Merced, CA (November 3, 2025) — The California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Central Division Major Crimes Unit announced new developments in the unsolved 2021 murder of Timothy Lamore Sheeler Jr., a 25-year-old Winton resident who was fatally shot while driving on State Route 99 near Franklin Road in Merced County.
According to the CHP’s official news release issued Monday, investigators have identified a late-model silver Volkswagen Passat as the suspect vehicle. The new information was developed after reviewing community-submitted tips and surveillance footage from the City of Atwater, which captured the car traveling southbound on SR-99 shortly before the shooting.
On June 15, 2021, at approximately 2:30 p.m., CHP Merced Area officers responded to reports of gunfire on southbound Highway 99. Upon arrival, they found Sheeler in his vehicle suffering from fatal injuries. Witnesses at the time described seeing a light-colored, four-door sedan speeding away from the scene, occupied by at least two individuals.
Detectives canvassed nearby areas for surveillance video and interviewed multiple witnesses, but the case remained unsolved for more than four years. The newly identified vehicle and corroborating video evidence mark the first significant lead since 2021. The motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
The Sheeler family continues to seek justice and is urging anyone with information—no matter how small—to come forward.
Anyone with details related to the case is asked to contact Detective O. Martinez at (209) 321-0089 or the CHP Merced Communications Center at (209) 356-2900, referencing case number 21-460-0665. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through Merced Area Crime Stoppers by calling 1-855-725-2420 or by texting “MERCED” to 274637 (CRIMES).
