4-year-old California boy's body found in dryer

[Are_grits_groceries]

MENDOTA, Calif. -- Authorities say the body of a missing 4-year-old California boy was found in the clothes dryer of a neighbor's home and a 14-year-old boy from the house in Mendota has been arrested on suspicion of the killing.

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims says 4-year-old Alex Christopher Mercado's body was found Saturday. According to Mims, the boy was placed in the dryer after he was killed.

Sheriff's spokesman Chris Curtice says Alex's parents reported him missing Friday afternoon. Deputies joined by dozens of volunteers combed the area through the night and the boy was found in the dryer about 24 hours after he disappeared.

The suspect - whose name was not released - was arrested later in the day.

http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/1009425.html

Oy vey!

[elocs]

1. Right now how many other children's bodies are hidden or buried somewhere?

At this very moment how many children are being raped, beaten, tortured, murdered...some by their own parents?

It's a sad and evil world we live in.

[Tim01]

3. Thanks for that.............not. nt

[elocs]

5. Sorry, that's the sad reality and the truth. Not hearing it doesn't change it. n/t

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. Should DU consider a Daily Death Forum?

I have no idea why this story would have any relevance in the general discussion forum and it seems a bit macabre for the lounge.

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. omg. We talk about the Richmond gang rape, Garrido and other crimes. Why not this?

OMG

[JuniperLea]

13. OMG!

This entire thread is freaking me out! It's bad enough that a little boy was found dead in a dryer, but now we have people who either don't want to hear it at all, or are drawing all sorts of bizarre conclusions based on this story.

We need a public option health plan that can eventually morph into a single-payer plan... because it's increasingly clear to me that there are not enough people seeking mental health services! Some are putting little boys in dryers, and some are posting on DU!

:banghead:

[LeftyMom]

4. Why is a newspaper in South Carolina covering this?

Presumably almost nobody there knows anybody involved, or for that matter can find Mendota, CA on a map.

Oh wait, it's because wire stories about dead kids thousands of miles away are cheap and easy, while covering your fucked up local politics takes manpower. And guts. And money.

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. Not to meantion, FEAR FEAR FEAR

Keep the public on edge and fearful so they will be willing to agree to ANYTHING to stop this from happening to THEIR kids.

Like installing cameras on every corner lightpost. Spying on neighbors. Staying inside and watching television, where you are SAFE.

[LeftyMom]

15. I only got one trick or treater this year. My neighborhood has tons of kids,

but apparently the culture of fear is going to kill off one more aspect of a happy childhood.

Making a national story out of local tragedies scares the piss out of parents and hurts kids. We're all horrified, and rightly so, that something could happen to take our children away from us. But manipulating that fear for ratings gets us scared of all the wrong things and gets us to make bad decisions.

The number one preventable threat to our kids' safety isn't creepy neighbors, sex offenders, swine flu, or terror plots. It's our inattentive driving. edit: Maybe we need more national stories about car accidents.

[Flaneur]

7. I unrecced this because I'm tired of the daily death outrage stories.

They never excite any serious discussion about why these things happen and what could be done about it. Instead, they typically become vengeance fests.

[JuniperLea]

11. That's not what "unrec" is for!

Jeez... can't people take instruction at all? No wonder little boys are being found dead in dryers...

Your entire post is wrong. Anything has the potential to become a "vengeance fest" and no one topic is immune, not one.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

20. Unrecced for bickerinng about unrec.

Isn't it ironic... don't ya think?

[VMI Dem]

8. California seems unpleasant.

To say the least.

[JuniperLea]

9. Wrong...

California is exceedingly plesant. The crime rate isn't any worse than anywhere else if you look at per-capita figures.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. +1

[Hepburn]

16. +1....

...I love L.A.!

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. That's the whole point of stories like this.

What we need is a STRONG LEADER, preferably with tall black boots, to TAKE CHARGE and SAVE US from these horrors.

The other story:

5,102,491 boys were NOT found dead in dryers in California.

[REP]

17. It IS! You shouldn't even think of moving here. Really.

[JuniperLea]

19. Erm... Yeah! You're right!

And surfing sucks too, so stay off those ugly beaches!

[LeftyMom]

18. It's terrible. Never visit.

This message brought to you by Californians For Less Crowded Freeways.

[Bluenorthwest]

21. As if CA could afford to go without tourist money!

The actual message of Californians For Less Crowded Freeways should be 'Light Rail Now'.

[LeftyMom]

22. Meh.

We have light rail here. The cars are stuffy and smell like sweaty bums and stale pee (presumably because of all the sweaty bums on board.) I'd rather sit in traffic. Or walk. Or roll naked to my destination on a carpet of broken glass. At least nobody is drunk and trying to talk to me about Jesus while I sit in my car in traffic. I can't tell you how many times I had that experience on RT.

I'm going to go hug my car now for saving me from the horror (and nausea- no, I am not joking, it really fucking smells) of riding RT.

BART's not bad though. When I go to the bay I usually just drive to one of the outlying stations, park my car and get the train, unless I'm going to be bringing back enough people or buying something big enough that I need the car.

[Xithras]

24. LOL!

I'm glad I'm not the only one with RT horror stories. Between the homeless people peeing in the corners, the muggers on the platforms, and the train operators who keep running into things, it's no wonder that so few people ride it. I just heard they eliminated transfers too, which effectively meant a 200% to 300% rate increase for some riders.

[LeftyMom]

25. And a monthly pass is $100! I pay less than that for gas and insurance.

And nobody yells at me for not accepting their Chick tracts.

[philly_bob]

23. UNREC because this kind of story is not what I turn to DU for. n/t