11 Days

What Happened to the McStays?

In February 2010, the McStay family—Joseph, Summer, and their two sons—vanished from their San Diego home without a trace. Despite no signs

Key takeaways

• The McStays' home showed signs of ongoing renovation, but also unusual clutter and disarray, suggesting they were not on a vacation.
• Joseph had a consistent communication pattern with his brother Michael; his absence from Friday calls was highly unusual.

Main topics

• The sudden disappearance of a seemingly normal family
• Investigation into missing persons with no signs of forced entry or violence

Notable quotes

The dogs were left outside unattended. It didn't make sense.

Conclusion

The disappearance of the McStay family remains unresolved, with investigators concluding that

Transcript preview

Speaker 5 (0:00) Hey, it's Ashen Singh with a quick reminder. You can get episodes of this podcast ad-free and before they appear in our main feed by subscribing to 2020 True Crime Plus. Click the link in the episode description to learn more. Speaker 4 (0:19) The Speaker 8 (0:20) city moves fast, but your vibe, that's different. Sharper, smoother, more alive. Speaker 4 (0:30) The new Speaker 8 (0:35) Honda City isn't just made to drive, it's made to feel. The new Honda City, all new vibe. Speaker 2 (0:44) In November of 2009, a family of four moved into a palm tree-dotted cul-de-sac in the hills of San Diego County. Joseph McStay and his wife, Summer, were in their early 40s and living a seemingly charmed Southern California life with their two young sons. Their new neighborhood was surrounded by mountains and farmland. Their new house, a large Spanish-style home on Avocado Vista Lane, was around 10 years old with a stucco exterior and a red terracotta roof. The McStays home videos from around this time show an active, fun-loving family. In one, little Joseph Jr. runs around the first floor of their new home. Speaker 5 (1:34) In another video, all four of the McStays bike to the beach. Speaker 6 (1:40) Oh my god! Speaker 7 (1:44) Cadillac mama! Speaker 5 (1:48) And then there's the video where the two McStay boys, Joseph Jr. and his big brother Gianni, swing side by side at a playground swing set together. Their mom, Summer, pushes them higher and higher. Speaker 2 (2:08) For a couple of months, these were the types of sounds that filled the McStay residence. But one day in February 2010, the house went quiet. Speaker 2 (2:21) Local station KGTV covered the story. Speaker 6 (2:24) The outside of the McStay home remains exactly as the family left it. Their shoes and the newspaper, both outside. There was a carton of eggs left out on the counter. And one other thing, Summer McStay left her prescription sunglasses behind. Family left their dogs behind, and there had been no activity on their phones. Speaker 2 (2:44) It was as if the McStays had simply vanished into thin air. Authorities, friends, and family were baffled. But how does a vibrant family of four suddenly go missing? From ABC Audio in 2020, I'm Ashton Singh, and this is What Happened to the Mixed Days? Episode 1, 11 Days. Speaker 2 (3:19) Joseph McStay, or Joey, had a weekly ritual with his little brother Michael. In a 2011 interview with ABC News, Michael said that every Friday, Joseph would give him a ring on his way to play pickup soccer. Speaker 7 (3:34) He would call me. We'd touch base. Hey, how's things going? Hey, Mikey, how's your business? What's going on? How are the girls? I'd ask how the boys were, and he'd tell me what was going on. But on Speaker 5 (3:44) Friday, February 5th, 2010... Michael didn't get that weekly call from his big brother. For Michael, this was unusual, but not alarming. Speaker 7 (3:53) So to miss one Friday, I mean, I didn't think a whole lot of it. But Speaker 5 (3:59) then several days went by without a peep from Joseph. Speaker 7 (4:02) No Speaker 5 (4:03) calls, texts, or emails. Speaker 5 (4:07) It was the same at his work, too. Joseph co-owned a business that sold high-end decorative fountains, the kind you might see in hotel lobbies. The company was in the middle of a couple of projects when Joseph's colleagues told the McStay family they noticed Joseph had gone completely silent. Speaker 7 (4:26) There was customer emails not being answered, which is not like Joe. He was usually right on top of it. Speaker 5 (4:32) Joseph's friends started reaching out to Michael to ask, Hey, have you heard from Joe? What's going on? He's not answering his phone. Joseph's wife, Summer, wasn't returning calls either. So Michael posted to his brother's Facebook page asking friends, If you've seen him, please let the family know. Family and friends got in touch, Michael and Joseph's parents, plus two of Joseph's colleagues, Dan Cavanaugh and Chase Merritt. They shared any relevant information they had, and Michael pieced together that Thursday, February 4th, was likely the last day anyone had seen or heard from his brother. Michael and Joseph's father said he talked to Joseph that morning, and according to Joseph's business associate, Chase, he and Joseph met up that afternoon. Loved ones were worried about the mixed days, but Michael tried to remain optimistic. He thought it was possible the family left on a trip and just didn't tell anyone. Speaker 7 (5:38) I thought, well, maybe they're doing a quick vacay. So I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. Speaker 5 (5:44) A few days after the mixtapes went quiet, Joseph's business partner, Dan Cavanaugh, called the police for a welfare check. San Diego County Sheriff's deputies came out to the home and knocked on the door. No one was home at the time, but with no signs that anything was amiss, deputies Speaker 2 (6:02) followed procedure and did not go inside. Speaker 2 (6:06) Joseph's business associate, Chase Merritt, also went to the house a couple times that week, he says, to see if he could find Joseph. No luck. And by February 13th, the McStays hadn't been seen or heard from in nine days. Michael says he decided to check the home himself. He took a trip to Avocado Vista Lane. Chase came along too. Speaker 7 (6:34) I went down there, started knocking on doors, asking the neighbors had they seen him. Speaker 5 (6:41) Michael says he let himself into the house through a back window that was cracked open. He started looking through the home. He says it was messy. Kitchen drawers had been pulled out and placed on countertops. Toys, books, and clothes were scattered around. And the house was barely furnished. The family was using air mattresses instead of beds. To Michael, it was like his brother and his family were camping in their own home. But this was Michael's first time in the McStay's new house. They'd only moved in about two months earlier, and they were remodeling. Michael says they'd been doing work on the floors