The suspect in the kidnapping and murder of a family in central California was a former employee of the family who had a lengthy dispute with them that “got pretty nasty,” authorities said Thursday.
Relatives of the deceased family told investigators that Jesus Salgado, 48, sent angry text messages or emails to the family about a year ago after working with their trucking company, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke told The Associated Press.
A farm worker reported a deceased person late Wednesday and local authorities found the bodies of 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri; her 27-year-old mother, Jasleen Kaur; her 36-year-old father, Jasdeep Singh; and her 39-year-old uncle, Amandeep Singh, in a remote area near the town of Dos Palos, California, about 30 miles south of Merced, California. The slain family was among the rows of an almond grove.
Warnke said he believed the family had been murdered before their relatives reported them missing on Monday.
Warnke did not share the condition of the adults’ remains and said it was unclear how the baby died. He said the child had no visible trauma and an autopsy will be performed.
“Our thoughts are with the family during their time of grief and we ask everyone to respect their privacy,” the sheriff’s office added.
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All four victims were allegedly abducted at gunpoint by Salgado from their Merced company on Monday, authorities said. Salgado was identified on Tuesday as a person of interest after detectives were notified that one of the victim’s ATMs was being used at a bank in Atwater, Calif., a small town eight miles northwest of Merced, according to the police’s office. sheriff.
Salgado was arrested on Tuesday afternoon. The sheriff’s office announced Thursday night that Salgado had been admitted to the Merced County Jail. He was arrested on four counts of murder and four counts of kidnapping.
After attempting suicide, Salgado was hospitalized in critical condition. He is still undergoing medical treatment and is being questioned by investigators, authorities said.
Investigators are also looking for a person of interest who may have acted as an accomplice to Salgado, Warnke said. Detectives also believe that Salgado destroyed unspecified evidence in an attempt to cover his tracks.
Officials are still looking for a motive for the kidnapping, Warnke said Wednesday. But Warnke said he believes the motive may have been financial, adding that there is no evidence to suggest the incident was a hate crime.
The victims were Punjabi Sikhs, a community in central California that has a significant presence in the trucking industry, with many of them driving trucks, owning trucking companies or other trucking-related businesses.
After Monday’s kidnapping, a massive search was launched and the public was asked to help. Surveillance footage was also released and authorities shared the footage showing the family being kidnapped.
Contributions: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California family kidnapped, suspect had long dispute: Sheriff
