Merle Wakefield, the sexually violent predator who cut off his GPS monitor at a Rancho Bernardo warehouse and vanished Sept. 25, has been found dead.
Someone discovered Wakefield's body in a riverbed near the 4800 block of Fairmount Avenue in San Diego's Talmadge neighborhood Monday, Oct. 19, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office said on X. San Diego police responded to the call just after 9:30 a.m.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office identified the body as Wakefield, 69. An autopsy will determine his cause and manner of death, the sheriff's office said. Officials did not say how long Wakefield may have been dead.
The sheriff's office cited the active investigation. It would not release further information.
Wakefield's disappearance was the first time a sexually violent predator (SVP) on conditional release in San Diego County had absconded, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. His flight from an Amazon warehouse in Rancho Bernardo triggered a region-wide search by the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force.
Around 3:20 a.m. on Sept. 25, Wakefield removed his GPS device while working at the warehouse, triggering a tamper alert, according to the Union-Tribune. Security video showed him getting into the passenger side of a white Tesla, according to a Sept. 28 court filing cited in the same report. A Liberty Healthcare staffer arrived at the work site roughly 20 minutes later. Liberty Healthcare operates California's conditional release program for SVPs.
Wakefield's GPS and a monitored cellphone were found in bushes near the warehouse. His car and keys were at his home in Campo, according to the Union-Tribune.
Wakefield was convicted in 1981 of lewd acts with a minor under 14 and in 1990 of rape by force, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office as cited by the Union-Tribune. He was designated an SVP after his 1998 prison release and committed to the California Department of State Hospitals for treatment. He had been living under tight restrictions in rural East County since late 2024.
SVPs are people convicted of a violent sex crime and diagnosed with a mental condition that makes them likely to re-offend. They are civilly committed to state hospitals after serving their prison sentences. Some participate in treatment programs that can lead to conditional release under GPS monitoring.
Wakefield's escape fueled a broader push against SVP placements in the county. On Oct. 7, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to oppose proposals to place two SVPs in a Boulevard home, the Union-Tribune reported. Supervisors Jim Desmond and Joel Anderson co-authored the agenda item.
"It's important to ratchet up our opposition," Anderson said during the Oct. 7 board meeting, according to the Union-Tribune.
The board also directed a letter to the Department of State Hospitals and Liberty Healthcare asking what steps they would take to prevent another disappearance.
A hearing on the proposed Boulevard placements is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, at 9 a.m. in Dept. 1702 of the San Diego Central Courthouse before Superior Court Judge Theodore Weathers, according to the Union-Tribune. Residents may submit written comments to the SAFE Task Force by Thursday, Nov. 5, at [email protected] or by calling 858-583-7238.
