Shivangi Sinha
In February 2010, Michael McStay went to his brother Joseph McStay’s home after neither he nor their parents, Patrick McStay and Susan Blake, had heard from the family of four. Initially, he did not notice anything unusual, but later filed the missing person report. During Chase Merritt’s 2019 trial, Michael was called to the stand by the defense, where he faced tough questioning. These details, including the nature of the questions, were later highlighted in ID’s ‘Two Shallow Graves: The McStay Family Murders.’
Michael McStay Entered His Brother’s House Through a Window to Check Up on Them
Michael McStay shared a close relationship with his brother Joseph McStay. After their parents, Patrick McStay and Susan Blake, separated, the brothers supported each other and grew to be true friends. Their father recalled how inseparable they were and how they spent most of their time together. As they grew older, however, they pursued different paths; Michael eventually moved out of California, while Joseph settled in Fallbrook, California, where he owned and managed Earth Inspired Products, which mainly dealt with indoor decorative fountains. In February 2010, when Patrick was unable to reach Joseph for several days and noticed his voicemail and email were full, he grew worried. He asked Michael to check on Joseph, but Michael reportedly admitted that he felt it wasn’t necessary.
On February 13, 2010, Michael went to Joseph’s home but found no one there. He entered the house through a window that was open in the back, and though it was somewhat cluttered, nothing suggested a violent struggle. During this time, he was also in touch with Chase Merritt, Joseph’s business associate, and discussed possible reasons Joseph, his wife Summer, and their two sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr., might have been away. As weeks passed without answers, Michael even spoke publicly, urging for information. In November 2013, when the family’s remains were discovered, it left Michael, other family members of Joseph and Summer, as well as their friends, devastated. Moreover, Merritt’s arrest in November 2014 brought shock and determination to seek justice.
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Michael McStay Faced Some Difficult Questions at the Trial in 2019
In January 2019, when Chase Merritt’s trial began in a San Bernardino court, Michael McStay was called to the stand by the defense. Merritt’s attorneys focused on raising doubts about other possible suspects and questioned Michael’s actions. They argued that he had allegedly been hesitant to check on his brother and, even after visiting the McStay home, waited two days before filing the missing persons report. They also stated that, shortly after the report was made, Michael and his mother, Susan Blake, cleaned the house. The defense further alleged that one of Joseph’s computers had been taken by Michael during this time. The defense also highlighted an incident from a few years before the McStay family’s disappearance, when Michael had allegedly posed as the owner of Earth Inspired Products while applying for a loan.
According to them, Joseph was furious upon discovering this. They further pointed out that Michael was one of the family members who took over the business after Joseph went missing, suggesting this raised questions about his motives. One particularly striking piece the defense introduced was a clip from an interview in which Michael stated that his brother’s family was “lying in two shallow graves.” It was a phrase he used before the remains were actually discovered. The defense argued that this wording was unusually specific for someone who was supposedly unaware of what had happened. Michael patiently gave his testimony during the trial, at times breaking down while answering difficult questions. He explained that he had always felt something was wrong, adding that he never believed the authorities’ early theory that the family had traveled to Mexico.
He recalled that Summer McStay had been strongly opposed to such trips and had even warned about the reported rising drug violence in the region when Joseph and Michael once considered traveling there. Michael said he delayed filing a report because there were no signs of forced entry, and it seemed possible the family had gone on vacation. He admitted he may not have always made the best decisions, but firmly denied any wrongdoing. While his family found the line of questioning disturbing, Chase Merritt’s guilty verdict in June 2019 offered them some closure. Since then, Michael has mostly stayed out of the public eye, partly because interest in the case remains. It is imperative to note that the defense’s suggestions were not backed by evidence, and Michael has never been charged in connection with the case.
