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Monday, Nov. 02, 2009
Killing of boy, 4, shocks West Side town
Body was found in clothes dryer at neighbor's home.
Residents of Mendota are struggling to come to terms with the weekend killing of a 4-year-old boy and the arrest of a teenage neighbor implicated in his death.
Residents of the town of 10,000 had been aware of Alex Christopher Mercado's disappearance since Friday afternoon because of fliers posted across town, media accounts and word of mouth.
Dozens of residents searched for Alex until officials announced that he had been found dead in a neighbor's dryer Saturday.
His death sent shock waves across town, Mendota leaders said Sunday.
"Everybody was looking for the little boy," said Joseph Riofrio, a member of the Mendota City Council and a business owner. "It's really shocking and unsettling. This is something that happens in big cities, in other places. Now it's happened here." Alex is the first homicide victim since Mendota opened its Police Department two months ago. But under an agreement with Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims, the sheriff's office is in charge of the investigation because the nine-officer department doesn't have the resources to handle homicide cases, Police Chief Jerry Galvin said. He said he couldn't comment Sunday on the investigation.
Mims announced Saturday night that a 14-year-old boy who lives next to Alex has been arrested in connection with the killing, adding that Alex was put in the dryer after he was killed.
A spokesman said Mims' office expects to make public more details about the investigation today.
A crowd was gathered around Alex's home when Galvin broke the news to his father, Riofrio said. The father dropped to his knees in anguish and his mother screamed.
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