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Sheriff: Killing of kidnapped California family 'pure evil'

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The suspect in the kidnapping and killings of an 8-month-old baby, her parents and an uncle had worked for the family's trucking business and had a longstanding feud with them that culminated in an act of 'œpure evil,'ť a sheriff said Thursday.

The bodies of Aroohi Dheri; her mother Jasleen Kaur, 27; father Jasdeep Singh, 36; and uncle Amandeep Singh, 39, were found by a farm worker late Wednesday in an almond orchard in a remote area in the San Joaquin Valley, California's agricultural heartland.

Investigators were preparing a case against the suspect - a convicted felon who tried to kill himself a day after the kidnappings - and sought a person of interest believed to be his accomplice. Relatives and fellow members of the Punjabi Sikh community, meanwhile, were shocked by the killings.

'œRight now, I've got hundreds of people in a community that are grieving the loss of two families, and this is worldwide. These families are across different continents,'ť Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke told The Associated Press. 'œWe've got to show them that we can give them justice.'ť

The suspect, 48-year-old Jesus Salgado, was released from the hospital and booked into the county jail Thursday night on suspicion of kidnapping and murder, the Sheriff's Office said. It wasn't clear if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.

Earlier, Warnke called for prosecutors to seek the death penalty. The sheriff called it one of the worst crimes he has seen over his 43 years in law enforcement and pleaded for Salgado's accomplice to turn himself in.

'œThere's some things you'll take to the grave. This to me was pure evil,'ť he said in an interview Thursday.

The city of Merced, where the family's trucking business was located, will hold evening vigils in their memory Thursday through Sunday. The victims' bodies were found near the town of Dos Palos, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Merced.

Warnke on Thursday would not discuss the condition of the adults' remains in the orchard but said it was unclear how the baby died. Warnke said the child had no visible trauma and an autopsy will be conducted.

Salgado was previously convicted of first-degree robbery with the use of a firearm in Merced County, attempted false imprisonment and an attempt to prevent or dissuade a victim or witness. Sentenced to 11 years in state prison in that case, he was released in 2015 and discharged from parole three years later, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He also has a conviction for possession of a controlled substance, the department said.

Relatives of Salgado contacted authorities and told them he had admitted to them his involvement in the kidnapping, Warnke told KFSN-TV on Tuesday. Salgado tried to take his own life before police arrived at a home in Atwater - where an ATM card belonging to one of the victims was used after the kidnapping - about 9 miles (14 kilometers) north of Merced. Efforts to reach Salgado's family were unsuccessful Thursday.

The victims were Punjabi Sikhs, a community in central California that has a significant presence in the trucking business with many of them driving trucks, owning trucking companies or other businesses associated with trucking.

Public records show the family owns Unison Trucking Inc. and relatives said they had opened an office in the last few weeks in a parking lot the Singh brothers also operated. The feud with Salgado dated back a year, the sheriff said, and 'œgot pretty nasty'ť in text messages or emails. Other details about Salgado's employment and the nature of the dispute were not immediately available.

Warnke said he believes the family was killed within an hour of the Monday morning kidnapping, when they were taken at gunpoint from their business.

Surveillance video showed the suspect - later identified as Salgado - leading the Singh brothers, who had their hands zip-tied behind their backs, into the back seat of Amandeep Singh's pickup truck. He drove the brothers away and returned several minutes later.

The suspect then went back to the trailer that served as the business office and led Jasleen Kaur, who was carrying her baby in her arms, out and into the truck before the suspect drove them away shortly before 9:30 a.m.

Hours later, firefighters on Monday found Amandeep Singh's truck on fire in the town of Winton, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Merced. Police officers went to Amandeep Singh's home, where a family member tried to reach him and the couple. When they were not able to reach their family members, they called the sheriff's to report them missing.

They were likely already dead.

___

Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Robert Jablon in Los Angeles and News Researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.

This undated photo provided by Merced County Sheriff's Office shows Jasleen Kaur, left, and Jasdeep Singh, with their 8-month-old daughter Aroohi Dheri. Sheriff Vern Warnke, of Merced County, announced Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, that the family, along with the baby's uncle Amandeep Singh, who were kidnapped at gunpoint from their trucking business in central California, have been found dead. (Merced County Sheriff's Office via AP) The Associated Press
Sukhdeep Singh, right, and Balwinder Saini, middle, speak about the kidnapping of their family members, 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her mother Jasleen Kaur, her father Jasdeep Singh, and her uncle Amandeep Singh at a news conference in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. Relatives of the family kidnapped at gunpoint from their trucking business in central California pleaded for help Wednesday in the search for them. Authorities say were taken by a convicted robber who tried to kill himself a day after the kidnappings. (Andrew Kuhn/The Merced Sun-Star via AP) The Associated Press
Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke speaks at a news conference about the kidnapping of 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her mother Jasleen Kaur, her father Jasdeep Singh, and her uncle Amandeep Singh, in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. Relatives of the family kidnapped at gunpoint from their trucking business in central California pleaded for help Wednesday in the search for an 8-month-old girl, her mother, father and uncle, who authorities say were taken by a convicted robber who tried to kill himself a day after the kidnappings. (Andrew Kuhn/The Merced Sun-Star via AP) The Associated Press
Merced County Undersheriff Corey Gibson speaks at a news conference about the kidnapping of 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her mother Jasleen Kaur, her father Jasdeep Singh, and her uncle Amandeep Singh, in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. Relatives of a family kidnapped at gunpoint from their trucking business in central California pleaded for help Wednesday in the search for an 8-month-old girl, her mother, father and uncle, who authorities say were taken by a convicted robber who tried to kill himself a day after the kidnappings. (Andrew Kuhn/The Merced Sun-Star via AP) The Associated Press
This undated image released by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows Jesus Salgado. Salgado is the suspect in a central California case where he allegedly kidnapped an 8-month-old girl, her mother, father and uncle from their business on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Merced, Calif. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP) The Associated Press
This undated image released by Merced County Sheriff's Office shows Jesus Salgado, suspected of kidnapping a Sikh family at gunpoint in central California, Monday, Oct. 2, 2022. Detectives said Salgado tried to kill himself Tuesday and is hospitalized in critical condition. (Merced County Sheriff's Office via AP) The Associated Press
This undated image released by Merced County Sheriff's Office shows a person of interest, where the person is similar in appearance to the surveillance photo from the original kidnapping scene where four members of a family, including an 8-month-old child, were taken against their will at gunpoint from a business in the city of Merced, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. (Merced County Sheriff's Office via AP) The Associated Press
This undated image released by Merced County Sheriff's Office shows a person of interest, where the person is similar in appearance to the surveillance photo from the original kidnapping scene where four members of a family, including an 8-month-old child, were taken against their will at gunpoint from a business in the city of Merced, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. (Merced County Sheriff's Office via AP) The Associated Press
Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke, middle left, speaks at a news conference about the kidnapping of 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her mother Jasleen Kaur, her father Jasdeep Singh, and her uncle Amandeep Singh, in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. Relatives of the family kidnapped at gunpoint from their trucking business in central California pleaded for help Wednesday in the search for them. Authorities say the family members were taken by a convicted robber who tried to kill himself a day after the kidnappings. (Andrew Kuhn/The Merced Sun-Star via AP) The Associated Press
Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke, foreground, speaks at a news conference about the kidnapping of 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her mother Jasleen Kaur, her father Jasdeep Singh, and her uncle Amandeep Singh, in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. Relatives of a family kidnapped at gunpoint from their trucking business in central California pleaded for help Wednesday in the search for an 8-month-old girl, her mother, father and uncle, who authorities say were taken by a convicted robber who tried to kill himself a day after the kidnappings. (Andrew Kuhn/The Merced Sun-Star via AP) The Associated Press
This surveillance image provided by Merced County Sheriff's Office shows a possible suspect sought by authorities in the kidnapping of four members of a family, including an 8-month-old child. Deputies are searching Merced and surrounding areas for the baby, Aroohi Dheri; the child's mother, Jasleen Kaur, father Jasdeep Singh, and uncle Amandeep Singh, who were taken against their will at gunpoint from a business in the city of Merced, Calif. on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. (Merced County Sheriff's Office via AP) The Associated Press
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