California: Bodies of kidnapped family, including baby, found in orchard

    photo:Andrew Kuhn

A baby girl and three other family members who were kidnapped at gunpoint have been found dead in a Central California orchard.

The victims were discovered in an orchard in Merced County on Wednesday, roughly 140 miles southeast of San Francisco, according to sheriff Vern Warnke, who also told reporters that "our worst fears have been confirmed."

The news followed the release of surveillance footage by the authorities showing a man abducting eight-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her parents, and her uncle on Monday in Merced, California, in the San Joaquin Valley.

Authorities had previously claimed that the four had been abducted by a convicted robber who had attempted suicide the day before the kidnappings.

Although the kidnapper did not seek a ransom, the sheriff has stated that he thinks the crime was motivated by money.

     photo:Andrew Kuhn

Jesus Salgado, 48, confirmed to his relatives that he was engaged in the kidnapping, according to Warnke, who spoke to KFSN-TV on Tuesday.

Salgado attempted suicide before police arrived at a home in Atwater, and he was later admitted to the hospital, the sheriff said.

On Wednesday, attempts to get in touch with Salgado's family were fruitless.

Detectives had been unable to speak with Salgado, who had been sedated in the hospital, before the deaths were discovered, according to Warnke.

Detectives, according to the sheriff, think the kidnapper destroyed unnamed evidence in an effort to hide his tracks.

According to the sheriff's office, Amandeep Singh's truck caught fire on Monday. Officers from the Merced Police Department proceeded to Amandeep Singh's house, where a relative was attempting to contact him and the couple.

They called the Merced County Sheriff's office to report their family members missing when they were unable to reach them, according to the office.

According to Corey Gibson, the undersheriff for Merced County, a farmer discovered a victim's phone in Dos Palos, a town 30 miles south-west of Merced, and answered it when the family called.

According to Warnke, the suspect was motivated by money and conspired with someone else, even though authorities have not uncovered a motivation or identified whether Salgado had any helpers.

The sheriff stated, "I strongly believe that there was at least one more person involved," adding that he does not have any proof to support this.

He added: “My speculation is that it’s financial.”

The sheriff’s office said the FBI, the California Department of Justice, and other local law enforcement agencies are helping with the investigation.