Man Sought in Slaying of Wife, 3 Children at Posh Home

Sheriff’s deputies said Friday that a 46-year-old British national is being sought for questioning in connection with the killings of his wife and three children as they lay sleeping in their bedrooms of a posh home in San Diego County.

Gail Spiro, 40, and her three children, all found shot to death early Friday, lived near the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club, where two- to three-acre sites are valued from $700,000 to $2 million.

Neighbors barely knew the family that lived among sprawling estates clustered on lush hills in an area that has such celebrity residents as writer Joseph Wambaugh and Pete Rozelle, former commissioner of the National Football League, along with dozens of film and TV stars.

A neighbor who had not seen the family for more than two days phoned sheriff’s deputies shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday. After gaining a search warrant, they found the four in separate bedrooms in bedclothes, each with at least one gunshot to the head.

Sheriff’s Lt. John Tenwolde said Friday that neighbors reported hearing gunshots coming from the house as early as Sunday, leading investigators to conclude that the four had been dead for days.

Deputies identified the children as Sara, 16, and Deana, 11, and a son, Adam, 14. Deputies said that Ian Stuart Spiro, the father, is the prime suspect. They said the family car is missing.

Investigators said Spiro is a businessman who moved to Rancho Santa Fe several months ago. He was last seen by residents in the area Sunday. He is described as white, 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, with graying black hair, hazel eyes and a walrus-like mustache.

No weapon was found at the scene, deputies said, nor was there any sign of forced entry. Investigators are looking for Spiro’s vehicle, a 1992 Ford Explorer, and are checking airports and train stations throughout the country.

“We would like very much to speak to Mr. Spiro,” Tenwolde said.

Although deputies said they only wanted to talk to Spiro, sources who asked not to be identified described him as a suspect.

Friday’s news had an immediate, devastating impact on the neighborhood, residents said. “It was never a scary neighborhood,” said resident Cory Scheibe. “But when something like this happens, it’s really scary.”

Investigators said the Spiros had been renting the four-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath, nearly 4,000-square-foot estate for $4,500 a month.

Times staff writer Mark Platte contributed to this report.