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

[Edward]

I agree, They have.
Some form of start over fantasy.

[cartfly]

Video Steph took of Tim Miller inside of the McStays home.

I find it odd that they let the dog in to roam around the house/poss crime scene and you will hear "Mike say to the dog "Its okay Bear, this is your house too" (or something to that effect in the beginning of them entering the house)

 Also, "Mike" the guy in the baseball hat (I think he is Mr McStays brother??) Well, his demeanor to me is unusual to say the least. I will leave it at that, but I didnt get a good vibe from him. No real emotion from him. Summer's brother Kenneth is also in the video but doesn't take center stage like Mike. JMO....

Any thoughts??

http://stephww.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/exclusive-video-inside-the-mcstay-family-home/

[Wyks]

Video Steph took of Tim Miller inside of the McStays home.

I find it odd that they let the dog in to roam around the house/poss crime scene and you will hear "Mike say to the dog "Its okay Bear, this is your house too" (or something to that effect in the beginning of them entering the house)

 Also, "Mike" the guy in the baseball hat (I think he is Mr McStays brother??) Well, his demeanor to me is unusual to say the least. I will leave it at that, but I didnt get a good vibe from him. No real emotion from him. Summer's brother Kenneth is also in the video but doesn't take center stage like Mike. JMO....

Any thoughts??

http://stephww.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/exclusive-video-inside-the-mcstay-family-home/

From what I understand, LE had already tossed the house and done their thing.  I don't think they ever looked at the home as a crime scene.  IMO.  Could be then why they let Bear inside.  And I think it was Kenneth who didn't want to be on camera at all.  And Mike is a strange one, IMO.  Have read a lot of his posts over at InSession.  His nic is 'Mike Dirt', lol.

[cartfly]

Video Steph took of Tim Miller inside of the McStays home.

I find it odd that they let the dog in to roam around the house/poss crime scene and you will hear "Mike say to the dog "Its okay Bear, this is your house too" (or something to that effect in the beginning of them entering the house)

 Also, "Mike" the guy in the baseball hat (I think he is Mr McStays brother??) Well, his demeanor to me is unusual to say the least. I will leave it at that, but I didnt get a good vibe from him. No real emotion from him. Summer's brother Kenneth is also in the video but doesn't take center stage like Mike. JMO....


Any thoughts??

http://stephww.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/exclusive-video-inside-the-mcstay-family-home/

From what I understand, LE had already tossed the house and done their thing.  I don't think they ever looked at the home as a crime scene.  IMO.  Could be then why they let Bear inside.  And I think it was Kenneth who didn't want to be on camera at all.  And Mike is a strange one, IMO.  Have read a lot of his posts over at InSession.  His nic is 'Mike Dirt', lol.

Thanks Wyk.

I followed a link to  a story last night that brought me to Insessions and I was amazed at the info they had dug up on this family. I didn't read through the whole forum, but members have found/claim the following:

Summer: has no biological father listed on her birth certificate. Her Mother, Blanche, claims Summer changed her name when she was a teenager.Summer grew up in Big Bear. Ex-husband only knows her as Lisa.

This one caught my eye the most:
Mike Mcstay:(the brother) is not a "biological" brother, they are step-brothers. His father "adopted" Joseph when he married Joseph's mother. Mike, has taken over Joseph's fountain business..... (what? no existing job for Mike Dirt?)

Joseph's business partner is an ex-con, possibly initials CM, maybe "Cora". I didnt read further into it to figure out who CM was.

My head was spinning after reading over there at Insessions. I have to conclude though after reading what I did, if true, that the family took off on their own.

[Rob]

Still following along too. I agree with Klaas that they did indeed disappear themselves, but I have a slightly different take on this case.

First off, McStay's occupation as a "indoor fountain installer" - or whatever you call this job - wouldn't seem to bring in an income that could sustain a family, but hey, what do I know. Where I live there is not a huge demand for this type of thing, but maybe in California people have that money to burn. I have never seen one of these things - ever. I can only think of one person who would even consider one - and that's my father and he's nuts - like the McStays.

I don't honestly think that this fountain business is long term career thing, but again, what do I know.

Second, I realize that Summer / Lisa had a job too. Not sure what she makes or if she is the main bread winner. I haven't seen that anywhere.

I think most will agree that they did go to Mexico "voluntarily". Or so it would appear.

If you believe the drugs / money in the fountain scheme - you need to ask - why would they go to an area where the drugs / money most likely originated. If you believe that angle - you should probably consider; who would be crazy enough to cross the border and go to Mexico. I would think they would be heading toward Canada. And as far away from drug lords as possible.

This is where my theory may get complicated and I have been thinking about this since the drug / money fountain angle arose.

There was that call and all of a sudden the McStays were gone - they left in a hurry and then seemed to hang out for about 4 days along the border before actually crossing. I found that odd. Almost like they were hiding out and waiting for the coast to clear so they could make a run for it. In the video released they are not carrying any bags or suitcases from what I can discern.

Tim Miller says that items were missing from the home and it seems as if they were taking enough stuff to start over, yet on the video, I don't see anyone carrying anything. I found that unusual.

After the call - the McStays left - almost as if they were tipped off and whoops - the jig is up - better move it NOW.

I have some sort of sneaky suspicion that parts of the story we have heard are correct - and that seems to be confirmed by the cop that said he has never seen any case like this. And this case has me intrigued.

If the drugs / money in a fountain thing is true - I feel it's possible that the call was a set up and the McStays were "reverse lured" to Mexico. Does that make sense? They were set up to run to Mexico and right into the jaws of the lion.

In any event - they have been gone and missing for 2 + months and no one seems to have really seen them again. I know there have been some sightings, but how reliable are they? I don't know. ((shrugs))

I still think that they are dead, and I hope I am wrong, but no one in their right mind would run to Mexico with this drug war raging on the border. I also understand that these people are not normal. How far could you really walk with two little kids once you got into Mexico? So - someone was probably waiting on the other side for them - and that's logical. Most logical.

Summer's multiple identities tell me she has been involved in all kinds of things over the years and who needs six aliases?

They key to the case is logically the call they received right before they hightailed it out of there.

[Edward]

"reverse lured" to Mexico..



I can see that happening.. and once there they were brought to whom ever they owed and were murdered.

[ArmChairAnalysist]

Would the drug lords kill the children?

 I definitely think they were into something illegal. Perhaps laundering money through the business. Someone should do an audit of the business. If it was so profitable who purchased these fountains? Was it local and they had installers? Did they ship to locations? Where they just plug it in fountains? If they did figure out a new way to launder drug money they would have been paid commission in cash. Perhaps they got greedy.

There is an airport in Mexico. Couldn't they have taken a flight out of Mexico to another country. If they had belongings they could have shipped the belongings ahead of them and then they crossed the boarder to follow the shipment.

For the brother to just jump in and take over the business with no knowledge of the business, the fountains would have to be nothing more than a cheap quick turn around product.

[Edward]

They kill all witness..
They have killed men women and children many times over the last 3 years..

[Edward]

The children could be sold off if there was money owed.

[cartfly]

   
         
         
       
         
             
               
         
         
   
  I think a part of this story was posted early on, I hadn't seen the partners name mentioned till I read this in it's entirety.

Search for missing Fallbrook family continues
Posted: Feb 22, 2010 2:53 PM CST Updated: Mar 09, 2010 5:39 PM CST

http://www.cbs8.com/global/story.asp?s=12025015
   
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (CBS - There's still no sign of a family from Fallbrook that has been missing for almost two weeks.

Joseph and Summer McStay were last seen with their two kids earlier this month. Investigators found their car at the border. So far, there haven't been any solid leads.

In the meantime, Summer's family searched the McStays' home over the weekend trying to turn up clues.

A video of the McStays, along with dozens of photos have been posted on a new web site, with the hope that someone will see it and come forward with information to help locate the missing Fallbrook family.

"I can't imagine where they are... I have no ideas. Where they would go?" Summer's mother Blanche Aranda said.

Aranda says it doesn't make sense that her daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons vanished without a trace.

"They were just a loving family. She was a wonderful mother to her children," Aranda said.

Joseph and Summer McStay, along with their two boys -- four-year-old Gianni and three-year-old Joey -- were last seen February 4. Four days later their car was found abandoned in San Ysidro.

"I don't understand why it was there. I know she didn't like Mexico," Aranda said.

Summer's family had a chance to go through the family's Fallbrook home over the weekend and says there were no obvious signs of a struggle, but there were signs that Summer had no plans to be gone long. The kitchen had obviously just been filled with groceries, the dogs were left outside with no food and Summer's prescription sunglasses were sitting on a counter.

"She would have taken them because she can't see without her glasses," Aranda said.

Family and friends say they can't think of any reason someone would want to hurt the McStays.

Sheriff's investigators say they still have no solid leads to go on, forcing detectives to take a closer look at the couple and everyone they know.

Summer McStay's actual birth name is Virginia Lisa Aranda.  A review of public records shows the 43-year-old mother also uses the names Summer Martelli, Summer Aranda-Martelli, Lisa Aranda, Lisa Martelli and Lisa Aranda-Martelli.

Her first husband told News 8 he always knew her as Lisa until their divorce in 1994.

News 8 has also learned that detectives are taking a close look at Joseph McStay's business relationships.

Family members say McStay's business partner is a metal worker and welder named Chase Merritt, whose birth name is Charles Ray Merritt, age 52.

Merritt is an ex-con according to court records, who also was one of the first persons to notice the McStay's were missing.

Department of Corrections records show Merritt served time in prison for a burglary conviction in 1978.  He was then sent back to prison in 1987 for receiving stolen property, according to State records.

An acquaintance who knew Merritt in the 1980s told News 8 he has a checkered past.

"I think police should look at him and anyone associated with him," the female acquaintance said.  She asked not to be identified.

Reached by cell phone Monday, Merritt declined to discuss his criminal past and told News 8, "I would just prefer to have no comment to any press right now.  We want to find Joseph."

Sheriff's officials say Merritt is one of several people they are speaking with and at this time he has not been named as a suspect in the case.
(Edit - to remove extra junk posted in error-MB)

[cartfly]

Sorry, I really messed up my "cut and paste" on the above article. Please ignore all the junk before the actual article.

Edit:  I fixed it cartfly.  It's happened to me before. MB    

[piwannaberookie]

I think Rob  you could be right about them being lured to go to Mexico and then being pulled into the "jaws of a lion". There was an older lady in san diego county who went missing, her name is Maria Laura Chavez Sandoval, here's the link to the article if you are wondering what I am talking about http://www.examiner.com/x-15910-San-Diego-Crime-Examiner~y2010m3d17-Missing-woman-reportedly-suicidal-sought-by-deputies. SD sheriff deputies found Mrs. Sandoval's body in river in Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico in March 201, they said she had a long history of depression and was suicidal. I am just thinking about all the families in california or other well populated areas who have lost their jobs and committed familicide (killing kids and themselves) in 2009, maybe the McStays were not doing so good as you were saying Rob, maybe their jobs were not helping to support their two children, but that it probably the least reason why they could have gone to Mexico but I wouldn't rule out familicide...

[piwannaberookie]

Sorry, I really messed up my "cut and paste" on the above article. Please ignore all the junk before the actual article.

good article, lets hope that Merritt does cooperate if he knows something....he could be the key that unlocks the McStays whereabouts or maybe an open door that needs to be shut, according to the article he hasn't been named a suspect, I guess that means he hasn't beeen cleared or what does it mean?

[piwannaberookie]

the article says Merritt declined to discuss his criminal past and told News 8, "I would just prefer to have no comment to any press right now.  We want to find Joseph." he made interesting comment though. "We want to find Joseph", what about his wife and two kids... does he have another family in mexico, is there another family that we don't know about that has ties to the McStays..? if so did the mcstays leave their  two kids with that family..? I don't think familicide is what happened, maybe they had a family in mexico that wanted to take care of their kids while they were doing some kind of money making business in another country, this is just getting more and more strange. i hope the mcstay's families' get  the answers soon

[Wyks]

Map possibly left behind by missing family studied

May 11, 2010

http://bit.ly/c85hut

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.

[Wyks]

<snipped from the above article>

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 above said by Mike McStay.. yeah, well right there I am suspicious.  Much of what Mike has had to say has ermmm, not been 'exactly' reported correctly, shall I say. 

But even without knowing that Mike said it, I'd be suspicious of the part about the child.  Trying to put myself into the shoes of the McStay parents, on the run or trying to start a new life........ THE last thing I'd do out in public is to call attention to an identifying mark on the child's forehead.     Nope, not buying it.  Am thinking this is likely more 'wishful thinking' on the part of Mike, than a convincing lead. 

All IMO, of course. 

[klaasend]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/12/investigators-sent-to-baja-town-in-mcstay-search/

Investigators sent to Baja town in McStay search

By Leslie Berestein, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 1:53 p.m.

Investigators from Baja California’s state police have been dispatched to a small town in the central part of the state to follow up on a possible sighting of missing Fallbrook businessman Joseph McStay, his wife and their two children.

Alfredo Arenas, an international liaison with the state police, who are collaborating with U.S. authorities, said that seven investigators arrived Tuesday night in the town of El Rosario, long a popular pit stop for tourists and surfers headed south along the peninsula’s main highway. It is there, Arenas said, that a family resembling the McStays, missing since early February, was allegedly seen later that month by staff at a local restaurant.

“Seven of my best agents are in that location right now, looking for the family,” Arenas said. “This morning I got an early message from them saying they were up and doing the investigation. They had a six-pack of pictures they were going to show around.”

The information came to authorities by way of McStay’s relatives and friends. Brother Michael McStay, who lives in Orange County, said a family friend who has traveled to Baja California to distribute fliers happened upon the restaurant last month and spoke to waiters there, who said they recognized the family as diners who had eaten a couple of meals there around late February.

One waiter mentioned a mark on the youngest child’s forehead, McStay said – the couple’s youngest son has a prominent birthmark on his forehead. According to Michael McStay, the staff had held onto a map that these diners had supposedly left behind, and which has since been handed to U.S. authorities.

A staff member contacted at the restaurant, Mama Espinosa’s, said she had not personally seen the family but that there was a flier with their photographs affixed to the door. She also said police had been there making inquiries today.

The restaurant, which has a small motel next door, is an institution among U.S. travelers who for years have stopped in for lobster burritos and fresh seafood. El Rosario, which lies a short distance north of the boundary with Baja California Sur, is also near some hard-to-access but well known surf spots.

Joseph and Summer McStay, along with their sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, have been missing since Feb. 4, the last day friends and relatives say they heard from them. Their white Isuzu Trooper was found in a San Ysidro parking lot near the border four days later, the same day that a grainy Border Patrol video shows two adults and two small children walking hand in hand toward the turnstile leading into Tijuana.

Some family members have said the woman’s light-colored jacket and the children’s hats look familiar, though efforts made by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department to enhance the video have failed to yield positive identification. The subjects are shown from behind, and the video was taken at night.

Family members have said they are baffled as to why and how the family disappeared, and that the couple gave them no warning they might leave. McStay, 40, who ran an indoor water fountain business, and his wife had recently purchased their Fallbrook home after relocating from Orange County. Summer McStay, 43, who worked in real estate before becoming a stay-at-home mom, had told former colleagues that she was planning to resume her career in San Diego County.

A forensic search of the couple’s computer records indicates that shortly before they went missing, they made inquiries about traveling with children in Mexico. However, only Joseph McStay held a valid passport. His wife’s passport was expired.

Since early in the investigation and especially following the computer search, it has been presumed that the family is in Mexico. While there have been previous reports of sightings elsewhere, Michael McStay said this latest sighting in Baja California has given him more hope.

“It sounds like this is more substantial,” he said. “It is way more substantial than the first two. It seems more credible. He wasn’t prompted to make a comment about the birthmark.”

Arenas said that state agents would spend the next two days combing the region surrounding El Rosario, which sits inland from the Pacific. The area, which is dotted with small ranches, tends to attract a few U.S. retirees, he said, though most northerners just pass through. While it’s unlikely the family is still there, he said the hope is that there will at least be more concrete evidence that they indeed passed through, and if so, pointers as to their whereabouts.

“We are being hopeful that they bring back some positive identification, that they were there,” Arenas said. “Or even better, that they find them.”

Arenas said the agency will share any evidence gathered with the FBI, which joined the Sheriff’s Department in the investigation last month.

Lt. Dennis Brugos of the Sheriff’s Department would not comment on details of the search for the McStays, only saying that the investigation is ongoing.

Michael McStay said that according to the friend who stopped at the restaurant, one staff member had mentioned that the father in the family looked unwell, and this worries him.

“If they went down there and everything is peachy, that’s fine, but I need to know,” he said.

Leslie Berestein: (619) 542-4579; leslie.berestein@uniontrib.com

[Rob]

“Seven of my best agents are in that location right now, looking for the family,” Arenas said. “This morning I got an early message from them saying they were up and doing the investigation. They had a six-pack of pictures they were going to show around.”

sounds like overkill for people that left on their own, but hey, who knows. I hope they are alive, but one part of me wonders why they would leave and why this many investigators (maybe safety in numbers - SIN). It will probably never be revealed exactly why - these things aren't usually disclosed. Hard to imagine this much effort for people that have left of their own volition. And I'm not being cold-hearted - just wondering why this colossal effort that could be used elsewhere - and not to mention the risk of travel to Mexico. Yesterday, a groom, his brother and uncle were found shot to death in the back of a pick-up, they were missing since Saturday. Nobody makes the trip to the outskirts of Mexico without total disregard for their life and those traveling with them.

sounds like that cop was right - they got involved in something. I hope they are alive. I would love to be wrong, but Mexico is no man's land and people tells all kinds of tales.

[Rob]

“Seven of my best agents are in that location right now, looking for the family,” Arenas said. “This morning I got an early message from them saying they were up and doing the investigation. They had a six-pack of pictures they were going to show around.”

sounds like overkill for people that left on their own, but hey, who knows. I hope they are alive, but one part of me wonders why they would leave and why this many investigators (maybe safety in numbers - SIN). It will probably never be revealed exactly why - these things aren't usually disclosed. Hard to imagine this much effort for people that have left of their own volition. And I'm not being cold-hearted - just wondering why this colossal effort that could be used elsewhere - and not to mention the risk of travel to Mexico. Yesterday, a groom, his brother and uncle were found shot to death in the back of a pick-up, they were missing since Saturday. Nobody makes the trip to the outskirts of Mexico without total disregard for their life and those traveling with them.

Thanks for the update Klaas - 

love you!

sounds like that cop was right - they got involved in something. I hope they are alive. I would love to be wrong, but Mexico is no man's land and people tells all kinds of tales.

[trimmonthelake]

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/ijvm.html
ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL
May 12, 2010
<snipped>
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The bizarre new twist in the McStay mystery. This beautiful family of four vanished without a trace three months ago. Now, new reports say a family resembling the McStays was spotted inside a restaurant. And they left a map. Could this lead to the missing family?

Plus, shocking new developments in desperate search for Kristi Cornwell: she was abducted while walking on a country road. She`s been missing for nine long months. Tonight, a break in the case: cops say a man killed during a police standoff could be connected to Kristi`s kidnapping. I`ll talk to Kristi`s desperate mother.

A family of four goes missing without a trace. Nobody has seen Summer and Joseph McStay and their two adorable young children since they vanished from their California home three long months ago.

Tonight, does a mystery map hold the clue to their disappearance? Joseph`s brother says a waiter in Guerrero Negro, Mexico in Baja has come forward and says, "I waited on the family after they disappeared."

He recognized the distinctive birthmark on the forehead -- right there, you see it -- on the youngest McStay. He said the family left a map behind on the table. And he took the map and kept it. The waiter also says the dad, Joey McStay, you`re looking at him right there, he looked, quote, "ill and sick".

The McStays left their home in a big rush three months ago, fresh food left on the table to rot. Their beloved dogs left outside in the yard with no food or water.

Their family feared the worst. They all feared they`d been kidnapped. But then the McStays were allegedly spotted on surveillance video calmly walking across the border into Mexico.

Was this seemingly normal family of four planning on vanishing? If so, why on earth would they do that? And will this mysterious map yield any clues? Wow, this is such a mystery.

Straight out to my fantastic, expert panel: HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks; psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser back with us; reporter with the "San Diego Union Tribune" Leslie Berestein who has broken a lot of stories on this case.

But first out to investigative reporter Michelle Sigona. Michelle, you`re on top of this. What is the very latest?

MICHELLE SIGONA, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: About 45 minutes ago I spoke with San Diego County sheriff lieutenant Burgos and he does confirm that he does have the map. It was sent to the lap. And either tomorrow or the next day it will be run for fingerprints.
Now what`s interesting is that Michael McStay, who is Joseph`s brother, told me earlier today that because Joseph and his wife Summer are both realtors, that their fingerprints are actually in a California database. So it would be very easy if their fingerprints are on that map to be able to match them up.

The lieutenant also told me that in the last three weeks they`ve not had one new lead in this case. So thank you so much for being able to cover it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. This is a big lead.

SIGONA: It is a big lead. It`s the biggest so far.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Come on, if their fingerprints are on that map, that`s game, set, match at lest in determining that they`re there.

SIGONA: And here`s the thing. The problem is that they were seen probably at the end of February, early March. It does help to close in the timeline, but it`s not as recent as yesterday or last week. But it does help to fill in some of the pieces, for sure.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What is this waiter talking about when he said that Joseph McStay, that`s the dad, was acting ill and sick? Joey`s brother who has been here on our show ISSUES said he could be referring to the vertigo symptoms Joey was having.

What? Well, we had the brother on ISSUES, but this is the first time today that we`re hearing about this. His brother never mentioned anything about vertigo before.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MCSTAY, JOSEPH MCSTAY`S BROTHER: I originally 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: Joey`s brother Michael now says, quote, "In the last year he`d been having these vertigo type symptoms. He was in the hospital for a couple of weeks on February 4th. He was talking to my mother and he had to pull over when he was driving home because he felt vertigo-type symptoms," end quote.
Guess what, people, February 4th was the very last day this family was seen. Wow, Stacy, what do you make of that?

STACY KAISER, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: I definitely think it`s fishy. You know I always say that people are either running to something or running from something. And the fact that their dog and their food was left behind isn`t strange to me. They could have left that there to make it look like there was foul play when they were trying to get away quickly.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But the vertigo, you`re the psychotherapist -- I think those are good points. But what do you make of this whole vertigo symptom that we`re just hearing about now?

KAISER: Well, first of all, that could be a sign of somebody using drugs or alcohol. That also could be a sign of some sort of mental disorder that he`s describing as dizziness.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Interesting.

And, of course, we don`t want to put this family down. For all we know, they were kidnapped. But it`s starting to look more and more like they left voluntarily.

My big issue tonight, running from what? By all accounts this was the perfect family. They even posted family videos on YouTube.

Got to check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOEY MCSTAY, MISSING FATHER: Go, Shelby (ph), go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. How happy they look. But the McStays` computer showed they researched passport rules for traveling with children. They were possibly spotted on surveillance video crossing the border.
Leslie Berestein, you`re with the "San Diego Tribune". You`ve broken a lot of the developments on this case. What do you make of this latest development of them showing up in Baja, California, according to this waiter?

LESLIE BERESTEIN, "SAN DIEGO TRIBUNE": Well, it`s being taken seriously enough to where -- we just ran a story today on sunonsandiego.com. Baja, California state police have dispatched seven investigators to a town called El Rosario. It`s not actually Guerrero Negro. It is to the north of Guerrero Negro.

It`s a small town on the main road; popular pit stop for travelers. There`s a restaurant there. There`s a gas station. That`s the town that investigators have gone to. They arrived last night. They`re going to be there for a couple of days combing the area, knocking on doors.

But the restaurant that they were supposed to have been seen at is a restaurant that I know well. It`s right off the main road; very popular, again, with travelers going up and down that highway. So it`s being taken seriously enough for that, to warrant that kind of investigation.

Now, also, the spokesman for the state police mentioned that they are collaborating with the FBI on an investigation. They`re sharing any information, any evidence --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Can I ask you a question? I want to jump in, Leslie. How far from the U.S. border is this restaurant?

BERESTEIN: It`s quite a haul. I would say it`s a good 12-hour drive.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, really?

BERESTEIN: It`s 200 miles roughly -- yes -- the line between north and south, Baja, California Norte and Sur is in Guerrero Negro. So there`s about 200 miles to the north of that. It`s quite a haul; it`s a very small town.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fascinating. Now, the family the McStays left behind are completely sick with worry. Listen to this.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to find them. I worry about those babies and are they fed? Are they warm? Are they, you know, happy? Are they fed? My nights are hell. You pray and then you, I`m sorry, cry yourself to sleep.
(END AUDIO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: There are so many unanswered questions, Mike Brooks. And the possibilities are really endless. I mean, we were today at the office thinking about, well, it could be this. It could be this.

I mean could Joseph McStay have been involved in some sort of shady business dealing? We know that he sometimes imported parts from Mexico for his fountain business. I was thinking well, what if some drugs were put in one of those fountains? But then it occurred to me, if you were fleeing from some Mexican drug dealer, you wouldn`t go to Mexico. You`d go north to Canada to get away from them.

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: No, you wouldn`t flee to Mexico to get away from anybody, that`s for sure, Jane.

The way is economy is, his business he had, he made waterfalls for houses and this kind of thing, you know, maybe it wasn`t doing well. And they didn`t leave many clothes at all in the house. And that was another thing that I found -- you know, if they were just going to go out for a while and come back, they wouldn`t have taken their clothes and most of their shoes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It just doesn`t add up, Michelle Sigona. They had no reports of financial problems and no reports of legal problems except for the fact that the wife had a couple of names, which the family says is an innocent thing.

SIGONA: That`s correct. She did have a couple of names. But they`re not saying that -- no one really thinks that that is suspicious at all. In addition -- you know, Joseph`s family, not just Michael, but all of his family and friends, I mean, they are scouring the area, they`re passing out flyers, they`re tracking down leads, they`re pulling up phone records. This family is sick to death and if the McStays are out there, if they are watching this, please just come back home.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Come back home, if you`re out there. We know this cable show goes to Mexico. So don`t keep hiding.

Fantastic guests thank you so much.
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