REDLANDS, Calif. (KABC) — A SWAT team Thursday swarmed a Redlands nudist ranch and ripped apart the home of a person of interest in the disappearance of a missing couple.

Police say foul play is suspected in the disappearance of Stephanie Menard, 73, and her husband, Daniel, 79.

AIR7 footage captured a large tank-style police vehicle tearing down the front of the home where the person of interest was believed to be.

Investigators returned to the area Thursday to follow up on a tip that led them to the person of interest, who lives right next door to the Menards.

“We received a phone call from somebody with information who said that they knew who the subject was who was involved in the disappearance of Stephanie and Daniel Menard,” Redland police spokesperson Carl Baker said during a press conference. “At that point, we locked down the area and we began an investigation, door to door, to try to contact him. We are currently at his residence. We’ve breached the residence and are conducting a remote search.”

That person of interest has not yet been identified.

At one point during the standoff, the armored vehicle got stuck in a hole that formed in the ground and had to be pulled out. A deputy was inside the vehicle, but he appeared to be uninjured when he was rescued.

“We have the area locked down,” Baker said. “We’re certain that he has not been able to escape from the area.”

What happened to Stephanie and Daniel Menard?

The Menards were last seen Saturday morning leaving their home at the Olive Dell ranch in the 26000 block of Keissel Road, according to the Redlands Police Department. A friend reported them missing the next day.

The couple’s vehicle was found unlocked down the road from their home Sunday. Stephanie’s purse was found inside the home and both of their cellphones were also found at their home. Their dog, a small white shih tzu named Cuddles, is also missing.

“There’s no way that Stephanie or Dan could have walked away from that car,” friend Tammie Wilkerson said. “She has a cane. It was at home, her purse, their cellphones – things they would never have left at home.”

Daniel Menard suffers from dementia and is diabetic, police say.

Friends say the couple, who is part of a possible lawsuit against the ranch, was being harassed and fear that may have had something to do with their sudden disappearance.
The couple is very active in their church and in the Olive Dell community.

“They’re very sweet people. There’s not a mean bone in their body at all, which makes this very confusing,” Wilkerson said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Redlands police at (909)798-7681 or Detective Thomas Williams at [email protected]. Please reference case No. 240032075