A family of four, including an 8-month-old baby girl, has been found dead in rural California.
The victims — 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri; her mother, Jasleen Kaur, 27; father, Jasdeep Singh, 36; and uncle, Amandeep Singh, 39 — were all abducted around 1 p.m. on Monday, October 3, from their business in Merced.
Authorities say their bodies were located by a farmworker. Police received a call around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, reporting the gruesome discovery. The suspect, Jesus Manuel Salgada, was taken into custody on Tuesday, but no charges have been filed.
"Our worst fears have been confirmed," Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said at a press conference on Wednesday evening.
“There’s no words right now to describe the anger I feel and the senselessness of this incident,” he continued. “I said it earlier: There’s a special place in hell for this guy.”
The sheriff noted that the bodies were all found "relatively close together." He also commented on the horror of the tragedy. “I’m just livid inside because this was completely, totally senseless,” he said. “We have a whole family wiped out and for what? We don’t know yet.”
The 48-year-old suspect was taken into custody after using the ATM card belonging to the victims. Authorities said he tried to kill himself just before they arrested him.
Authorities say they are working to build a case against the suspect. But the evidence already seems ample. Before the victims' bodies were discovered on Wednesday, they revealed video footage of the kidnapping. It shows a man with a medical-style mask leading the two grown men away with their hands zip-tied behind their backs. Then the kidnapper returns to retrieve the mother and 8-month-old.
A motive for the kidnapping is unknown.
