Police: 4 family members kidnapped in California found dead

Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Authorities in California said a family of four who were kidnapped at gunpoint earlier this week have been found dead.

Sheriff Vern Warnke of Merced County, located about 65 miles northwest of Fresno, Calif., told reporters during a press conference late Wednesday that the bodies were found close together in an extremely remote farm area of the county.

"Tonight, our worst fears have been confirmed. We found the four people from the kidnapping and they are, in fact, deceased," Warnke said.

Police have been searching for the family since Monday morning when they were taken from a local business against their will.

The victims are 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri and her parents, Jasleen Kaur, 27, and Jasdeep Singh, 36, as well as her 39-year-old uncle, Amandeep Singh.

Their bodies were found by a farmworker who contacted the authorities about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Warnke said.

Crime labs from the Justice Department have been dispatched to the area where Warnke said law enforcement would be working through the night processing the scene.

"There's just no words right now to describe the anger I feel, and the senselessness of this incident. I said it earlier: There's a special place in hell for this guy," he said.

Police arrested a suspect, 48-year-old Jesus Manuel Salgado, on Tuesday in Atwater after he attempting to kill himself, authorities said.

The announcement comes after police earlier Wednesday held a press briefing to release surveillance video of the kidnapping.

The footage shows that at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jasdeep Singh arrives at the trucking company, which is based in a trailer-like building, with his brother, Amandeep Singh, pulling up in his pickup about nine minutes later.

Shortly before 9 a.m., Jasdeep Singh exits the back door of the building as someone walks along the highway nearby.

Jasdeep Singh makes contact with a man carrying a white plastic trash bag.

As Jasdeep Singh looks at his phone and walks back to the building, the man trails close behind. After Jasdeep Singh enters the business, the man pulls a firearm from his pocket before also entering the building, where there are no security cameras.

Ten minutes later, the gunman and the Singh brothers, whose hands are zip-tied behind their backs, exit the back of the building and get into Amandeep Singh's pickup truck, which the gunman drives away.

Minutes later, the truck returns, from which the gunman exits and goes into the business through the back door. Less than a minute later, Jasleen Kaur exits the back of the building with Aroohi Dheri in her arms. The three people are then seen entering the pickup truck, which then drives away.

No motive for the kidnapping and killings was released, but Warnke said Wednesday night that the suspect was talking to investigators.

"Investigation now is going to pursue a full conviction, and I'm hoping our district attorney's office files for the death penalty," he said.