DOWN TO THE BONE: A Missing Family's Murder and the Elusive Quest For Justice (Citadel, June 2025) 

Joseph and Summer McStay, and their two young sons, Joey Jr. and Gianni, went mysteriously missing from their house in Fallbrook, California, in February 2010. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSD) investigated their disappearance as a missing persons' case for months, after finding no blood or any physical evidence of foul play in the house. However, the circumstances were certainly suspicious: eggs were left out on the counter, a half-eaten apple on the stairs and two bowls of popcorn on the futon, indicating they left in a hurry, yet their family had no idea where they were. The SDSD let the case go cold, deciding the McStays had left voluntarily to Mexico, even though there was no activity on their phones or credit cards.  Nearly four years later, their skeletal remains were discovered in the High Desert of San Bernardino County -- with holes in their skulls, along with a sledgehammer consistent with the injuries, and Summer's bra sliced in half and her pants pulled off. A year after that, Joseph's business partner, Charles "Chase" Merritt, was arrested for their murders, but maintains his innocence. After many twists and turns in the case, a revolving door of different defense attorneys, and a protracted trial, Merritt was found guilty and, after more delays, sentenced to death row.  Nonetheless, some observers believe Merritt was wrongly convicted, or if he was involved, didn't act alone.  Rother takes her usual deep dive into this case.