Sheriff: Mendota boy was drowned, put in dryer

Published online on Monday, Nov. 02, 2009

The 4-year-old Mendota boy who disappeared Friday was drowned and placed in a neighbor's dryer before a search for the child had even begun, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said Monday.

Mims said Alex Christopher Mercado was playing outside his Tuft Street home in northwest Mendota on Friday when a 14-year-old neighbor boy brought him into the neighbor's home next door and killed him.

Mims would not specify how or where Alex was allegedly drowned in the house.

After the killing, the teenager placed the child in the dryer, which was in a closet, Mims said. The teenager, whose name has not been made public, has been arrested in connection with the child's death.

Mims declined to say why the child was killed. She said investigators have suspicions about motives, and those suspicions will be spelled out when charges are filed. Mims said investigators will present their case to the Fresno County District Attorney's Office today.

She declined to release the results of an autopsy completed Monday.

She said the teenager is not being identified because of his age. However, she would not rule out the possibility that the teen, who is being held at the Juvenile Justice Campus, would be charged as an adult.

The teen's mother apparently was not involved and isn't facing charges, Mims said.

Matt Flood, a spokesman for the Mercado family, said Monday evening that the family is handling the news of how their son died as well as can be expected. Flood, who attends a Mormon church with the family in Kerman, said they've shown a lot of strength.

"I am surprised at their strength and their ability and willingness to move forward," he said. "If it were me, I wouldn't be able to handle this as well."

Helen Sanchez, who lives near the Mercado family, went to give her condolences Monday morning. She saw Alex's mother sitting on the ground, starting at the suspect's house.

"This has been really hard for her and for people in the neighborhood," Sanchez said. "It's a terrible thing that has happened."

Norma Tamayo, who lives across the street from the suspect, said her 10-year-old daughter is so frightened that she wants to move.

"You just don't know about the people who live around you," Tamayo said.

Miguel Amador, who attended school with the suspect last year, said the teenager made him uncomfortable.

"I used to sit next to him in class and he was the kind of kid that would creep me out," said Amador, 13. "He was always looking at you, just staring at you."

Joseph Riofrio, a Mendota City Council member, said the boy made him uncomfortable, as well, when he would come to Riofrio's video store with his mother. He said the teenager had unusual habits, such as wearing a parka in the middle of summer.

Alex's disappearance sparked an extensive search Friday night. The next day, officials from the FBI and the Sheriff's Office asked to search the teen's home and discovered Alex's body in the dryer, Mims said.

The Sheriff's Office is handling the homicide investigation, under an agreement with the Mendota Police Department, which lacks the resources to handle large cases.