Los Angeles: All four Sikh family members who were abducted earlier this week in the US state of California, including an eight-month-old baby girl, have been found dead in an orchard, authorities said on Wednesday.
The family was abducted on Monday at their just started trucking company in Merced County, California. They are originally from Harsi Pind in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. Jasdeep Singh, 36, Jasleen Kaur, 27, Aroohi Dheri, 8 months, and the infant's uncle, 39-year-old Amandeep Singh, were discovered dead on Wednesday evening in an orchard close to Indiana Road & Hutchinson Road, said Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke. He said, Our worst fears have been confirmed.
He said, a farm worker who was working close to the orchard found the bodies and called the police right away. The bodies were found close to one another. In a press conference on Wednesday night, Warnke remarked, "There are no words to explain the rage I feel.
"There is a special place in hell for this guy," he said about Jesus Manuel Salgado, the suspect, who attempted to kill himself. It's absolutely ridiculous, he said.
Warnke said that after the kidnappings, an ATM card belonging to one of the victims was used in Atwater, nearly 14-km north of Merced. He said, the kidnapper made no ransom demands in what he believes was a financially motivated crime.
The Merced County Sheriff's Office earlier that day published a terrifying new video of the family's kidnapping.
With their hands tied together, Jasdeep and Amandeep Singh exited the store. The kidnapper can be seen carrying Jasleen and her 8-month-old child, Aroohi, out of the premises and into a truck a short while later in the footage. Salgado, 48, the person of interest, was detained Tuesday afternoon and is still in critical condition in the hospital after attempting suicide.
According to the sheriff's office, Salgado's own relatives alerted authorities when he revealed to them that he was responsible for the kidnapping of the family.
The inquiry got underway on Monday at 11:39 a.m., when the California Highway Patrol went to a 2020 Dodge Ram that was on fire and requested assistance from the Merced Police Department in locating the owner, according to the Merced County Sheriff's Office.
Merced police officers visited the truck owner's address and spoke with a family member there about one hour later, at 12:35 pm. Officers made attempts to get in touch with the couple and the child's uncle but were unsuccessful.
Detectives found that the victims were kidnapped during the initial inquiry, the sheriff's office reported on Tuesday. The sheriff's office said it suspected the family was taken against their will from a business in the 800 block of South Highway 59 in Merced, which is located in central California between Modesto and Fresno, in an initial statement about the case on Monday.
There is no drive behind it for us. Warnke said, "We just know they're gone. There is no connection between Salgado and the family that would indicate that they were acquainted prior to the kidnapping.
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