WEB DESK
The sheriff of Merced County in California has said a baby girl and three other Sikh family members who were kidnapped at gunpoint have been found dead.
Sheriff Vern Warnke announced on Thursday that the bodies were found in a Merced County orchard and told reporters: “Our worst fears have been confirmed.”
The announcement came after authorities released surveillance video of a man kidnapping 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her parents and uncle from their business Monday in Merced in the San Joaquin Valley southeast of San Francisco.
A four-member Sikh family, including an 8-month-old child were originally from Harsi Pind in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. They were kidnapped in Merced County, California, on Monday.
“There are no words right now to describe the anger I feel and the senselessness of this incident,” Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said on Wednesday night after authorities confirmed the death of four members of the family, who were missing since Monday.
“There’s a special place in hell for this guy, Warnke said of suspect Jesus Manuel Salgado, who was convicted of armed robbery in 2005 and spent 11 years in prison.
The 48-year-old on Tuesday attempted suicide in the nearby town of Atwater after being arrested for the murder.
A farmworker called around 5.30 pm (local time) to report the bodies of the family, including an eight-month-old baby, whose abduction was captured on surveillance video.
Sheriff Warnke said detectives when arrived at the spot determined the remains were those of eight-month-old Aroohi Dheri; her mother Jasleen Kaur, 27; her father Jasdeep Singh, 36; and her uncle Amandeep Singh, 39, originally from Harsi Pind in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, were kidnapped from their newly-opened trucking business in Merced County, California, on Monday.
A vehicle owned by one of the family members was found on fire late Monday, which led law enforcement to determine that the four had been kidnapped.
According to a news release, detectives received information on Tuesday morning that one of the victim’s bank cards was used at an ATM in Atwater in Merced County.