After being kidnapped in the city of Merced on Monday, four members of a California family—including an 8-month-old girl—were discovered dead in a remote region on Wednesday, according to officials.
The victims were named as the infant Aroohi Dheri, her mother Jasleen Kaur, 27, her father Jasdeep Singh, 36, and the infant’s uncle Amandeep Singh, 39, who were all stolen. According to police, the four were taken on Monday morning from the family’s trucking business in Merced, California, which is located approximately 150 miles (240 kilometres) east of San Jose.
“Our darkest worries were realised tonight. The four victims of the kidnapping were located, and it turned out that they had passed away, according to Merced County Sheriff Vernon Warnke.
Warnke called the event “horribly needless,” adding that the motive for the murder was yet unknown. He also added that a farm worker had informed authorities.
Jesus Manuel Salgado, 48, was a suspect in the family’s killings, according to Merced County authorities, and he was in arrest. Warnke had stated during a news conference on Wednesday morning that they were seeking to speak with Salgado, who was hospitalised after attempting suicide before being brought into prison, to ascertain whether another individual was involved.
“We are in shock. We’re stunned. During the news conference, a relative who only used his first name, Balwinder, stated that “we are dying every second.”
Warnke said that they had informed the family of the fatalities.
“The suspect provided information to us. That suspect has in fact been speaking with us, but we are going to keep it quiet for the time being, Warnke said.
Jasdeep and Amandeep Singh were led away by a guy whose face was hidden by a medical-style mask on a security video from outside the trucking firm, followed by Kaur and her daughter.
The black 2020 Dodge Ram pickup vehicle owned by Amandeep Singh was discovered burning on the side of a county road, alerting police to the crime. Sheriff’s deputies discovered the family was missing while doing their investigation and came to the conclusion that they had been kidnapped, which led them to the trucking company.
After the family’s ATM card was used at a nearby bank, authorities detained Salgado. The sheriff claimed that a motive has not yet been identified.
