishables were left out on the counter. And the McStay`s two dogs -- dogs, friends say Summer called her children -- were left in the backyard with no food or water.
Now police are searching phone records and bank statements and watching hours of border surveillance video. They believe the family may have crossed the border at Tijuana. Police have brought in search group -- the search group, the premiere search group, Texas Equusearch.

And we`re delighted to have Tim Miller, director of Texas Equusearch with us tonight. Tim, what have you found out on the ground?

TIM MILLER, DIRECTOR, TEXAS EQUUSEARCH, (via telephone): Well, Jane, hey, thanks for all the kind words. We did a lot of work up around the family`s house the day before yesterday. Actually went in the McStay`s family home.

Mike had to go in there and get some things and law enforcement said it was fine to go in.

We drove down to the border. We were standing in the exact spot where the vehicle was. We feel as though we got a pretty good idea; not exact by no means, when the vehicle was there.

We`re actually working with one of our members that has access to some satellite imaging and we know that more satellite activity happens down there by the border because of, you know, Homeland Security and drug activity and stuff. So we`re hoping that we can get lucky and the satellite can say the vehicle wasn`t here at this time, it was here at this other time.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. So basically no breakthroughs at this point? You`re still just doing the groundwork?

MILLER: Absolutely. No breaks.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jim Moret, I just want to jump to you. You`ve been studying this case. It doesn`t add up. It does not make sense. What are your theories?

MORET: I agree with you. And you know what? When things don`t make sense, clearly something`s wrong. You`re not talking about one guy. You`re talking about a man, his wife and their two kids.

And what the brother said is interesting. First he thought it was a kidnapping. Now he said it would have to be something pretty heavy for his brother to take off with his family. So it makes sense to check the business records. It makes sense to see if there were some financial issues.
We know that there was initially some attention being focused on the business partner who had a criminal record. Police say he wasn`t a person of interest or even a suspect. And he was one of the first people to notice they were missing.

I don`t know. When we talked to investigators they said to their knowledge this family was not part of the witness protection program. I hadn`t even thought about that. But obviously people do get up and move if there`s something like that.

But investigators are stymied by this because it just seems so out of character for this family. And I suspect it`s going to take a bit more research before we can have any meaningful theories about what`s going on.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s a total mystery, and the idea that the mom had several aliases is also very fascinating.

We are out of time. We`re going to stay on top of all these cases, especially the terrible murder of Chelsea King.

You are watching ISSUES on HLN.

END

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.twominutenews.com/2010/world/mcstay-family-mysteriously-missing-4260.html
McStay Family Mysteriously Missing?

Posted on 04 March 2010
McStay Family - – The news in San Diego is spreading of the family that mysteriously went missing in close proximity to the Mexican border.

The white trooper of the Mcstay family was found abandoned a few blocks from the Mexican border and the company Texas Equusearch has undertaken the task of locating the missing persons.

The circumstances of the disappearance have left the local police departments in a fix as they cannot exactly identify circumstances. Joseph Mcstay who is forty years of age was reported to be missing from work since the fourth of February and neighbors are expressing the inert nature of the Mcstay family which usually stayed to themselves. The Mcstay family had just recently moved to their new home in San Diego a couple of moths ago and the neighbors were somewhat surprised when they heard of them being missing.

The Mcstay family was out in its trooper some eighty miles away from their home. Joseph Mcstay was with his wife summer who is forty-three years of age and their two children Gianna and Joseph who were just toddlers of four and three years of age respectively. The 1996 trooper of ISUZU make was found near the border by the Sheriff’s department but there were no indications of violence which made the investigators even more suspicious. Now a team of men will be combing the areas surround the vehicle and automated drones will also be used to look for any evidence of their existence.

The word from Equusearch is that it cannot be declared as a crime scene but it definitely comes across as odd because it seems that the Mcstay family wasn’t scheduled for any vacation

[Lovinlife]

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/New-Lead-Surfaces-in-Missing-Family-Case-86669587.html

New Lead Surfaces in Missing Family Case
By R. STICKNEY
Updated 2:24 PM PST, Fri, Mar 5, 2010


San Diego County Sheriff's investigators have a new lead in the case of the Fallbrook family last seen by relatives more than a month ago.

Joseph McStay, 40; his wife Summer, 43; and their two young children, Gianni and Joey Jr. left their dogs unattended and rotting food in their home. There were no signs of a struggle at their house.

Now, deputies say they've spotted images of a group of people similar to the McStay family going hand in hand into Mexico through the pedestrian gate. The video is dated around 7 p.m. Feb. 8, the same day the family's  white Isuzu Trooper was and towed from San Ysidro.

Investigators aren't sure if the people in the video are the McStay family but consider it a positive lead. They are working to enhance the image so it can be released to the public.

Acquaintances told investigators the McStays never would have left on vacation or for any other reason without telling someone.

Authorities say they are baffled about the disappearance.

"Quite frankly, I've never seen a case like this before," said San Diego County Sheriff's Lt. Dennis Brugos.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department said it had contacted a liaison in Baja California and asked for a search of airports, bus stations and other major travel hubs.
   
Brugos also said that when a family is missing, the people are usually found either safe or victimized within a day or so. He added that since the case is so unusual, he is not sure how long the investigation will remain open.

Relatives of the McStay family has set up a Web site with information and pictures. Anyone with information about the case is being urged to call deputies at 858-974-2321 or 858-565-5200 after-hours. Tips can also be called in anonymously to CrimeStoppers at 888-580-TIPS(8477). A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered by CrimeStoppers for information leading to an arrest.

[Nut44x4]

Authorities Obtain Video Possibly Showing Missing Family

UPDATED: 3:34 pm PST March 5, 2010

SAN DIEGO -- A surveillance camera captured footage of a man, woman and two children resembling a missing Fallbrook family as they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border into Tijuana on foot last month, around the time they dropped out of contact with family, friends and business associates, a sheriff's investigator said Friday.

The video images were shot at the San Ysidro Port of Entry about 7 p.m. on Feb. 8 -- four days after the disappearance of Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their sons, Gianni, 4, and 3-year-old Joseph Jr., homicide Sgt. Roy Frank said.

The people on the surveillance tape seemed to be casually strolling into Mexico, with each adult holding hands with one of the toddlers, according to Frank. There was no signs that the four, who match the general descriptions of the McStays, were distressed in any way or leaving the United States against their will, he said.

Roughly four hours after the footage was recorded, security personnel towed an apparently abandoned vehicle from a commercial parking lot on Camino de la Plaza, about a five-minute walk from the border. The white 1996 Isuzu Trooper turned out to belong to the McStays.

On Feb. 15, deputies conducting a welfare check at the McStays' Avocado Vista Lane home at the request of a concerned relative found their two dogs in the back yard and no signs of a struggle.

Detectives have uncovered no evidence that the family fled financial problems, threats of violence or the consequences of some sort of criminal behavior, Frank said.

There have been no known sightings of the family or contacts with them since they went missing, the sergeant said.

Authorities have described the family's disappearance as baffling and "out of character."

"It's a mystery right now," Frank said Friday afternoon.

The family is white, and all four have brown hair and brown eyes, according to sheriff's officials.

Joseph McStay, the owner of a company that installs indoor fountains, is 5 feet 9 inches tall and about 175 pounds, with tattoos on his shoulders. His wife is 5-foot-5 and 115 pounds; Gianni is about 3 feet tall and 40 pounds; and Joseph Jr. is 2 feet 6 inches tall and weighs roughly 35 pounds.

Relatives have created a Web site -- www.McStayFamily.com -- to keep the case before the public, and San Diego County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Anyone with information on the McStays' whereabouts was asked to call the Sheriff's Department at 858-974-2321.
http://www.10news.com/news/22757580/detail.html

[Edward]

Roughly four hours after the footage was recorded, security personnel towed an apparently abandoned vehicle from a commercial parking lot on Camino de la Plaza, about a five-minute walk from the border. The white 1996 Isuzu Trooper turned out to belong to the McStays.


Not very many locations can you be towed away after only 4 hours..

If the car was parked on any street that legaly allows parking then it probably would not be towed away for a long time.. days /weeks depending on who notices or calls in on the car..

bottom line is the car was put there so that it would be imponded..
On Purpose.. apparently by the husband and wife.

IF That video is accurate info, and WHY did not the border cams see them come back through after possibly shopping for something...something what ? why leave the car ? because of no mexican insurance possibly... well anyways..
Mr. and Mrs alias names walked off into a new life inside of a nation that is in near civil war ?
 That does appear to change everything for me.. 

Thank you for the update..

[pamomma]

This is a message on the website that the family of the McStay's has set up.  This is their response to the information regarding the family being seen walking into Mexico.


"Blogger Releases Sensitive & Inconclusive Information
By admin on March 7, 2010

Rumors are swirling about sightings of the McStay family crossing the border into Mexico and video tapes catching it on tape. A blogger known as Steph Watts, in the interest of himself, released the info on his blog, with total lack of regard for the missing family and did the same on another case less than a week earlier.

I (Mike McStay) have seen the videos firsthand along with my mom, the Aranda family, and a family friend. The video quality is very poor. I personally could NOT make a positive identification.

Careful review of the video shows that there are of two or three different families passing by, one with a little girl actually, and the other with a man who walks nothing like my brother.

This blogger Watts has released confidential information that detracts from the pursuit of finding my family, splits energies, and is simply for his own gain. This blogger has landed Texas EquuSearch in hot water with the San Diego Sheriff Department once again, just as he did on Monday March 1, 2010. I was in the vehicle when Watts told Tim Miller that he would not blog anything about TES’ cases unless Miller approved it, because of what happened on another missing persons case in San Diego county.

The vehicle was found near the border, but there are no eye witnesses as to who actually got out of the vehicle, contrary to Watts’ blog. The vehicle could have been parked by others, we simply do not know at this time.

We do know that a sweet, loving family is missing and the leads are far a few between. We know that the community has showered us with emails, concerns, and offers to help. We know that the Detectives are hard at work on this case. We know that cases like these bring out the best in many people and the worst in a few others."


http://www.mcstayfamily.com/steph-watts-rumors

[Edward]

Damn..
Well there goes Steph..

Inconclusive..
  But the wife has 6 alias names for no apparent reason..?
 Has anyone ever considered that she may have had a previous life ?
Owed people in another world ?
There is something more then they just walked across the border and disappeared into the sunset..

jmho

[Edward]

Even if he did where is this family ?

[Nut44x4]

This isn't new..I do not know why it is dated today. ?

Possible Lead in Family’s Disappearance
March 11, 2010       

A San Clemente businessman and his family remain missing after more than a month, and a videotape of a family of four thought to be the family crossing the border is inconclusive, said the missing man’s brother. Joseph McStay, his wife Summer and their two young children Gianni and Joseph have been missing since early February. Authorities found the family’s SUV near the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico, but other than the video have turned up few clues.

McStay’s brother, Michael, is not convinced the footage—which was shot Feb. 8 at the San Ysidro Border Crossing—is of the missing family. “My brother is the only one in the family with a valid passport,” he said. “Summer’s passport is expired and the two boys don’t even have passports.” Michael also added that the footage was of poor quality and that his brother “doesn’t walk like that.”

According to ABC’s affiliate KGTV in San Diego, a San Diego Sheriff’s Department spokesperson has confirmed that Interpol is assisting the investigation along with U.S. Border Patrol.

A charity has been set up for the family to hire a private investigator and to fund other operations to ensure the missing family comes home. “We’ve raised about $1,500 so far,” Michael said. “It’s not enough to hire a private investigator, but it’s a start.”
http://www.sanclementetimes.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=2196&cntnt01dateformat=%25B%20%25d%2C%20%25Y&cntnt01returnid=99