( CNN ) Five years ago , the McStays were living the California dream . The family had moved into a new home in Fallbrook , and Joseph McStay 's business was taking off . He had started a company called Earth Inspired Products that sold waterfalls , and online orders were strong . McStay connected with Chase Merritt , who manufactured custom indoor waterfalls . The two quickly bonded . `` We talked constantly . ... He came down and had dinner with me and my family once or twice a week virtually every week , '' Merritt told CNN 's Randi Kaye . `` Joseph was my best friend . '' It 's a surprising statement considering where Merritt is now -- behind bars , charged with murder in the deaths of McStay ; his wife , Summer ; and their two small children , Gianni and Joseph Jr . The last time anyone heard from the McStay family was February 4 , 2010 . For years , no one knew what happened to them . Police who searched their home days after the family disappeared found eggs on the kitchen counter and bowls of popcorn in the living room , along with the family 's two dogs . There were no signs of a struggle . The bodies of the McStay family were found in the Mojave Desert in November 2013 . Police say they believe the family died of `` blunt force trauma . '' Merritt , who is now representing himself , has pleaded not guilty . A preliminary hearing has been set for April 7 . No trial date has been scheduled yet . But investigators are confident they have the right man . From the start of the case , San Bernardino County detectives had their eyes on Merritt , a talented welder who was known for his laid-back , cowboy demeanor . Joseph McStay 's father , Patrick , teamed up with Gina Watson , who knew his son through work . The two did their own investigating and came across what they say are some troubling inconsistencies . Merritt has said he was the last person to see McStay alive . The two , Merritt said , met for a business lunch in Rancho Cucamonga the day the family disappeared . `` I am definitely the last person he saw , '' Merritt told Kaye in January 2014 . Asked if McStay was concerned about anything , Merritt said , `` No , no , no . He seemed happy . '' But Patrick McStay told CNN that Merritt told him Joseph was upset about a damaged fountain Merritt built for him . Joseph McStay also told his father he was frustrated with Merritt 's work . `` Joey had talked about the quality of some of the fountains had slipped . And Joey was n't happy with that , '' Patrick McStay said . `` Because he was getting complaints . '' Joseph McStay had talked to his father about getting another welder . Merritt also told CNN about receiving a call from McStay the night he disappeared . Merritt said he did n't remember the call until his then-girlfriend reminded him about it . The call came , he said , when they were watching television . Merritt picked up the phone , looked at it and set it back down . He was tired , he said . But when Patrick McStay asked about the call , Merritt said it was a follow-up to their conversation at lunch . San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos said he ca n't yet say what the motive was , but he said his team had been watching Merritt on a daily basis . `` We know there have been many inconsistencies , '' Ramos said . `` His story is all over the place . '' Still , the case against Merritt may have holes . Merritt told CNN he went to the McStay house after the family went missing and before it was sealed off . Officers believe the McStays were killed in the home , but 11 days passed between the family 's disappearance and an alert to the sheriff 's department . It took San Diego investigators three days to obtain the warrants they needed to complete a full search , and during that time , the home remained unsealed . How reliable is evidence gathered at the McStay house so many days after investigators say the family was killed there ? Could one person kill a family of four and bury the bodies 100 miles away ? And the fact that it has been five years since the family went missing does not make the prosecution 's case any easier . `` I think the biggest obstacle ... is time . Because witnesses forget , people forget the time frames , what occurred , etc. , '' Ramos said .
Merritt has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder . Bodies of McStay family were found in the desert in 2013 . Prior to his arrest , Chase Merritt shared his story with McStays 's Merritt .