SAMMY MERCADO - 16 yo - Fresno CA

Investigators say 16-year-old Sammy Mercado was last seen on Thursday.



Police say he and his friends were trying to steal marijuana from a
grow site near the intersection of Annadale and Willow avenues.
The sheriff's office says they have reason to believe that Sammy
Mercado was either shot or wounded on Thursday morning. They're now
trying to find the teenager and the three suspects who they say may have
hurt him.
Neighbors - too afraid to appear on camera - say they
have heard gunshots in the past from the marijuana grow where
16-year-old Sammy Mercado was last seen.
"I probably heard 30 shots back to back over there at one time. I never know who is around who is lurking around."
The Fresno County Sheriff's Office says the teenager and two friends drove to the farm at about 7:30 Thursday morning.
Lt. Robert Salazar said, "They had gone there with the intent of stealing marijuana."
When they arrived, investigators say only Mercado got out of the car and walked towards the field.
Lt. Robert Salazar said, "Two Asian males exits the hut that's about 80
yards away and one Asian man starts to fire upon the car and Mr.
Mercado."
Detectives say his two friends - still in the car away
got away but came back to search for the teen. That's when they saw an
older white four-door Camry pull up driven by an older Asian man.
Lt. Robert Salazar told Action News, "The trunk of the vehicle was
opened but we are not sure if Sammy was put in the trunk of the car or
not."
There is evidence indicating Sammy was either shot or
wounded - according to detectives. The sheriff's office has not
concluded whether the grow is in compliance with county laws.
Investigators are now in the process of interviewing the two others who were with Sammy on the last the day he was seen.
If you have any information about the case, call the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.
Mercado is 16-years-old, has brown hair and brown eyes, he was last seen on Thursday, April 12th.
If you have any information on where he might be, please call the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=8621239

Investigators say Sammy Mercado, 16, of Sanger was last seen on Thursday.
Police say he and his friends were trying to steal marijuana from a
grow site near the intersection of Annadale and Willow avenues.

Family members want to look for Sammy Mercado but have no idea where to
even begin. With few clues, family members are relying on tips from the
public to help sheriff's detectives crack the case.
Sammy's
relative, Virgil Garza told Action News, "It's not about snitching or
ratting, it's about a human life. This kid has his whole life ahead of
him."
Fresno County Sheriff's Detectives say Sammy and two
others went to a grow around 7:30 Thursday morning to steal some
marijuana. Sammy got out of the car, when two men protecting the
valuable crop began firing at the group. Sammy's friends got away
safely, but Sammy was hurt. Investigators won't say how bad.

Family members are hoping Sammy is still alive and being held against
his will. Monday they issued a plea for anyone who knows where Sammy is
to come forward.
"I'm not saying he's perfect, but he needs to come home. Somebody out there knows what happened to Sammy."
Memories of Sammy just last weekend at the family's Easter celebration
are bringing smiles. Loved ones say they are still trying to be
optimistic that he will be found alive.
Sheriff's detectives
are interviewing those who were in the area when shots were fired.
Neighbors tell Action News the crop is monitored constantly by farmers
who stay at the farm 24 hours a day.
Detectives won't speculate
on whether they believe Sammy is still alive, only that they are
working nonstop to find the missing teen.
Chris Curtice with the
Fresno County Sheriff's Office told Action News, "First things first,
that's finding the 16-year-old and whether he is injured or needs
assistance or help and get that done and worry about the grow
afterwards."
Detectives are looking for two trucks and they
need your help. One is described as a raised green Dodge pickup truck
with big tires, and a silver or gray stripe. They're also looking for a
red Dodge truck with a regular cab. If you see these, please call the
Fresno County Sheriff's Department.

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=8623550

A California teen who was allegedly trying to steal pot from an illegal
marijuana farm is missing after armed men fired at him while his friends
drove away.

Police believe that Sammy Mercado, 16, of Sanger, Calif., was shot or
wounded when he and friends drove to an illegal marijuana "grow" in
rural Fresno County last Thursday.

Mercado was the only one of his friends to leave their vehicle and walk
toward the farm, at which point two armed Asian guards emerged from a
building and began firing shots at him, according to ABC News affiliate KFSN.

Mercado's two friends drove away, but returned later to retrieve their
friend and saw a third Asian male pull up in an old Toyota Camry with
the trunk opened, KFSN reported. Police do not know whether Mercado was
placed in the trunk.

"The other subjects are cooperating with detectives, who have been
working the case straight through trying to track these three men down,"
Fresno County Sheriff's spokesman Chris Curtice said while referring to
the teens who were with Mercado.


Missing California Teen: Family Pleads for Return Watch Video

But investigators have found no one at the pot farm and police have
faced challenges in determining who owns and runs the marijuana patch,
which is illegal in Fresno County, Curtice said. The land had been
leased and then subleased subsequent times, and it is unclear to
authorities who was in charge of the five-acre parcel.

Curtice said that marijuana "grows" are common throughout the county,
and are often guarded by armed men in towers on the property. The grows
are illegal.

"There are so many of them, and we only have so many resources. This was
a four- or five-acre grow, which is even considered smaller than a lot
of the other ones," Curtice said.

As illegal marijuana farms have sprung up throughout hte valley in
Fresno County, crime has risen along with it, Curtice said. The county
had a similar case recently of armed pot guards shooting and killing a
thief who was trying to steal marijuana from their farm, he noted.

Curtice said that detectives are working primarily on locating Mercado,
but will investigate the marijuana farm as well. Police are asking the
public to offer any tips regarding Mercado's wherabouts, including
reports of two vehicles in connection with his disappearance: a green
2002 Dodge pickup lifted on larger tires or a later model red Dodge
pickup truck from the mid-2000s, occupied by an Asian male in his
mid-twenties. Both cars were seen leaving the marijuana grow, Curtice said.

Family members told KFSN that they have been trying to look for Mercado, but have no idea where to begin.

"It's not about snitching or ratting, it's about a human life. This kid
has his whole life ahead of him," relative Virgil Garza said. "I'm not
saying he's perfect, but he needs to come home. Somebody out there knows what happened to Sammy."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/california-teen-missing-steal-pot-illegal-marijuana-farm/story?id=16156898#.T44WINnPw-E

Fresno County authorities are asking for the public's help in locating a
21 year old man, wanted for questioning in the disappearance of a
Sanger teenager.



Investigators
say Ernie Chanmany has been identified as one of the suspects possibly
involved in the disappearance of Sammy Mercado.

Last week,
Mercado and two of his friends went to an outdoor marijuana grow in
southeast Fresno with the intent to steal some plants.

As they exited their car, two men opened fire on the boys.

Mercado's friends fled the scene and say they last saw Mercado lying on the ground.

Officials say evidence recovered at the scene shows Mercado was possibly shot or injured.

Detectives say Chanmany is described as a Lao male, standing about 5'6'' tall with black hair and brown eyes.

Investigators are also looking for two vehicles associated with Chanmany.

The first vehicle is described as a 1995 Dodge Ram extended cab pick-up truck with a California license plate number of 54467A1.

It's emerald green in color with silver or white along the bottom part of the truck.

It's lifted with large tires and black rims.

The
second vehicle is described as a 1997 Dodge 1500 extended cab pick-up
truck, red in color, with a California license plate number of 4HPU643.

Anyone
with any information on Chanmany or the two vehicles whereabouts is
asked to call the Fresno County Sheriff's office or Crime Stoppers at
498-STOP.
http://www.kmjnow.com/pages/landing_localnews_2011?Man-Wanted-for-Questioning-in-Missing-Te=1&blockID=600884&feedID=806

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) --
Two pickup trucks wanted in connection with the disappearance of a
missing teen were found in an almond orchard near Hayes and Whitesbridge
(HWY 180), west of Fresno.


The owner of the property found the vehicles around 12:30 p.m. The
owner said the trucks were not on the property Thursday morning when he
owner did a check of the orchard.
Sheriff's detectives did not
find the missing teen and investigators have not said if there was any
evidence found with the vehicles.
"They did do a search of the
area of the orchard. I don't know what if anything they found. They
didn't feel the need to stay here anymore. We have two other detectives
working this aspect of it, the recovery of the two vehicles," said Chris
Curtice with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.
The Fresno
County Sheriff's Department are still looking for 21-year-old Ernie
Chanmany, who is wanted for questioning in the case.
Deputies
say both of the pick up trucks that were abandonded here belong to the
family of Chanmany. On Wednesday, Chanmany was named a person of
interest in the case.
The Fresno County Sheriff's Department
say Sammy Mercado and two other people intended to steal marijuana from a
grow operation on the southwest corner of Annadale and Willow. As
Mercado exited their car, two men came out of a homemade hut on the grow
site, and one of the men started shooting.
The sheriff's
department says the two people with Mercado fled the scene. They say he
was last seen laying on the ground next to the marijuana grow.
The sheriff's department says Mercado may have been shot.
Anyone with information about Sammy Mercado's disapearance is urged to call the fResno County Sheriff's Office at 488-3111.

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=8627662

http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/New-Leads-In-Missing-Sanger-Teen-Case/9iiYmKrph0mjjiVtYYrLtw.cspx

New Leads In Missing Sanger Teen Case


Updated: 4/19 12:13 am
Reported by:Alexandra Limon



16-year-old Sammy Mercado
went missing Thursday, now the Fresno County Sheriff's Department has
new leads. CBS47 spoke to a family friend, about pot farms leading to
shootings like this one.
"There's no fence around, there's a
little ditch seperating the road from it. You can see the marijuana
plants from the street. If they want to protect it that bad, why don't
they put up a fence?" asked Vergil Garza, a friend of the victim's
family.
The teen was last seen by two friends when he was shot, while allegedly trying to steal marijuana from a farm in Sanger.
"One
of the subjects began shooting toward Sammy Mercado and the vehicles at
that point the two subjects that were still in the vehicle left, and
they left Mr. Mercado," said Chris Curtice, Spokesperson with the
Fresno County Sheriff's Department.
21-year-old Ernie Chanmany
was named a person of interest. He is a Lao male, 5'6, 135lbs., and has
black hair and brown eyes. Investigators are also looking for two
trucks. A green 1995 Dodge Ram with California License plate # 4467A1
and a red 1997 Dodge 1500, license plate # HPU643.
CBS47 asked,
if Mercado may no longer be alive? "We have no idea, i mean the longer
that he's not heard from, probably the worse it looks," said Curtice.
We also asked if the marijuana farm is illegal? Investigators say it's
a grey area and they're focusing on finding the missing teen.
Family and friends are holding on to hope. "How do you justify shooting someone over a little plant?," asked Garza.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fresno County Sheriff's Department at (559) 488-3111.
http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/New-Leads-In-Missing-Sanger-Teen-Case/9iiYmKrph0mjjiVtYYrLtw.cspx

May 15th 2012
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KMPH) -
A Fresno man first wanted for
questioning in the disappearance of a Sanger teenager is now wanted for
murder, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Monday
afternoon.

An arrest warrant for murder, attempted murder and weapons charges has been issued for 21-year-old Ernie Chanmany.

Chanmany was initially identified as one of the suspects possibly involved in the disappearance of 16-year-old Sammy Mercado.


Detectives say Mercado and two friends drove
to a field at Annadale and Willow in Southeast Fresno on April 12th to
steal marijuana. Mercado was confronted by two men on the property as
his two friends drove away. They reportedly heard gunshots.

The two friends last saw Mercado lying on the
ground next to the marijuana. Investigators say the two returned later
to try to find Mercado but could not.

The sheriff's office has not released any other details regarding Sammy Mercado.

Chanmany is described as 5'6" tall, weighing
about 135 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He has tattoos of a
dragon on his left shoulder, his first name on his chest and the date
"01-01-10" on his left wrist.

Detectives say Chanmany's last known address
was on South Chance Avenue in Fresno. They say he could be in Las Vegas,
Nevada or Memphis, Tennessee.

Anyone with information is asked to call the
Fresno County Sheriff's Office at (559) 488-3111 or Crime Stoppers at
(559) 498-STOP(7867).
http://www.kmph.com/story/18388111/murder-investigation-fresno-man-wanted

Body of missing Sanger teen believed found

By Eddie Jimenez - The Fresno Bee
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 | 04:32 PM

Ever since Sammy Mercado disappeared outside a Fresno marijuana grow six months ago, Mercado's family has clung to the hope that the missing 16-year-old might still be alive.

On Saturday, they got the news they've been dreading: A body believed to be that of the Sanger teenager was found in a shallow grave east of Fresno.

"This is a horrible story, has a terrible, sad ending, but at least there's an end," said Erica Mercado Camarena, Mercado's cousin, who joined Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims at a news conference Saturday afternoon, hours after the body was recovered.

Mercado has been missing since April 12 when authorities say he and two friends attempted to steal marijuana from a southeast Fresno field near Annadale and Willow avenues.

Mercado was left behind when the two friends fled in their vehicle after shots were fired at them. When they returned, they found blood, but Mercado was gone.

The family notified Sanger police that night that the boy was missing. The next day, sheriff's investigators were alerted. The family posted fliers and held a community fundraiser to raise money for a reward. Still, there was no trace of Mercado.

Two weeks ago, investigators received a tip that Mercado's body was buried near Butler and Thompson avenues east of Fresno, Mims said. Authorities found the body about 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Mims said DNA testing will need to be done to confirm the body's identity. She declined to say who provided the tip.

Meanwhile, Ernie Chanmany, 22, of Fresno, who authorities have identified as a suspect in the case, is now in Fresno County Jail on accessory to murder and other charges.

In mid-May, a murder warrant for Chanmany was issued. He was arrested Oct. 6 during a drug bust in Utah, a Sevier County sheriff's spokesman said Thursday.

Investigators are continuing to look for at least two other suspects in connection with the case, but Mims declined to identify them.

According to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, Mercado and two friends tried to steal from the outdoor marijuana grow. Mercado left the vehicle they were in and entered the field's southwest corner, where he was confronted by two men who came out of a hut on the property.

Mercado's friends heard gunshots and saw him lying on the ground as they drove away.

When the friends returned a short time later, they could not find Mercado. Blood and other evidence at the scene indicated that the teenager might have been shot, sheriff's investigators said.

Authorities said at the time that Mercado might have been put in the trunk of a four-door white Toyota Camry that a third man had driven to the field. Two pickups were described as also being seen in the field.

About a week after Mercado's disappearance, two pickups that belonged to Chanmany's family were found abandoned in an almond orchard west of Fresno, but sheriff's investigators could find no sign of Mercado.

Camarena said Saturday that her family is grateful to Mims and sheriff's investigators for their efforts to find her cousin.

Still, she said Mercado's family is heartbroken and struggling to deal with his death.

"We were still holding on to hope that Sammy would still be alive," she said.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/10/20/3036387/body-of-missing-sanger-teen-believed.html#storylink=cpy

Obituaries for Sunday, Nov. 18

The Fresno Bee
Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012 | 11:04 PM

MERCADO -- Sammy Mercado, 16, of Sanger died Oct. 20. Mass: 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary's New Catholic Church. He was a student and the son of Diana Juarez and Phillip Mercado. Arrangements: Sunset Funeral Services in Fowler.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/11/17/3070582/obituaries-for-sunday-nov-18.html#storylink=cpy