S20 Ep72: Down To The Bone: Investigating The Murder of The McStay Family w/ Caitlin Rother

True Crime Tuesday presents: Down To The Bone: Investigating The Murder of The McStay Family w/ Caitlin Rother!On February 15, 2010, Joseph McStay, his wife Summer, and their two young sons were reported missing from their new home in San Diego County. They left eggs and fruit rotting on the counter. Their Dodge truck sat in the driveway. Their dogs were abandoned outside without food. But investigators found no blood, signs of a struggle, or clues to their whereabouts. Did the family take an unannounced vacation? Were they running away from personal problems? Or were they victims of foul play? Nearly four years later, a motorcyclist found the McStays’ remains in and around two shallow graves, one hundred miles away in the Mojave Desert. Their skulls showed signs of blunt-force trauma, likely due to the sledgehammer buried with them. Authorities focused on Charles "Chase" Merritt, a close friend and subcontractor for Joseph’s company. Despite a lack of physical evidence, scenarios that defied logic, and numerous unanswered questions, prosecutors convinced a jury of Merritt’s guilt. After an emotional sentencing hearing, the judge imposed the death penalty. But did another possible suspect, who was ignored by investigators and ducked a subpoena to testify, get away with murder?On today's TCT, Caitlin Rother joins the show to talk about the players surrounding the McStay family, why they had motive to do them harm, why they did and didn't harm them, and what faults the McStays themselves had that lead to their eventual downfall...  Get your copy of "Down To The Bone: A Missing Family's Murder and the Elusive Quest For Justice" here:  https://bit.ly/43d3SDACheck out Caitlin Rother here:  https://www.caitlinrother.com/PLUS AN ALL-NEW DUMB CRIMES/STUPID CRIMINALS WITH JESSICA FREEBURG!Check out Jessica Freeburg's website and order her new books:  https://jessicafreeburg.com/books/and check out Jess on Tik Tok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicafreeburgwritesThere are new and different (and really cool) items all the time in the Darkness Radio Online store at our website! . check out the Darkness Radio Store!   https://www.darknessradioshow.com/store/#crime #truecrime #truecrimepodcasts #truecrimetuesday #caitlinrother #downtothebone #asmissingfamilysmurderandtheelusivequestforjustice #joesphmcstay #patrickmcstay #chasemerritt #california #homeinvasion #kidnapping #embezzlement #geneticgenealogy #earthinspiredproducts #mojavedesert #sledgehammer #deathbybluntforcetrauma #murder  #dumbcrimesstupidcriminals #TimDennis #jessicafreeburg #paranormalauthor  #floridaman #drugcrimes #foodcrimes #stupidcrimes #funnycrimes #babyshowerbeatdown #sexcrimes #nosexinthechampagneroom