Shocking twist in search for dangerous sex offender after 4 weeks on the run

A convicted child sex offender on the run in San Diego since late September was found dead in a riverbed a month after authorities started their search, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office announced this week.

The body of Merle Wakefield, 69, was found after cops responded to a call of a human body Monday morning. The medical examiner will perform an autopsy to figure out a cause of death, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities refused to release additional information, citing the ongoing investigation.

Wakefield was working in Rancho Bernardo at an Amazon warehouse when his court-ordered GPS tracking device alerted to “Tamper Mode” early morning on Friday Sep. 25.

Liberty Healthcare, the state contractor supervising him, responded to the location and found the device removed and Wakefield gone. The company notified the sheriff’s office.

He was convicted in 1980 and 1991 of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and rape by force, according to police. Wakefield was on a conditional release program since the fall of 2024 under Liberty Healthcare’s supervision.

The California Department of State Hospitals contracts with Liberty Healthcare to supervise people convicted of specific crimes who also have significant mental health conditions. Offenders can be placed in the community under treatment and supervision by the contractor if the court deems so.

Wakefield’s escape prompted some criticism from local officials who had wanted stricter controls over where he lived.

“That’s how easy it was,” San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond had said. “The state released him into our community in November 2024 and promised he’d be monitored and supervised. Less than two years later, he’s missing and wanted.”

A San Diego judge granted him a transient release in October 2024 rather than placing him in a designated home, Fox 5/KUSI reported at the time. It was the third attempt to place him in San Diego County.

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office opposed releasing Wakefield without a fixed residence, citing concerns about limited monitoring and supervision.

State Republicans have long criticized the state’s release program. An audit found that about 36% of participants had violated the terms of their release.

The California Department of State Hospitals defended the program to Fox 5, noting the court ultimately decides whether someone designated a sexually violent predator can be conditionally released. Supervision includes GPS monitoring, unannounced home visits and surveillance.