Chapter 115: Buried Secrets-The McStay Family Murders Pt. 1

Three years ago, I explored one of California’s most tragic true crime cases: the disappearance and murder of the McStay family, Summer and Joseph McStay, and their two young sons, Gianni and Joey Jr., on February 4, 2010. While there have been no major updates since my last coverage, I’ve gathered additional details about the case and trial that shed new light on the events.
In Part 1, I follow the timeline from the days leading up to the McStays’ disappearance to the shocking discovery of their bodies three years later, including the suspects and eventual arrest.
Part 2 will dive deeper into the case against the man currently on death row for the family’s murders, examining the evidence and legal proceedings that brought him to justice as well as whether or not I still believe police may have gotten the wrong man.

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Aradillas, E. (2014, November 9). Patrick McStay has a theory about why his family was murdered. People.com. https://people.com/crime/mcstay-family-murders-patrick-mcstays-theory-about-why-they-were-killed/Dziemianowicz, J. (2023, December 30). ‘Monster’ slaughters entire family — mom, dad, 2 young sons — and buries them in the desert. Oxygen. https://www.oxygen.com/killer-motive/crime-news/mcstay-family-murders-who-killed-themFalcon, G. (2013, January 26). Three years later, no sign of missing family. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2013/01/26/justice/mcstay-family-disappearance/index.htmlFigueroa, T. (2013, November 15). How the McStay case unfolded. U-T San Diego. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005025/http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/Nov/15/timeline-mcstay-disappearance-case/Flynn, S. (2022, May 21). McStay murders: A man is on death row for the brutal killings of a young family found in shallow graves in the desert – but did he really do it? The Independent. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/mcstay-murder-california-documentary-chase-merritt-b2084210.htmlFraga, K. (2025, July 10). The McStay family murders and the “Monster” behind them. All That’s Interesting. https://allthatsinteresting.com/mcstay-family-murdersGarske, M. (2020, January 17). Charles Merritt’s DNA found in McStay family car: search warrants. NBC 7 San Diego. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/charles-merritt-mcstay-family-murders-search-warrants-unsealed/52907/Gotfredson, D. (2025, July 12). New book details evidence that led to conviction in McStay family murders. cbs8.com. https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/crime/true-crime/new-book-evidence-conviction-mcstay-family-murders/509-8001a9cb-cfeb-42da-b257-c6993f1aa668Gutglueck, M. (2019, April 19). Kavanaugh hacked into McStay’s PayPal account a week after the murders. SBC Sentinel. https://sbcsentinel.com/2019/04/kavanaugh-hacked-mcstay-paypalaccount/Kaye, R. (2015, June 16). Desert Deaths Mystery: Five questions about the McStay case. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2014/07/01/justice/mcstay-case-five-questionsProsecutors begin...