4 kidnapped Californians found dead 2 days later. Jasleen Kaur, 27, Jasdeep Singh, 36, and their 8-month-old infant Aroohi Dheri, along with the baby’s uncle Amandeep Singh, 39, have been found dead. The kidnapped California family of four was found dead two days after their kidnapping.
Jasleen Kaur, 27, Jasdeep Singh, 36, and their 8-month-old infant, Aroohi Dheri, along with the baby’s uncle, Amandeep Singh, 39, “were taken against their will from a business” near Merced on Monday, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) stated. A farmworker found the four dead in an orchard about 5:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, police said.
“Tonight, our greatest concerns have been fulfilled,” Sheriff Vernon Warnke said. “The four kidnapped victims were found dead.”
Warnke did not describe how the family was killed, but he said they were likely killed before being reported missing on Monday. He said the victims’ families had been notified. Authorities released video of the kidnapped family being loaded onto a truck at a press briefing on Wednesday.
An official said the suspect was spotted talking to a man before entering with a garbage bag. After dropping off the garbage bag, he seemed to pull out a gun, according to video. In a second video aired at the press conference, the suspect led Jasdeep and Amandeep out the rear door. Police stated the victims were tied up with zip ties before being put in a truck.
The suspect drove away with Jasleen and Aroohi “unrestrained” from the establishment at 9:13 a.m. local time, an MCSO spokesman said. MCSO detectives identified the culprit as 48-year-old Jesus Manuel Salgado after getting information from a bank in Atwater, where he used one of the victims’ ATM cards.
In a Facebook post at the time, authorities said Salgado had tried suicide before being captured and was in critical condition.
Salgado was convicted of armed robbery and false imprisonment in 2005, Sheriff Warnke said. 2015 parole. During a press conference Wednesday evening, Warnke said the suspect is now helping officials determine a motive. He later claimed authorities suspect others were involved.
Continued inquiry. It wasn’t apparent if the suspect had a lawyer to speak for him to PEOPLE.