The bodies of a family of four, including an 8-month-old baby, were found Wednesday in a rural agricultural region in California. They had been abducted earlier this week by an armed man at their place of business. Investigators are trying to identify the purpose for the killings.
The deaths of 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri and her parents Jasleen Kaur and Jasdeep Singh were initially discovered in an orchard in Merced County, California, by a farm worker, according to officials.
The worker discovered Amandeep Singh, the child’s uncle, close by and alerted the authorities at about 5:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Vern Warnke, the sheriff of Merced County, said during a news conference on Wednesday that “a entire family wiped out, and we still don’t know why.”
The family was reported missing on Monday, and according to investigators, they were abducted at gunpoint from their trucking company in the central California city of Merced, which is located between Modesto and Fresno.
A 48-year-old suspect has been detained by police, but no charges have been brought against him. Because no charges had been brought against the suspect as of late Wednesday, CNN is not naming him.
Warnke, who was obviously upset and angry at what had occurred to the family, remarked, “The circumstances around this, when we are able to divulge everything, should anger the heck out of you.” “This individual will have a particular spot in hell.”
While stating that it appears the family was murdered before they were reported missing on Monday, Warnke did not specify how they were killed.
According to Warnke, who did not go into detail about the amount of that involvement, authorities believe the person they have in custody is the primary suspect in the deaths, though they have also said that other persons may have been involved.
Warnke stated, “I strongly believe that we will discover and discover that there was more than just him participating.
According to Warnke, the detained suspect has been cooperating with detectives and authorities are working with him to determine a motivation.
According to Warnke, it appears the family was murdered there as authorities investigated the scene where the bodies were discovered on Wednesday evening.
In order to achieve a complete conviction, police are striving to preserve and record the crime scene, according to Warnke. In this instance, there is “a lot of indirect evidence and direct proof,” he continued.
‘Peace loving’ family is kidnapped, as seen on video
Authorities earlier on Wednesday made available CCTV footage of the kidnapping that occurred Monday morning at the family’s Merced trucking company.
Jasdeep Singh may be seen arriving into the company’s parking lot at 8:30 a.m., followed by Amandeep Singh at 9 a.m.
Jasdeep is spotted interacting with a man outside the company just before 9:00 am. The footage depicts the man pulling out what seemed to be a gun while carrying a trash bag.
A few minutes later, Jasdeep and Amandeep can be seen getting into a truck with their hands bound behind their backs. The vehicle leaves shortly after that and comes back six minutes later.
After coming back, the suspect enters the establishment and leaves with a gun as Jasleen Kaur is holding an 8-month-old baby named Aroohi and moves in front of the suspect to the truck.
According to investigators, two of the victims’ cell phones were discovered on a road later that day by a farmer. The farmer once picked up the phone and had a conversation with a victim’s kin.
A family member had begged people to come forward with any information in the case before the bodies were discovered Wednesday night.
A family member, Balvinder, begged, “This is a peace-loving family and running a modest company in the Merced area. “No one is prepared to deal with this; we are simply hoping and praying at every minute.”
Sheriff: The suspect is in jail and has a violent history.
Authorities said the suspect made an attempt at suicide before being apprehended on Tuesday, one day after the kidnapping of the family.
According to Warnke earlier on Wednesday, he had been put to sleep because the authorities “didn’t want him thrashing around.” “I can assure you that he has been violent every time he has been close to consciousness.”
According to Deputy Alexandra Britton, a representative for the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, the man’s family had gotten in touch with police enforcement and informed them that the man had acknowledged to taking part in the kidnapping.
Following the family’s call, law enforcement got in touch with the individual, she continued.
According to the sheriff’s office, on Tuesday morning, investigators discovered that an ATM card belonging to one of the victims had been used at a bank in Atwater, California, which is roughly nine miles to the northwest of Merced.
According to Britton, it’s uncertain if the 48-year-old detained is the person who used that card.
The 48-year-old man was later taken into jail after being recognized by detectives as a person of interest in the case following that transaction, according to officials.
The suspect was also released on parole in 2015 after being found guilty of armed robbery and false imprisonment in 2005, according to Warnke. According to Warnke, the individual in the earlier incident acted alone and was familiar with the victims.
Photo Credits: https://www.abc10.com/