California Convicted Sex Offender Cuts Off Ankle Monitor, Vanishes, Then Turns Up Dead

So much for round-the-clock supervision.

A convicted child sex offender who cut off his GPS ankle monitor and vanished from his job at an Amazon warehouse was suspiciously found dead. His body was discovered in a Southern California riverbed, bringing a weeks-long manhunt to an unexpected end.

Merle Wakefield, 69, disappeared September 25 while working at an Amazon facility in San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo neighborhood. Police reported that his GPS monitor sent a tampering alert around 3:30 a.m., prompting staff from Liberty Healthcare, the company responsible for supervising him, to respond.

By the time they arrived, Wakefield was gone and his ankle monitor had been removed.

Nearly a month later, on October 19, San Diego police responded to reports of a body in a riverbed near Fairmount Avenue and Montezuma Road. The county medical examiner later confirmed the remains belonged to Wakefield, ending a search that had put law enforcement agencies across the region on high alert.

Wakefield had previously been convicted of crimes involving a child under 14 and rape by force in cases dating to 1980 and 1991, according to the Los Angeles Times.

After serving time in prison and receiving treatment at a state mental hospital, he was placed in California’s Conditional Release Program in November 2024. The program allows certain individuals designated as sexually violent predators to live outside state hospitals under court-ordered treatment and supervision. Wakefield’s disappearance triggered immediate concerns about that supervision.

Local residents had previously objected to his placement in the community. Jeff Grace, an organizer with Keep Rancho Bernardo Safe, told ABC 10News that Wakefield was supposed to have round-the-clock human supervision in addition to his electronic monitor. Former Poway Mayor Steve Vaus also questioned how Wakefield managed to escape despite assurances that he would be monitored at all times.

San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson said residents could feel safer knowing Wakefield was no longer a threat, although he emphasized that he did not wish death upon anyone, according to FOX 5/KUSI.

But how did Wakefield die? Authorities have not disclosed a cause or manner of death, and the medical examiner’s findings are pending. Investigators also have not said how long his body had been in the riverbed or whether foul play is suspected.

For now, the manhunt is over, but there are so many chilling questions around his escape and the state’s supervision of high-risk offenders.

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