What Happened To The McStay Family?

This week, Amy and Chris delve into 2 horrific family murders. In the first half, Chris recounts the slaying of the McStay Family in the affluent Fallbrook, California. The McStay Family consisted of father Joseph, mother Summer, and children 4-year-old Gianni and 3-year-old Joseph Jr. Over a few days in early February 2010, friends and family of the family attempted to locate them, but they seemingly abandoned their car and belongings. On November 11, 2013, the remains of the family were found in the desert surrounding Victorville, California. Further investigation determined that Joseph's business partner Charles "Chase" Merritt was the likely culprit due to his connection with the family, his shady past and gambling debts. On January 21, 2020, Chase was sentenced to death by a jury, but is there more to this story?The second story has baffled investigators for almost a century! Amy recaps the case of the Gruber family murders, also known as The Hinterkaifeck murders. After the family was absent from the town for an entire week, the townspeople became concerned. Finally, investigators searched the house and found all 6 members of the family, as well as the maid who had just started her first day, brutally murdered by a farming mattock. They also found that someone, most likely the killer, had hung around the house after March 31, 1922, the night the family was slain. Though many have been arrested and investigated, there are still no lead suspects and the mystery of this horrible crime may never be solved.As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month by visiting our sponsor at BetterHelp.com/recaps!Send your true crime suggestions to hello@truecrimerecaps!Follow TCR on YouTube here!Follow TCR on Instagram here!Follow TCR on Facebook here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get all the crime in half the time! Watch True Crime Recaps on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube or Snapchat! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. New episodes weekly!