Taken: Indian American Family of Four, Including an 8-month-old Baby, Kidnapped in California’s Merced County
- They were taken against their will at gunpoint from a business in the 800 block of South Highway 59 in the south Merced area by a person described by the sheriff’s office to be armed and dangerous.
An Indian American family of four from California including an eight-month-old child, has been kidnapped, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office announced on Oct. 3. The family was taken against its will at gunpoint from a business in the 800 block of South Highway 59 in the south Merced area by a person described by the sheriff’s office to be armed and dangerous. The four have been identified as Jasdeep Singh, 36; Jasleen Kaur, 27; their eight-month-old child Aroohi Dheri as well as her uncle Amandeep Singh, 39.
Not many details about the incident have been released as the investigation is still in its early stages. “So far we have no idea why the kidnapping happened, we have no motivation behind it, we just know they are gone,” Sheriff Vernon Warnke, of Merced County, said in a video that his office released on Oct. 3.
“We’ve got evidence to indicate that the individuals involved in this destroyed evidence in an attempt to cover the tracks,” he said. “We have a lowlife out there that kidnapped an 8-month-old baby, her mom, her dad and her uncle.” So far, no contact or ransom demands have been made, he added. “We’ve got detectives out canvassing, we have aircraft looking for evidence. People are going to be working 24 hours on this until we get a break in this.”
The office has since released two images of a person they believe to be the abductor. He is described as a light-complected male with a shaved head. He was last seen wearing a hoodie. “We’re asking the public not to approach the suspect or victim,” the sheriff’s office said in its statement. “We are working with the California Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and other local law enforcement agencies to bring this family home safely.”
