Hilmar, CA – On September 19, 2021, at approximately 7:15pm, The Merced County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Hot Rod’s Diner on Lander Avenue in Hilmar in regards to a shooting. When Deputies arrived on-scene they found 38-year-old Jasper Gray deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. The Merced County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Bureau was called to the scene and began a homicide investigation.
32-year-old, Brandy Ashlyn Bettencourt-Costa is wanted for questioning in regards to the homicide. If anyone has any information regarding Bettencourt-Costa’s whereabouts or regarding the homicide investigation, please contact the Merced County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Bureau at (209)385-7472. Any information given can remain anonymous and could help solve this crime.