On September 02, 2017, Merced Police Department (MPD) officers responded to the 100 block of Hawk Dr. for a body that had been found in the area. MPD officers arrived and located the body of a deceased female. The death was determined to be a homicide. With the assistance from the California Department of Justice and the Merced County Sheriffs Coroner’s Office, MPD detectives identified the deceased as a female juvenile who resided in the City of Merced.

Shortly after the victim was identified, MPD detectives identified Benjamin Herbert Goddard as a person of interest in the victim’s disappearance. As the investigation continued, Goddard became the primary suspect in the victim’s death. On October 16, 2018, Goddard was charged with the victim’s death. When Goddard was charged, he was already in custody at the Merced County Jail on other charges.

Merced Police are asking anyone with any information regarding this crime to contact Detective Moses Nelson at (209) 388-7756.

The public can send information via anonymous text messages to police department by dialing “TIP411” (847411)