MERCED, CA (TIP): 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, October 6, 2022, 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, October 3in 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. The family was identified as 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her 27-year-old mother Jasleen Kaur, her 36-year-old father Jasdeep Singh, and her 39-year-old uncle Amandeep Singh.
A vehicle owned by oe 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, October 4 morning that one of the victim’s bank cards was used at an ATM in Atwater in Merced County.
“There’s a special place in hell for this guy,” the Sheriff of Merced County in California has said of the suspect who is believed to have abducted the family of four, including an eight-month-old baby girl, found dead in an orchard.
“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, October 5 night after authorities confirmed the death of four members of the family, who were missing since Monday, October 3. “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, October 4, attempted suicide in the town of Atwater after being arrested for the murder.