Escaped Sexually Violent Predator Found Dead in San Diego

Overview

• Law enforcement reported that Merle Wakefield, 69, was found dead Monday off the 4800 block of Fairmount Avenue in San Diego and a ruling on cause of death is pending an autopsy.
• Wakefield had been missing since the morning of Sept. 25 after he removed his mandated GPS monitor and fled from a supervised work placement in Rancho Bernardo.
• He was designated a state sexually violent predator after convictions in 1980 and 1991 and had been on supervised release through California’s Conditional Release Program since November 2024.
• Regional units including the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force and the sheriff’s Fugitive Task Force led the search and have shifted their efforts to an investigation; authorities previously issued a felony warrant for failure to register as a sex offender.
• The case highlights how the Conditional Release Program uses work placements and GPS monitoring for high-risk releasees and that removal of electronic monitors can trigger multi-agency manhunts and review of supervision practices.