Family of 4 kidnapped and found dead in rural farmland in Northern California
October 6, 2022
The bodies of a South Asian family of four, including an infant, who were kidnapped at gunpoint in Northern California were discovered in a rural farm area in Merced County.
On Monday morning, the family was abducted from their trucking business in Merced County.
Sheriff’s officials released surveillance video of the incident on Wednesday. The footage shows an armed man walking into the family’s business. The man can be seen leaving with 36-year-old Jasdeep Singh and his 39-year-old brother Amandeep Singh with their hands bound behind their backs. They are loaded into a truck and driven away.
Once the truck returns, Jasdeep’s 27-year-old wife Jasleen Kaur and their 8-month-old daughter Aroohi Dheri can also be seen exiting the building and being directed toward the vehicle.
According to authorities, the family was reported missing after their family vehicle was found abandoned and on fire that morning.
On Tuesday, authorities identified Jesus Manuel Salgado, 48, as a person of interest in the kidnapping. Before he was apprehended, Salgado reportedly confessed his involvement in the kidnapping to his family and attempted suicide. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to reports.
Salgado was previously convicted of a robbery in 2005 and released on parole in 2015, according to County law enforcement officials.
Officers were called to a rural farm area at around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday by a farmworker who discovered the victims’ bodies. Deputies and detectives found the bodies of the victims “relatively close together,” according to Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke.
“Tonight, our worst fears have been confirmed,” Warnke told reporters on Wednesday. “We found the four people from the kidnapping, and they are in fact deceased.”
Investigators have yet to determine their causes of death. No possible motive or connection between Salgado and the victims have been released.
As of Wednesday morning, Salgado has not communicated with investigators. He has yet to be criminally charged in the case.
“There’s a special place in hell for this guy,” Warnke said at a news conference. “This is completely and totally senseless. A whole family wiped out, and we still don’t know why.”
Although the main suspect is in custody, investigators believe that there may have been others involved in the killing.
“I fully believe that we will uncover and find out that there was more than just him involved,” Warnke said.
Featured Image via CBS News
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