What happened to the McStay family?

Who killed the McStay family?

  • Someone who lured them out of their home they didn't know

    Votes: 18 4.1%
  • Someone who lured them out of their home they did know

    Votes: 315 71.3%
  • Someone they knew who killed them at their home

    Votes: 46 10.4%
  • Someone they didn't know who killed them at home

    Votes: 2 0.5%
  • I have another opinion

    Votes: 25 5.7%
  • I don't know

    Votes: 36 8.1%

  • Total voters
    442

Kimster

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The remains found in shallow graves in the California desert were proven to be those of Joseph, Summer, Giannia and Joseph Jr. The family went missing in February 2010 from Fallbrook, California.

What do you think happened to them?

The McStay family forum can be found at this link: Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community


It is a "Member's Only" forum, but guests can still vote in this poll.
 
:seeya: I voted: "I don't know."

I am on the :fence: . . . which is very unusual for me because I tend to always form an opinion early on . . .

:please: for Justice for the Family !
 
If it had just been the couple that went to meet someone, it could have been a stranger, but I don't think they would have taken the children unless it was someone they knew and trusted.
 
Why did the whole family have to go?
I feel whoever did this knew the family but how were they all lead out and did the murder(s) plan to kill the kids ?

What purpose is it to murder little children? Unless whatever ill gotten gain isn't to be had if two little kids get what was their dads?
 
I believe that someone entered their home they did not know or at least did not know well. That is why things were left out as if they left in a rush. They came in fast and made the family leave with them right away.

I don't think they were lured. I think they were forced. All the suspect(s) had to do is grab one of the children and threaten to harm them and the parents would comply trying to protect their children from harm. All of them were murdered including the children because even small children can talk about what they have witnessed, imo.

We have had a couple of cases here where even 2 year olds saw their parent murdered and were able to tell LE what was said and what was done and did it in rather great detail.

IMO
 
I believe that someone entered their home they did not know or at least did not know well. That is why things were left out as if they left in a rush. They came in fast and made the family leave with them right away.

I don't think they were lured. I think they were forced. All the suspect(s) had to do is grab one of the children and threaten to harm them and the parents would comply trying to protect their children from harm. All of them were murdered including the children because even small children can talk about what they have witnessed, imo.

We have had a couple of cases here where even 2 year olds saw their parent murdered and were able to tell LE what was said and what was done and did it in rather great detail.

IMO

I think they were forced as well. But the closest option to what i think happened was lured by someone they knew. I don't think this was a thrill kill. The burial, the graves, the murder of all 4, including the kids, smacks of someone who knew them and wanted to cove their tracks. Serial killers tend to dump bodies in remote areas and don't spend a huge amount of time burying them. And the kids may have been killed so they couldn't ID who did it. A stranger wouldn't worry about that.
 
I think they were forced as well. But the closest option to what i think happened was lured by someone they knew. I don't think this was a thrill kill. The burial, the graves, the murder of all 4, including the kids, smacks of someone who knew them and wanted to cove their tracks. Serial killers tend to dump bodies in remote areas and don't spend a huge amount of time burying them. And the kids may have been killed so they couldn't ID who did it. A stranger wouldn't worry about that.

Morning gitana. LTNS!:seeya:

It may have been a professional hit and those kind of suspects tend to cover their tracks. By that I mean, they are thorough at hiding bodies. This was just a happenstance that this family's remains were ever found.

I am not sure I agree that a stranger wouldn't kill other witnesses though, (young or old.)

I have seen/read of too many cases over the years where complete strangers did kill everyone because it left no one behind to tell what happened. Today in society the motto of a lot of criminals seems to be 'leave no witness behind.' It doesn't matter if they know them are not.:(
 
The murders have to benefit someone. It's a large load to take on the slaughter and concealment of a whole family...there had to be a payoff, something to make the effort and the risk of capture and punishment (because the publicity and investigation would be intense) worth it.
 
I believe someone they knew lured them out of the home. Yet, the missing futon cover sometimes makes me want to say they were killed there. I went with someone they knew lured them out.
 
How much was the amount of money in the fraudulent attempt by MM to remove funds that weren't his? Someone know the amount off hand?

Also, I do think that people can be murdered for jealousy, revenge, or rage issues or to silence someone about something. I wouldn't ever assume money as the only viable motive. MOO
 
I agree with the jealousy, revenge, and rage.
Someone got PO'ed about something.

Who I think killed them... someone connected to the new area and/or the new house remodel. JMO
 
I think the boys were just as much targets as their parents. This murder seems so planned out, they would have known there were toddlers in the house. They could have come in masked and locked the boys in one of the bedrooms and taken the parents, but they wanted this whole family. Okay, the children had to be taken so the family fleeing to Mexico of their own free will would play out, but the idea of killing the little boys would have to give anyone pause even if it is to check themselves and see if they could live with the consequences. They could have come up with another plan to keep those boys alive if they wanted but the murderer went after the boys too. It was a decision. They targeted the little ones as much as they did the parents. Why, I don't know yet. Just pure hate.
 
I think Joey got told something that day and he knew they were in danger. He got Summer and the kids and tried to get away but they didnt make it.And I think its got something to do with coming up with quite a bit of money in a short time. jmo
 
I feel they were abducted and lured by someone they knew considering
there was not any evidence found and there has been no arrest to date.
The children were killed because they could make an ID. This was a crime of
pure hate, either having to do with jealousy, rage, revenge and/or money.
I do not know who the main target was but the person, person(s) wanted to eliminate the whole family for the above reasons.

A stranger would not go to all this trouble or planning. There was too much rage here, they killed the children, Pure Evil. No evidence was left and the bodies took years to find. Not the work of a random killer, killer(s). There was a motive for these murders.
Summer and Joey would have done anything to protect their children. They knew the killer(s) and were lured and I believe they did not know they were going to be killed.

My heart is in a shambles and I pray for an arrest.
I think LE is targeting someone.

Goz
 
Why did the whole family have to go?
I feel whoever did this knew the family but how were they all lead out and did the murder(s) plan to kill the kids ?

What purpose is it to murder little children? Unless whatever ill gotten gain isn't to be had if two little kids get what was their dads?

I do not believe the motive lies with the children. They were simply caught up in it and there with their parents. I believe they left the house suddenly because they knew they were in danger and whoever was after them knew where they lived. Now the fact that whoever was after them caught up to them even after they left the house is very telling IMO and suggests that someone known (quite well) to the family is at least indirectly involved in what happened. Someone is not going to flee their home with their children because they know they are in danger and then go meet up with the very person they feel is the threat. That makes zero sense. I just really believe there is someone that they trusted mixed up in this. Im not convinced that person was directly involved or complicit in their murders but they were definitely involved in the circumstances that led to the murders and aware of the motive and who the killers would be. That's just my opinion though.
 
I voted that I have a different opinion mostly because I don't believe they were lured out of their home. I believe they chose to leave and made the choice suddenly after finding out they were in danger. That's why there were things out as if they were packing in a rush. They may not of known where they were going but they knew they didn't want to be at the house like sitting ducks. I also believe that it was Summer who found herself in a bad situation and Joseph would of stood by and defended his wife to the death. Its interesting cause Summer had business dealings in the loan modification business with Josephs father and brother Michael. Although the CPS angle involving Josephs older son is also a very possible scenario and supposedly Joseph received a letter the day they went missing that dismissed the case in which the Mcstays accused the step dad of abuse. The step dad had already threatened Summer and told Joey to shut her up or he would. Makes me wonder of we are really being told the truth and that those papers really said the case was dismissed. It that's true then you would think step dad would be happy cause he won but what of the papers said something else. Something that pushed step dad over the edge? Joey had already said he feared for his safety because of this situation. Lots of possibilities but step dad is also Joe's dads top suspect per his FB group he runs.
 
I am not sure if they were lured or left willingly, but I think someone they knew murdered them all and then returned to the house and staged the food and Summer's glasses etc. Also, follow the money kind of comes to play here too I believe.

MOO
 
I voted for I have another opinion. My theory has to do with drugs and drug money. I deleted my other posts because it got too much into my theory and was not nice to the victims. I don't care to speak against victims.
 
Who leaves eggs out on the kitchen counter, unless they expect to be back very soon? Maybe Summer was going to make omelets or some other dish that required eggs and found out she was missing another crucial ingredient. Might this have just started out as a quick family trip to the grocery store to pick up the needed item(s) and they got waylaid at a stop light or in a parking lot? Was the TV left on at home? That would be another indication that they only planned to be away for a very short time.
 
I would like to hear more about any interviews of Joey's ex; and things from her POV. She has never spoken once. Not once, and I find that to be...suspect. Then again, my views on his brother have not changed a bit. He was the one telling LE they were buried, and he shouldn't have known that at any point in the investigation. I'd like to see him interrogated as much as Joey's ex. This could be about child support, or jealousy but if it is; it's on Joey's side of the house. I find his ex's silence on the whole horrific tale to be not an option and unacceptable. And in hindsight, suspect.
 

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