An Indian-origin eight-month baby, her parents and an uncle who were kidnapped in California have been killed in “a horribly, horribly senseless” crime, according to the local sheriff.
Their bodies were found in a remote farm on Wednesday, Merced County Sheriff Vernon Warnke said.
“There is a special place in hell” for the person who committed the crime, he said at a news conference near where the bodies were found.
He said that he hoped the district prosecutor would demand the death penalty.
The suspect in the kidnapping, who was arrested on Tuesday after he had tried to kill himself, was talking to investigators, he said.
Baby Aroohi Dheri, her parents, Jasleen Kaur, 27, and Jasdeep Singh, 36, and uncle, Amandeep Singh, 49, were kidnapped on Monday from the family’s trucking business in Merced, about 225 kilometres southeast of San Francisco.
Warnke said that the victims’ family had been informed and arrangements were made through contacts to get them “spiritual guidance to get through this”.
The bodies were found near each other by a farm worker, who informed the authorities, Warnke said.
Earlier at a morning news conference, Warnke ruled out that the kidnapping was a hate crime and said money was the likely motive.
The suspect, Jesus Manuel Salgado, was convicted in 2005 of an armed robbery and paroled in 2015.
His prior record points to a financial motive, he said.
Delgado had told his family that he was involved in the kidnapping and they reported it to the authorities, Warnke said.
Before officers reached him, he attempted suicide and was taken to a hospital, he said.
Officers waited there for medical clearance to speak to him, he said.
After the bodies were found, Warnke said there was a lot of circumstantial evidence against Delgado and they were trying to build direct evidence.
He said he was emotional at the news conference because a child has been killed.
“I am just livid inside because this was totally, completely senseless; a whole family has been wiped out”, he said.
He said that a phone belonging to the family had been found by a farm worker on a street in the area where the body was found.
The family’s bank card had been used at an ATM and they were trying to get a clear picture of the person who withdrew the money.
At the morning news conference, a chilling surveillance video of the kidnapping was shown.
Jasdeep Singh and Amandeep Singh were first led at gunpoint with their hands tied and driven away in Amandeep Singh’s truck.
The suspect returned a few minutes later and took Jasleen Kaur and the baby in the same vehicle.
Later the truck was found burning, which led to the discovery of the kidnapping.
The family’s cousin, Sukhdeep Singh, and another relative, Balwinder Saini, made a plea at the news conference for the return of the family or information about them.
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)
Unfortunately, in modern America, the religious violence and religious freedom you mention is equivalent to unlawful financial gain, criminal freedom, and economic independence through robbing and killing. When will it ever end?
Thank you for your response and insight. I will make sure to send a copy of Bhagvad Gita and what Sri Krishna told Arjuna to the killers (Salgado) and his brother to read while they spend their entire senseless lives rotting in prison. I still don’t understand how anyone, regardless of their religious beliefs or human values, would not fight to defend his wife and child from being murdered. What a shame!
Killing in the name of death and destruction. The senseless kidnapping and murder of this family by an ex-employee who was fired and arrested nearly 20 years ago for a similar robbery against them not only resonates pure evil vengeance from the killer, it also shows how careless and truly naïve the family was for having any further contact with him. It is clear from the surveillance video that the two male victims did not even put up a fight to protect their family. In fact, they voluntarily allowed the killer onto the property. This is more than likely motivated by the Hindu or Buddhist practice of “Dharma” which is one’s unique purpose in life. It is the process by which we use our unique skills and passions to serve our community and the world. We cannot realize dharma if we cause death and destruction. This was exactly the point made by Gandhi in his book Hind Swaraj. Unfortunately, the killer realized and fulfilled his “Karma” as the sum of all of his evil actions through all of his lives, past and present.
Hi Daniel, if you truly want to understand Dharma, Gandhi is not the right person to follow as a guide. Read the Bhagvad Gita and what Sri Krishna told Arjuna.
The suspect worked for the family two years ago. He has a history of violence. The poor baby died of exposure. Poor little thing suffered a slow death. Evil to the core. Motive looks to be financial and probably revenge.
Normally killing in western countries are due to gun violence or hate or the killer is mentally unsound. They never call it as religious violence. Only when anything of this happens, they attribute of religious violence and cry about religious freedom index etc.
What was the motive behind this henious crime?
Absolutely it is a horribly senseless crime that has wiped out an entire family!
Was it an outcome of the tussle between the Haves and Have-nots? Or was it due to family fued or fiscal issue? God only knows.