Four members of a California family, including an 8-month-old girl, were found dead in a rural area on Wednesday. They had been taken from their home in the city of Merced on Monday.
The victims were named 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 kidnapped on Monday at the family’s trucking business in Merced, California—about 150 miles (240 kilometers) east of San Jose.
“Tonight, our worst suspicions came true. 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 incident “horribly unnecessary,” adding that the motive for the murder was yet unknown. He also added that a farm worker had alerted authorities.
A person of interest in the kidnapping was captured on Tuesday. The sheriff’s office reported that Jesus Manuel Salgado, 48, was detained when one of the victim’s credit cards was used at an ATM in the city of Atwater in Merced County on Tuesday morning.
According to the sheriff’s office, Salgado made an attempt at suicide before being detained. He was admitted to the hospital in a critical state.
Before the bodies were found, on Wednesday morning, sheriff’s officials held a news conference and showed security footage that they said showed an armed man leading the victims out of the store.
Jasdeep and Amandeep, who are both zip-tied at the hands, are shown in the video being placed in the back of a pickup vehicle as the man leaves the premises with them. Six minutes after leaving, the truck returns. After returning inside, the suspect exits with Kaur and her daughter, Aroohi Dheri.
There was still no information available on the abductions’ motivation or any potential connections between Salgado and the victims. Salgado, according to Warnke, was found guilty of robbery in 2005. According to Warnke, after being released on parole in 2015, Salgado hasn’t had much interaction with police enforcement, according to Warnke.
Salgado had not been able to contact investigators as of Wednesday morning, according to Warnke. In this situation, he has not yet faced any criminal charges.
The pickup truck, with Amandeep’s registration, was discovered on fire late Monday morning on a country road in Winton, a town a few miles north of the city of Merced, according to the sheriff’s office. This discovery sparked the inquiry.
Officers from the California Highway Patrol attempted to get in touch with Amandeep but were unsuccessful. They then got in touch with a family member, who was equally unsuccessful. Later, the family member filed a missing person report for all four. Investigators from the sheriff’s office came to the conclusion that the four had been taken from the company early on Monday afternoon.
“We are shocked. 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. Warnke said. “That suspect has in fact been speaking with us, but we are going to keep it quiet for the time being.
In a security video from outside the trucking company, Jasdeep and Amandeep Singh were led away by a man whose face was hidden by a medical-style mask. They were followed by Kaur and her daughter.
The black 2020 Dodge Ram pickup truck owned by Amandeep Singh was discovered burning on the side of a county road, alerting police to the crime. During their investigation, sheriff’s deputies found out that the family was missing. They thought that the family had been kidnapped, which led them to the trucking company.
Authorities took Salgado into custody after the family’s ATM card was used at a nearby bank. The sheriff stated they had not found a motive.