Four members of a California family, including an 8-month-old baby girl, were found dead Wednesday in a rural area after they were kidnapped Monday in the city of Merced, authorities said.
The victims, identified as Arohi Dheri, were abducted along with her mother Jasleen Kaur, 27, her father Jasdeep Singh, 36, and the child’s uncle Amandeep Singh, 39. Police said the four were abducted on Monday. morning at the family’s trucking company in Merced, about 150 miles (240 km) east of San Jose.
Merced County Sheriff Vernon Warnke said at a media briefing, “Tonight our worst fears were confirmed. We have located four people from the abduction and they are indeed dead.”
Calling the incident “horrifyingly senseless”, Warnke said the motive for the crime was still unknown, adding that he was alerted by a farm worker.
Authorities in Merced County said Jesus Manuel Salgado, 48, was a suspect in the family’s slayings and was in custody. Warnke said during a news conference Wednesday morning that he was trying to talk to Salgado, who was hospitalized after trying to kill himself before being taken into custody, to find out. Find out if someone else is involved or not.
“We are devastated. We are in shock. We are dying every minute,” said a relative who gave his first name as Balwinder during the news conference.
Warnke said he had notified the family of the death.
“We received information from the suspect. We’ll keep that close to our chest at this point, but the suspect is actually talking to us,” Warnke said.
Police showed surveillance video from outside the trucking company showing a man wearing a medical-style mask carrying Jasdeep and Amandeep Singh, then Kaur and his daughter.
Police were alerted to the crime after Amandeep Singh’s black 2020 Dodge Ram pickup truck was found burning on the side of a county road. During the investigation, sheriff’s deputies were unable to reach the family and determined they had been kidnapped, leading them to a trucking business.
Authorities took Salgado into custody after the family’s ATM card was used at a nearby bank. The sheriff said the motive has yet to be determined.
