So much for round-the-clock supervision. But who needed the protection?
A convicted child sex offender who removed his GPS ankle monitor and disappeared from his job at an Amazon warehouse was found dead weeks later in a Southern California riverbed.
According to Los Angeles Magazine, 69-year-old Merle Wakefield disappeared on September 25, and his body was discovered on October 19. He had spent decades in prison and a state mental hospital before being released under California’s Conditional Release Program in November 2024.
What makes this case particularly disturbing is that Wakefield was not welcome in his community. Organized groups opposed his presence, and local officials publicly questioned his placement. Authorities had not disclosed his cause or manner of death when the article was published. While his disappearance initially raised suspicions that he had absconded, we should not automatically assume he simply ran away.
Why would a 69-year-old man who had spent decades confined, finally obtained release, secured a job, and seemingly had an opportunity to make the most of his remaining years suddenly throw it all away? We don’t know what happened. But the circumstances raise a more plausible explanation. Was he abducted and murdered?
There is no evidence establishing that anyone who opposed his presence was involved in his death. But we do know that there were people who wanted him out of their community. When society treats people as permanent outcasts, regardless of what they do after serving their sentences, we must ask what happens when that hostility goes beyond protest.
If Wakefield absconded, establish the facts. If he was murdered, we hope the authorities will investigate it just as seriously because his past should not make the circumstances of his death any less worthy of scrutiny.
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They want us to be constantly afraid, constantly feel like we are being watched and stalked and tracked. This is openly discussed and is the stated objective of community notifications and the public access feature of the registry. It’s a hit list with GPS directions and you are the target. We are all, obviously, political prisoners in our own country.
I also have a question if anyone knows.
I had an address verification today, same guy normally comes by.
Only this time asked if I have a “smart phone”.
I said, I guess, it’s like 5-6 years old most likely now it’s more stupid than smart, why?
He asked if he could see it and see if I had any social media that was not on my list or anything I didn’t report.
So, I told him I will not hand you my phone, but since I have nothing to hide, I’ll scroll through my apps and show you.
And he said that was ok.
Question is, do they have the right to ask that?
And should I have been an ass and told him get a dam warrant?
What’s the norm here?
If you’re not on probation you can say no.
Thank you, but wouldn’t that make them want to be a bit more aggressive with you, or ask “why, are you hiding something?”
There was a post on this from a couple of months ago. Take a look through the archives.
You can say no, they cannot look at your phone, smart phone or not (which I wouldn’t answer their question by taking the 5th and wait for their next question). They may get upset by this denial, but they have to suck it up because that is what is in your power. They know why they are there, but will push the boundaries of it to see how far they get. They only need to see your DL/ID to know it is you. If they do get upset, shrug your shoulders, but record the interaction as soon as you know they’re at your residence and then, IMO, promptly notify FAC, et al of the interaction and where it happened. They will probably behave a lot better if they see you are recording.
It would not.
Here are related Florida Action Committee posts to go through:
1. Traffic Stops and Registry Questions: Know Your Rights
Phone searches, consent, internet identifiers and supervision conditions.
https://floridaactioncommittee.org/traffic-stops-and-registry-questions-know-your-rights/
2. At Risk of Being Falsely Accused — July 21, 2026
Consent to cellphone/home searches and police questioning.
https://floridaactioncommittee.org/fac-weekly-update-2026-07-21-at-risk-of-being-falsely-accused/
3. Compliance Checks and Registration Enforcement Across Florida — June 23, 2026
Smartphone apps, internet identifiers and keeping proof of registration updates.
https://floridaactioncommittee.org/fac-weekly-update-2026-06-23-compliance-checks-and-registration-enforcement-across-florida/
4. When an Arrest Becomes a Label: A Closer Look at On Patrol: Live
An arrest segment and its phone-search explanation.
https://floridaactioncommittee.org/on-patrol-live-arrest-registry-label/
5. Compulsory Password Disclosure at the Supreme Court — December 21, 2023
Historical background on compelled passcodes, not a statement of today’s settled law.
https://floridaactioncommittee.org/compulsory-password-disclosure-at-the-supreme-court/
Start with 1–3. Probation or supervision conditions can changes things remember!
Remember, in this country, in this society, there is no redemption for a sex offender.
They will say he ran away and killed himself.
You’re all crazy if you think the cops, public officials or anyone gives a rats a__ about what happens to us!
No one cares and no one ever will!
I’ve been on this over 30 years, and it just gets worse by the day!
I made a mistake of listening to an uneducated lawyer and took a plea. We agreed to a bunch of stuff all laid out on paper.
Every year they change it to whatever they want.
BUT, if I decide to change something, or not abide by something, I go to jail!
But why can change EVERYTHING that they agreed upon in the plea and I just have to take it.
Why, cause no one freakin care or gives a shit!
We are all “lowlife” POS that they don’t care about.
All through history, the human race needs some one to point at and say,” oh, look, that’s a pedo, that’s a “n” word, that’s a Jew, that’s a dam “spic” that’s a lowlife…
They need to have someone they can “put down” to make them look better and not have someone look in there “closet”.
And until we find someone that they “humans” can hate more than us, it will Never change.
I disagree, many on the registry give up and take their own lives or choose to go back to prison. The hate we get, the damage to our homes and cars, and if we have a family, they are targeted too. I am sad they he passed (By what ever means) but at least he will not have to ever register again.
But I bet they will keep him on the registration list, at least on Florida they do. So sorry your journey ended in death my friend but I understand the pain the registry causes as well. Although I would never take my own life, I understand the reasons people give up, and that does not mean they are weak, but they feel there is no hope.
Well written and sobering article. Thank you.
In this day and age, one has to use reason for everything and always question the narrative at any given time. Be a spiritually minded on this earthly realm of deceit. Blessings to those who can still feel empathy and concern for others.