DOWN TO THE BONE—Caitlin Rother

True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers

Dan Zupansky

True Crime, News Commentary, Documentary, News, Society & Culture

4 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 23 June 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A twisting, deeply engrossing investigation into the many lingering questions surrounding the sudden disappearance of the McStays, a family of four who vanished from their suburban San Diego home without a trace—until their skeletal remains were found in the Mojave Desert nearly four years later—from New York Times bestselling author 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?
In this twisting, deeply researched true-crime mystery, New York Times bestselling investigative journalist Caitlin Rother hunts for answers to reveal the truth behind a heinous crime that became a nation’s obsession, with a controversial trial in its wake, and lingering questions of justice.
Joining me to discuss, DOWN TO THE BONE: A Missing Family's Murder and the Elusive Quest for Justice—Caitlin Rother

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are now listening to True Murder, the most shocking killers in true crime history,
0:12.5	and the authors that have written about them.
0:15.8	Gacy, Bundy, Dommer, the Nightstalker, BTK.
0:21.1	Every week, another fascinating author,
0:23.6	talking about the most shocking and infamous killers in true crime history.
0:27.9	True murder.
0:29.1	With your host, journalist and author, Dan Zupansky.
0:40.4	Good evening. A twisting, deeply engrossing investigation into the many lingering questions surrounding the sudden
0:47.8	disappearance of the mixed days, a family of four who vanished from their suburban
0:53.6	San Diego home without a trace.
0:56.8	Until their skeletal remains were found in the Mojave Desert, nearly four years later.
1:02.9	From New York Times best-selling author, Caitlin Rother.
1:07.8	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.
1:19.8	They left eggs and fruit rotting on the counter. Their Dodge truck sat in the driveway. Their dogs were abandoned outside without food.
1:30.3	But investigators found no blood, signs of a struggle, or clues to their whereabouts.
1:36.9	Did the family take an unannounced vacation? Were they running away from personal problems?
1:43.6	Or were they victims of foul play?
1:47.3	Nearly four years later, a motorcyclist found the McStay's remains in and around two shallow graves,
1:54.6	100 miles away in the Mojave Desert.
1:58.2	Their skulls showed signs of blunt force trauma, likely due to the sledgehammer buried with them.
2:05.3	Authorities focused on Charles Chase Merritt, a close friend and subcontractor for Joseph's company.
2:13.2	Despite a lack of physical evidence, scenarios that defied logic, and numerous unanswered questions,
	...

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