FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KMPH) -
Fresno County investigators fear a missing teenager could be hurt, shot, or worse.
16-year-old Sammy Mercado, of Sanger, was last seen on Thursday, April 12th.
Deputies say he was with a group of friends and they were trying to steal marijuana plants from a field near Annadale and Willow, in southeast Fresno.
One man who lives in the neighborhood, but didn't want to be identified, says he noticed something unusual.
"Some Asian farmers growing stuff out there, Saturday morning saw some sheriff's department deputies out there and had the road blocked off and knew there was some activity," said the man.
Deputies say Mercado and two fiends drove to a field area early Thursday morning.
Mercado got out of the car with the intent of stealing marijuana from the field.
Two men came out of a nearby hut and confronted Mercado.
The friends drove off, and say they heard gunshots on the way out.
When they came back for Mercado a short time later, they couldn't find him.
Deputies say the friends saw three men rummaging through the trunk of a car, but they weren't sure if Mercado was in the trunk or not.
That car is described as a white, 4-door Toyota Camry.
Two trucks were also spotted there, a new Ford F150 pickup, and a red Toyota 4x4 with a camper shell.
Deputies fear Mercado may have been shot, and his life may be on the line.
"It's pretty quiet out here for the most part, and that's why people come out here and do this kind of thing, not many eyeballs out here keeping an eye on things," said the neighbor.
Relatives say they're shocked at the circumstances of his disappearance, but are not surprised he was after pot.
"Knowing him, he was smoking weed with friends even before he went to home school, it sounds like something he would do," said Vanessa Mercado, a cousin of the missing teen.
"It's really unfortunate. I hope they do find the kid, and there's a happy ending to this story," said the neighbor.
The three men who were also in that area at the time have not been identified and detectives are looking for them as well.
If you have any information, you're asked to call the Fresno County Sheriff's Department at (559) 488-3111.
