Full Notification

SMPD Investigating Fatal Stabbing Posted to Facebook
 
The San Mateo Police arrest suspect in connection with murder of person posted to Facebook.   
 
San Mateo, CA - On Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 3:48 p.m., San Mateo Police were notified by Nye County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada that a subject called them to report she witnessed a “stabbing” on Facebook and provided the name and phone number of the subject who posted the story. Due to the seriousness of the crime, Nye County “pinged” the phone number associated to the Facebook account and it came back to the area of the 200 block of 37^th Ave., a large apartment complex. Without an apartment number and with the variance of the ping accuracy, SMPD officers saturated the area and initiated a door-to-door canvass of the complex to attempt to locate the possible victim and/or suspect. After almost 3-hours of systematically searching, officers established a possible connection and located a decedent in an apartment on the 200 block of 36^th Ave. (same complex). The suspect was not on scene, but his identity had been learned. And within 2-hours of locating the victim, our suspect was in custody.
 
Investigators were able to track the suspect’s whereabouts and located him in San Jose, where he was arrested without incident. The suspect, identified as Mark Merchikoff, had known the female victim. While the motive for stabbing the victim is still under investigation, we do know Merchikoff mercilessly filmed the last moments of the victim’s life and posted the video to Facebook, then fled the area.
 
Anyone with information or security footage related to this homicide should contact Detective Sergeant Dave Manion at (650) 522-7660 or [email protected].  Anonymous tips can be submitted to http://tinyurl.com/SMPDTips or by calling (650) 522-7676.  
 
We encourage our community to invest in security cameras. They are especially helpful in identifying suspicious activity in neighborhoods when cameras are street facing. Our officers regularly canvass for surveillance, and you can help us by notifying SMPD where your cameras are located in your neighborhood at www.cityofsanmateo.org/Nest.  
 
ARRESTED
Mark Merchikoff, age 39, Pacifica resident
Charge: 187(a) PC – Homicide