Merced County’s top stories: Murder-suicide, license plate surveillance, spring fair
Crime, campus surveillance and community events dominated the Merced Sun-Star’s most-read stories last week.
From a child’s death in Nevada with Merced ties to questions about UC Merced police data-sharing, here’s what readers were following.
Here are key takeaways:
• Murder-suicide with Merced ties: An 11-year-old boy, Callan Perez, was killed by his father in a murder-suicide at the Elko Regional Airport in Nevada on April 13. Callan previously attended Luther Burbank Elementary School in Merced and placed third in Merced County’s 2025 Father of the Year essay contest.
• UC Merced sharing license plate data with Border Patrol: Records obtained by the Sun-Star show UC Merced police shared license plate reader data with nine federal agencies — including the San Diego Sector Border Patrol — and 187 non-California entities, despite state law limiting such sharing to California public agencies.
• Free fair admission for kids: The Merced County Spring Fair, running April 29 to May 3 at the Los Banos Fairgrounds, is offering free admission for children 12 and under through a partnership with Valley Children’s Healthcare.
• Possible fatal dog attack in Atwater: A man was found dead near Highway 140 and Station Avenue with dog bite injuries. Five dogs from a nearby residence were quarantined, and the cause of death is pending autopsy.
• Another fatal shooting in Livingston: Police investigated a fatal shooting on the 2100 block of Alameda Court — the second in Livingston in one week. A male suspect remains at large.
• Storm brings rain and snow: A short but strong storm moved through Merced County, with rainfall amounts up to three-quarters of an inch and snow forecast for Yosemite National Park.
