MERCED COUNTY, Calif. – Four members of a family in Northern California that were kidnapped by a gunman and missing since Monday were found dead Wednesday. Law enforcement authorities have a suspect in custody, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said.
Sheriff Warnke told members of the press on Wednesday that their “worst fears have been confirmed” after a farm worker discovered the bodies of the kidnap victims, which included 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her parents – Jasleen Kaur, 27, and Jasdeep Singh, 36 – and her uncle, Amandeep Singh, 39, Fox News Digital reported.
Early on Wednesday, authorities released surveillance video from the family business in the city of Merced, which showed a suspect kidnapping the foursome.
In the video, the male victims were led away with their hands zip-tied behind their backs toward Amandeep Singh’s pickup truck.
Next, the suspect led Jasdeep Singh, who was carrying the baby into the truck as well before driving them away.
Although no ransom demands were made by the suspect, and other family members said nothing was stolen from the business property, Warnke believed the crime was financially motivated.
After the bodies were discovered, Warnke told members of the press late Wednesday evening, “Tonight our worst fears have been confirmed. We found the four people from the kidnapping and they are, in fact, deceased.”
“There are no words right now to describe the anger I feel and the senselessness of this incident,” the sheriff noted.
“There’s a special place in hell for this guy,” Warnke emphasized.
Warnke said his department received a call from a farm worker around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday who found the bodies during his job duties, the New York Post reported.
“They were relatively close together,” he said of how the four family members were found.
The victims bodies were discovered the day after law enforcement officials arrested a convicted robber believed to be responsible for the kidnapping and two days after they discovered the stolen truck on fire outside Merced.
Jesus Manuel Salgado, 48, was identified as the suspect. He was taken into custody on Tuesday in severe condition as he attempted to take his own life, the Merced Sheriff’s Office said, according to Fox News.
The manner and method of his suicide attempt were not disclosed.
Salgado reportedly tried to use one of the victim’s bank cards at an ATM in Atwater, which is about 10 miles from Merced. This led to his capture.
“On October 4, 2022, in the morning hours, Merced County Sheriff Detectives received information that one of the victim’s ATM cards was used at an ATM located at a bank in the City of Atwater. Investigators obtained the surveillance photo of a subject making a bank transaction where the person is similar in appearance to the surveillance photo from the original kidnapping scene,” MCSO said in a press release.
Salgado’s relatives reportedly contacted law enforcement authorities and told them the kidnapper acknowledge being involved in the crimes.
The sheriff said authorities are “still working” to investigate the series of crimes and Justice Department officials would be “processing the scene” throughout the night.
Charges against Salgado are pending.
