Update to this post dated 1/31/2012: I have not been able to verify Patrick McStay's current status. Numerous people have left comments stating he was successfully extradited from Texas to New Orleans to face charges on alleged financial improprieties. I've heard conflicting reports about whether or not he posted bail. Most seemed to think he was still being held, which makes me wonder if bail was set prohibitively high since he had previously been a fugitive with regard to the Louisiana warrant. If anyone has media or press confirmation (please don't leave any unsourced comments or I'll just delete them) as to his current status I'd be interested to hear. Also, if anyone knows the exact nature of the charges or if any additional charges have been filed--particularly if any of these charges were related to the McStay family disappearance. I'm doubting the latter is the case and am leaning towards the idea that P.M.'s legal woes are probably separate problems from any problems which might have been the reason for the McStays' disappearance. But we will see what we will see, I guess. For the record, as of this date, I believe the McStays are all alive and well, and that they disappeared of their own volition. For my reasons regarding this, just go to the homepage of this blog and look at the left hand side for the most read blog posts on this site and you'll see several other posts I did exploring several diverse theories which I feel are plausible explanations of the reasons for the family's disappearance.
An anonymous commenter left this link on one of my McStays posts today:Read "line 14."
He or she told me to read "line 14."
This details the arrest of an Eddie Chavez (age 31) who was booked on 12/31/2011 (yesterday).
Since this site is a list of arrests made in Harris County, Texas--the county of residence of Patrick McStay, father of Joseph Mcstay, I expected that was what the person was directing me to.
I had expected to see a record of McStay being booked.
I'm not sure if the system updated in the time before I saw and approved this comment; so it's possible that's not the line number or the arrestee this person was directing me to.
I asked for more information but haven't heard back yet.
Possibly someone is just hoaxing me.
Strangely enough, line 6 details the arrest of a Stacy Merritt.
That made me think of Chase Merritt right away.
But since this is Harris, Texas (and not San Diego) whose arrest records we're looking at, I'm assuming the Merritt name is just a meaningless coincidence.
So did Patrick McStay get arrested?
If so, will we find out more about the charges?
If so, are these scary type felonies that are going to make us look at Patrick McStay completely differently?
Or will this prove to be totally irrelevant to the McStay family disappearance and just turn out to be financial improprieties on the part of Patrick McStay?
Can anyone confirm that Patrick McStay was arrested yesterday or today?
Because I'm wondering why else someone would have sent me a link to that site of Harris County arrestees?
I went to the homepage of the site and searched for "Patrick Mcstay" (also entered query for "McStay, Patrick") but nothing came up.
But here's the thing. When I did a test search for that "Eddie Chavez" above (entering his names both ways) that also did not come up in the search.
So I don't think the SEARCH bar actually "reads" the names in the documents contained in the site.
And is the REWARD for the missing McStay Family really only $1,000?!
I thought, "You gotta be kiddin' me" when someone put that in a comment.
I've seen dogs with much higher rewards. Ugly dogs.
Michael McStay on his website talks about how he will accept "any serious offer" of money from shows which want to profile his missing brother's family (italics mine).
And yet the reward (at least on Nancy Grace's site, where I just checked it) stays at a measly one thousand bucks.
If the family doesn't want people to think poorly of them, or be suspicious, they might want to raise that amount considerably.
Postscript: the Anonymous commenter responded and I replied to him or her, as follows...
Anonymous said...
FYI - The arrest date was listed as the 29th, the booking date was listed as the 30th and it took place in Houston, TX.
The person was listed as “Fugitive” under the column WORDING. I’m not sure if I should be throwing the name out there now that the information is gone.
I stumbled across this information after I googled the person’s name after reading your update on the missing family.
You don’t have to post this information to your blog.
January 1, 2012 5:13 PM
William Keckler said...
I don't know why the information would have disappeared if it was accurate?
It's fine to publish it to a blog if it's correct information and part of public records.
If it's not accurate, no, it's not fine.
Thanks for letting me know, but I'm not sure why the information would have vanished.
You're not confirming whose name was even there (P.M.?)
I hope you weren't fabricating any information.
I don't see the point of that.
January 1, 2012 6:53 PM
The Mania Of The Moment
26 minutes ago
I saw it yesterday and it said PM. I actually saw his name listed twice. Hard to decfyer (sp?) what it meant but it did say fugitive after the info . I went to look closer today and the page refreshed to different info.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's strange that it disappeared if that's the case.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking now maybe you misread the information, because that probably would have been picked up by other media.
[IMG]http://i39.tinypic.com/2ls6vpy.jpg[/IMG]
ReplyDeleteIt's still there. It's in another section. But I found it. And no, the other poster didn't imagine it. I saw it too.
ReplyDeleteCheck it again today and see if it changes from yesterday. I believe it's a listing of the last 24 hours of activity.
ReplyDeleteHi Commenters.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the image hosting link.
I mean that image which seems to originate in VINELINK.
I had to look it up to see what VINELINK is.
If that's legitimate (and not faked up) then it's interesting.
It looks like P.M. might not have had the best New Year's Eve or New Year's Day.
I don't know how much weight to put on P.M.'s warrant and the fact that Lousiana wants to extradite him (did they?)
He recently created his own website to aid in the search for the missing McStays, which speaks well of him (if it isn't a ruse or money-making venture).
It will be interesting to see if any journalists suss out the nature of P.M.'s current legal problems and write a story--if they feel those problems make one want to possibly reconsider P.M. as a direct or indirect cause of the McStay family disappearance.
It could just be P.M. has money problems and this is unrelated.
Or it could be much darker than that.
We won't know until we're told.
Mr. Kavanaugh gives me far worse vibes (if that post by his "ex" was legitimate and true) than P.M.
I remember somewhere (the websleuths site?) someone almost laughingly calling the various McStays "Irish travelers."
But more and more I'm beginning to wonder if there might be some truth to that characterization.
So many of their close associates (and some family) are so sketchy.
I still can't get over what someone pointed out yesterday, about the reward money only being one thousand bucks. For a family of four gone missing.
I mean I've seen a dog get higher rewards than that when one goes missing.
And yet M.M. says on the family website he will entertain "any reasonable offer" of money to produce a segment or show on his brother and family's disappearance.
How can that not leave a bad taste in someone's mouth.
Are we all just getting played here?
I mean for even caring about these people?
Obviously, the kids are innocent.
But is anyone else?
Everyone involved with this case, from the family to friends and even law enforcement, has been less than honest with the public and the media despite what they try to present. They have all been caught in lies and changing stories yet, they continue to ask for the public's help with finding the McStays and with "donations". Have we ever seen an accounting of how much they received in donations or where the money was spent? Of course not.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is, they all have a pretty good idea of what happened but, no one wants their skeletons exposed.
As for VineLink, it IS legit. Here is the site. Simply click on Texas and on the left hand side, "Offenders". Enter PM's name for the results.
https://www.vinelink.com/vinelink/initMap.do
I too saw the arrest data when PM's name was still listed there a day or two before New Year's.
ReplyDeleteCase number: 180091601010
What are comment are you referring to from Dan K? Can you please elaborate?
ReplyDeleteHi Commenter.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a comment BY D.K.
It's (allegedly) a comment made by an ex on this site here: http://cheaterville.com/?page=cheaters&id=10506
I don't know if that's even the same individual.
Someone else said they cross-checked his FACEBOOK page and they believed it was him but I'm just repeating what someone else said.
I'm just saying if it IS the same guy and IF it is true, then that's a scary portrait of someone very close to J.M. and (potentially) his family.
The person uses the phrase "like a sociopath."
Scary.
And thanks for the case number, other commenter.
ReplyDeleteHis problems may be related to the case...or may not.
Maybe some information will break soon as a result of that arrest (if this isn't a hoax).
Commenter who wrote this:
ReplyDelete"Everyone involved with this case, from the family to friends and even law enforcement, has been less than honest with the public and the media despite what they try to present. They have all been caught in lies and changing stories yet, they continue to ask for the public's help with finding the McStays and with "donations". Have we ever seen an accounting of how much they received in donations or where the money was spent? Of course not.
My guess is, they all have a pretty good idea of what happened but, no one wants their skeletons exposed.
As for VineLink, it IS legit. Here is the site. Simply click on Texas and on the left hand side, "Offenders". Enter PM's name for the results.
https://www.vinelink.com/vinelink/initMap.do"
I largely agree with you.
It really made me blanch when I saw M.M. not updating significant new turns in the case on the family website, but making sure to add that "any reasonable offer" solicitation for those who want to produce media on this case.
How can they keep the reward at a thousand bucks and keep a straight face?
I just don't get that.
http://www.hcdistrictclerk.com/edocs/public/CaseDetails.aspx?Get=+DvQt2iXutYu42oPMPRyF/1MHRjtcy6YkIxsRMqVRwCh50i1/Av9DkaTf/ap7Rk/iSOeANLbZ2Iaro/Aw7WVLDSoCaK7qOirhr698ZGlCLE=
ReplyDeleteThanks for that, Commenter.
ReplyDeleteSo it is the extradition to LA (New Orleans) and not any new charges.
I mean going by the "fugitive" status.
So d.a. Nick Geraci got his Christmas wish, I guess.
I wonder what the original charges in Louisiana are.
They are fraud/issuing a worthless check
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of what I expected to hear.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
The arrest data is only for a 24 hour period, so if you missed that window you can't see it.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Funny that the site doesn't index them or the search bar on the site help one to find previous ones.
ReplyDeletePM had bond set at $15,000 in today's hearing. He bonded out at 2:19 pm. Another hearing set for 1/10/12.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update. Good for him. I figured he would "bond out" since he didn't kill anyone or anything like that.
ReplyDeleteNext month will be 2 years that this family went missing. I hope, something gives this year.This case really stays with me as I flip flop with my feelings.I feel that the area around the bridge could be searched and put that question to rest. The families could be more active IMO
ReplyDeleteThe McStays are very visibly active (but is the reward still only one thousand dollars?!) from what I can see. Maybe her side of the family is invisibly active, because they don't seem visibly active. Maybe the work IR3 is doing in trying to get people (locals) in that Bonsall area to come forward with info will pay off. Thanks for your comment and I agree about two years being an unthinkable amount of time to have no real answers.
ReplyDeleteThe entire case is a sham, and you can't believe all you hear or read for sure... IR3 is as big of a joke as from what i see , lots of talk, but no action.... and that is all across the board, still no search of any kind, and yeah $1,000 for a family.... wow, mr winters and ms erp are just jokers out to get there names out there for fame... feeding off of hurting people... so sad
ReplyDeleteThe entire case is a sham, and you can't believe all you hear or read for sure... IR3 is as big of a joke as from what i see , lots of talk, but no action.... and that is all across the board, still no search of any kind, and yeah $1,000 for a family.... wow, mr winters and ms erp are just jokers out to get there names out there for fame... feeding off of hurting people... so sad
ReplyDeleteI’m starting to think the same thing. Seems like in every other missing persons case, the areas of the person’s last cell pings is ALWAYS searched, why not this one?? Even the families haven’t tried to search the area. I’m starting to think it’s because LE knows damn well there isn’t anything to find there and that the McStays went to Mexico on their own free will to escape fraud charges. I wouldn’t be surprised if PM or MM knows exactly where they are, let’s face it, these two don’t seem to be the most honest men around.
I just checked VineLine and it stated that PM is out of custody due to an error in booking. I'm not LE so I have no clue what that means. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteALSO, I have been wavering between three scenarios.
1. They fled due to the shared madness or shared fear.
2. They met someone who brought them harm near the Bonsall Tower.
3. They fled on their own accord, and everyone in the family knows about it. Tell me, would it take 11 days for LE to be called if YOU went missing?
I'm leaning toward #3 right now due to the fact that the family seems to possess a lukewarm attitude in searching for them. They have all the bells and whistles: website, social media, paltry reward $$, media involvement (ID, E!).
However, doesn't it seem rather half-hearted? I mean, if my sister and her family went missing and I found out that the Bonsall Tower was the last place their cell phones pinged, I would move heaven and earth to get the permits and permissions to conduct my own search. It wouldn't take much money, and you could get volunteers either by announcing it in the media or partnering with another group.
Interestingly, I have never heard that Centers for Missing and Exploited kids was ever contacted about the boys. Were they contacted?
Hi Cat. According to another person, he's out of custody because he posted bail. Which makes sense to me. I expected that to happen.
ReplyDeleteDon't know about CMEK's involvement or not.
You know, I think it's quite possible the government knows where the McStays are, knows they are all alive, etc. but is respecting that fact that they are "Voluntary Missing" and not breaking the code of silence to which adults who CHOOSE to go missing (and don't have any warrants out on them, etc.) are entitled to do.
My only problem with that would be, certain members of the McStay family would seem to genuinely not know their relatives are alive because of the efforts, fundraising, etc.
If it were ever proven they KNEW they were alive and doing this, I'm sure there would be charges, "fraud" etc.
That reward staying at a thousand bucks looks like a red flag to me. That really bothers me.
If I had to give odds, I'd say I'm 99% certain Summer and the kids are all alive.
With Joseph, I'd be willing to go as high as 90% certain he is alive too.
But I think there is still a possibility he died that first night they vanished. I'm not sure.
But obviously I lean strongly towards the idea that they are all still alive.
I'm guessing P.M.'s legal woes are probably unrelated--he seems to have had problems with money and keeping solvent, probably bad business sense more than anything.
But my intuition gives me a really bad feeling about another individual who was in their lives. I think you know who I mean.
It could be they just used his shadiness to their own advantage.
But it could be it turned darker than that.
I still keep thinking, Why make that move if you're really gonna disappear. And I kept thinking the movie triggered whatever happened...like he separated Summer from someone who wasn't "okay" with that...
I don't know.
I wish I felt as sure about J.M. being alive as the rest.
But I don't think he's in that Bonsall area.
If he is dead, he's probably at the bottom of some body of water.
They're not going to pitch him where the cell phones last ping.
Not in 2010.
Good points! I esp. get the fact the they aren't going to ditch him where the cell phones pinged from, BUT they might not have known that. I mean, when you throw out a cell in the moment of extreme crisis (like if you just killed your husband or your friend/lover just did) then you're not thinking of cell phone pings. You figure, the cell phone's gone so it's gone for good. You don't stop to realize that text messages are pinging the cell phone tower. You figure it's out of my possession, they can't trace it to find me.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work, I'll be checking in. I have a feeling it will be a long time before this case is solved.
Just an update:
ReplyDeletePM has not been released on bond. An additional case has been filed and he is listed as a fugitive with this case as well, which is New Orleans. The original case was Bossier Parish.
He will be back in court today on motions hearings and has a court appointed attorney.
http://www.hcdistrictclerk.com/eDocs/Public/Search.aspx
Hey, Thanks for this. I'll append this to a comment I made last night relaying information someone gave me which was apparently "bad.'
ReplyDeleteCheers.
Hi Cat.
Either it's mental illness, I think, governing everything, in which case you're right--frantic might have been the rule of the day and the hour that night.
Or else it was all a set-up to get J.M. (or all of them? seems less likely tomy mind) out there in the "middle of nowhere" to have him taken away or "taken out."
The pattern of meeting with Craiglist seller's almost looks to much like a pattern the wife could have been luring him into comfort with (racing out of the house for sudden meetings with sellers).
Or it could just be more of the erratic and idiosyncratic way that she clearly did things.
I'm 99% three of them are alive.
I just have this like nagging ten percent of doubt J.M. might not be alive.
But I still lean 90% towards the idea that he too is alive.
PM was released on bond at yesterdays hearing. He is scheduled to return to Harris County Court in February.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T8pliYj8QE "MYSTERY AT THE BORDER"
ReplyDeleteNobody would leave $100,000 in the bank if they planned to disappear.
Yes they would. Withdrawals from their bank account would be a dead giveaway that they planned on leaving.
DeleteAlso, pm's fraudulent charges and financial problems ARE a link to the case. It shows what kind of morals/character are in that family.
Hi ,I read on FB that Mr. McStay has court on Friday 3/9/12 and the saga continues...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update!
ReplyDeleteHi all! I am so glad I found this blog. Just like everyone here, this case has boggled my mind since day one.... Just was looking at D.K.'s facebook page and 2 days in a row he used the words "killing" and "murdering", referring to music. I just found his choice of words very strange. The dates are march 2 & 3...I didn't know if it was legal for me to quote it on here.
ReplyDeletePatrick's court date continued until 3/29/12 FYI
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteAnyone ever consider they may be in some kind of witness protection or witness relocation type program? It would certainly explain some things but also raise other questions.
ReplyDeleteWitness protection has allegedly been ruled out completely.
ReplyDeleteI read something yesterday that I had not ever heard before...that Summer was living with a different man when she was pregnant with her first child. Has anyone heard anything about this? It got my mind going- was there a love triangle a few years ago? Maybe the first baby is not Joey's, but Summer wanted it to be Joey's at the time. The real father ended up finding out it was his. Who knows. I was just wondering if anyone had anymore insight on this.
ReplyDeleteMaybe someone will have information on this, Pearl. To give you my two cents, I think both those kids look totally like their father Joseph. I can see his features in both their faces. And I do totally believe they're all alive and well. This disappearance is so maddening because it was done so deliberately. Murders are almost always sloppy somewhere and facts leak, bodies show up. The reason that hasn't happened here is because we're dealing with people deliberately hiding and keeping track of the search for them.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are right William. I go back and forth all the time on what I think happened.
ReplyDeleteAlso, i have a question. Do you know if Joseph and Michael were stepbrothers, or were they half brothers? I always thought they looked a lot alike so I was surprised when I discovered they had different fathers, just wasnt sure about the mothers.
ReplyDeletePearl, I'm not sure about the relationship. I got the impression they shared the mother who appears on the various programs and is working so hard to find her family. I totally believed her pain when I saw it on t.v. That's one of the main reasons I lean towards the "mental illness" theory. That somehow S.M. elicited a promise from J.M. to go into seclusion/hiding with her and the kids. Or, much worse scenario, if she went into hiding with a different man (as some seem to think from the crossing video). I still believe they're all alive. There could be bad blood there we don't know about. I've seen more than a few otherwise rational men turn their backs on their extended families for the sake of a wife who felt abused or treated poorly by that family. And I too go back and forth somewhat. But once I saw the Ling documentary I became convinced they were all alive and my thoughts on that haven't changed. Too many things point to willful disappearance. They're not your ordinary Americans as most of these shows wanted to portray. I think they always wanted to go "off the grid." They're very non-traditional IMHO.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Commenter on May 8th at 9:27 a.m.: "Thank You, All-Knowing Seer."
ReplyDeleteNEXT.
Glad I found this site! Good theories. How in hades whas the bonsall tower area never searched?? By anyone? Hell, *I* may go there and search myself!
ReplyDeleteI looked up Witness Protection Info. They don't seem to fit the criteria to be in that. The program is mostly criminal related and related to a pending investigation or trial. From the E documentary and the other posts I've read, it doesn't look like anything of that nature was happening-- if there was a trial, it would be public record as far as who is testifying, etc. There's none of that. I'm not convinced it's them at the border either. Lots of people cross that border. I don't know- it's one of the saddest and most haunting things I've ever immersed myself into. Only Summer and Joseph know what's happened. I pray for their families.
godbless all four of those human beimgs.
ReplyDeletethis is one of the strangest disappearances i have ever witnessed. a family of four ONLY leaves their home quickly for a reason....they disappear.. and NO ONE physically searches for them.. in this day and age i wouldn't put anything past what people and the media will do for money. there is a side of this story no one knows about... something about the wife seems strange to me. i believe they were either murdered or fled from financial trouble and had a short window to do so. please argue my points to give me perspective this case is on my mind and strikes me as uniquely odd.
ReplyDelete