Missing Family Of Four Found Dead In California: Sheriff

MERCED COUNTY, CA — Four family members, including an eight-month-old baby and her parents, have been found dead after being kidnapped from a Merced County business on Monday.

Authorities announced the news in a press conference Wednesday night after the victims were discovered in a remote farm area in Merced County. A person of interest is in custody, police said.

"Our worst fears have been confirmed," Sheriff Vern Warnke told reporters.

Warnke said that all four bodies were discovered “relatively close together” at about 5:30 p.m. by a farm worker. He did not reveal whether their causes of death have been determined.

Earlier Wednesday, authorities released disturbing footage of the moment the family was abducted at gunpoint from a business in the 800 block of South Highway 59.

The video, shared by the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, shows two of the family members, 36-year-old Jasdeep Singh and 39-year-old Amandeep Singh, coming out of the back door of the business with their hands zip-tied together.

Moments later, the kidnapper is seen leading Jasleen Kaur, 27, and her eight-month-old baby, Aroohi Dheri, out of the building into a truck.

Kaur and Jasdeep Singh are Dheri’s parents, and Amandeep Singh is her uncle.

In a Facebook update, the sheriff’s office said that early Tuesday morning, detectives “received information that one of the victim’s ATM cards was used at an ATM located at a bank in the City of Atwater.”

That afternoon, the sheriff’s office identified Jesus Manuel Salgado, 48, as a person of interest in the investigation, the update said. Before law enforcement became involved, Salgado “attempted to take his own life,” and he was in custody in critical condition and receiving medical attention.

Police ask that anyone with information regarding the case call their tip line at 209-385-7547. The tip can be confidential.