The bodies of four members of a California family seen on video as they were kidnapped earlier this week have been found in an “extremely remote” area of Merced County.
Jasleen Kaur, 27, and Jasdeep Singh, 36, their 8-month old baby Aroohi Dheri, and the baby’s uncle, 39-year-old Amandeep Singh were taken at gunpoint from a trucking business they operated on Monday, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
A suspect in the kidnapping, 48-year-old Jesus Salgado, was located on Tuesday and attempted suicide before he was taken into custody. He’s been hospitalized in critical condition.
Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said that a farm worker came across the bodies of the family late Wednesday afternoon and that they were “relatively close together,” the Merced Sun-Star reported.
“Our worst fears have been confirmed,” Warnke said at a news conference late Wednesday. “There’s no words right now to describe the anger I feel and the senselessness of this incident.”
Warnke said Salgado has been talking with investigators despite being sedated.
“The suspect has been talking off and on, based upon his condition. And we still have investigators with the suspect and we are gleaning information from that,” Warnke said. “This investigation is now gearing towards putting this rotten son of a gun in prison.”
Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the kidnapping and murders. Salgado was in prison seven years ago, released on parole in 2015 after a 2005 conviction for witness intimidation and a robbery with gun enhancements, the Merced County District Attorney’s Office said.
Police released the surveillance video showing the kidnapping on Monday morning — a masked and armed man walks into the business and later leads Jasdeep and Amandeep Singh out at gunpoint, both with their hands ziptied behind their backs, and puts them in Amandeep’s pickup truck. Minutes later, the suspect brings out Kaur, holding her baby, and put them into the truck as well. The truck was later found on fire.
Undersheriff Corey Gibson also said that a farmer found the family’s cell phones in the middle of the road near Dos Palos. The phones were ringing, he said, as other family members were calling the numbers. Warnke said Wednesday night that the phones were found not far from where the bodies were later found.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Jasleen Kaur, Jasdeep Singh, and Aroohi Dheri, left, and Amandeep Singh/Merced County Sheriff’s Office]
