‘There’s a special place in hell for this guy’ says sheriff after the bodies of four kidnapped Californian family members were found
There has been a tragic end to the kidnapping of a Californian family of four, including that of an eight-month-old baby. Late on Wednesday, Merced County authorities confirmed that the four were found dead.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that the family of four, who are of a Punjab-origin Sikh family, were reported kidnapped on Monday after their black 2020 Dodge Ram pick-up truck was discovered burning on the side of a county road. They were found dead in a rural area, Merced authorities said.
An eight-month-old girl, Aroohi Dheri, was among the deceased. She had been kidnapped along with her mother Jasleen Kaur, 27, her father Jasdeep Singh, 36, and her uncle Amandeep Singh, 39.
“Tonight, our worst fears have been confirmed. We found the four people from the kidnapping and they are in fact deceased,” Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said in a video statement late on Wednesday, citing a Reuters report.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday evening, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said that it was a sad night.
“We have crime labs coming in from the department of justice, we are going to be most of the night processing the scene, there’s no words right now to describe the anger I feel and the senselessness of this incident, I said it earlier – there’s a special place in hell for this guy and I mean it.”
Merced Country authorities said they were alerted to the crime after finding Amandeep Singh’s black 2020 Dodge Ram pick-up truck burning on the side of a county road.
While investigating the case on Monday, the sheriff’s deputies were unable to reach the family and had determined that they had been abducted.
Citing a report by IANS, the sheriff said the man who was arrested this week in connection with the abduction of the family, was convicted in 2005, in a case involving armed robbery and false imprisonment.
The man was paroled in 2015 and knew the victims, according to Californian police.
The family, from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, was kidnapped on October 3.
On Tuesday, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office said detectives received information that one of the victim’s ATM cards was used at an ATM in the City of Atwater, according to reports by IANS.
“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.
“At approximately noon, working in conjunction with our local law enforcement partners, the Sheriff’s Office received information that identified Jesus Manuel Salgado, 48, as a person of interest in this investigation.
“Prior to law enforcement involvement, Salgado attempted to take his own life. Salgado is in our custody, currently receiving medical attention and in critical condition.”
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