Sexually Violent Predator Merle Wakefield Missing From Rancho Bernardo, Sheriff’s Office Seeks Public Assistance
The San Diego County Sheriff's Office is searching for Merle Wakefield, a 69-year-old sexually violent predator who disappeared from Rancho Bernardo early Friday morning. His GPS device was found tampered with while he was working, and he is wanted for…
San Diego, CA, September 27, 2026 — The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office is actively searching for Merle Wakefield, a 69-year-old individual designated as a sexually violent predator. Wakefield was reported missing from the Rancho Bernardo area early Friday morning.
Authorities stated that Wakefield is wanted for violating the terms of his conditional release. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance indicate that his GPS monitoring device was found tampered with. This tampering occurred while Wakefield was reportedly at his place of work.
The Sheriff’s Office has not released specific details regarding the exact date of Friday morning or the name of the employer or location where Wakefield was working when the incident occurred. The specific conditions of his release that were violated beyond the GPS tampering were also not immediately provided.
Merle Wakefield is described as a 69-year-old male. Further identifying details or descriptions were not immediately available from law enforcement. The Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone with information regarding Wakefield’s whereabouts to contact them immediately.
The investigation is ongoing, and officials are requesting that the public not approach Wakefield if he is sighted, but rather to report any information to the authorities.
Story summarized from the original created by Renee Schmiedeberg on www.nbcsandiego.com, see more information here.
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