A person that authorities believe to be in connection to the kidnapping of a family in California has been arrested, but remains in critical condition as the search for the family continues.
According to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office (MSCO), on Tuesday detectives identified 48-year-old Jesus Manuel Salgado after receiving information from a bank in the city of Atwater, where he had used one of the victims’ ATM cards.
“Investigators obtained the surveillance photo of a subject making a bank transaction where the person is similar in appearance to the surveillance photo from the original kidnapping scene,” a statement from MSCO’s Facebook page read.
“Salgado had attempted suicide before he was apprehended. He is in our custody, currently receiving medical attention and in critical condition,” the statement continued.
The officials also added they are still working to obtain the correct photo of Salgado at the ATM. They initially released a different photo in error.
MSCO claims they will be holding a press conference Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Merced County Board Chambers.
On Monday, Jasleen Kaur, 27, Jasdeep Singh, 36, and their 8-month-old baby, Aroohi Dheri, and the baby’s uncle, Amandeep Singh, 39, were taken against their will from a business in the 800 Block of South Highway 59.
“We have a lowlife out there that kidnapped an 8-month-old baby, her mom, her dad and her uncle,” Merced County Sheriff Vernon Warnke said in a somber video posted to Facebook at the time. “So far, we have no idea why the family was kidnapped or the motivation behind it. We just know they are gone.”
MSCO shared that the family remains missing and authorities from the sheriff’s department, alongside several other law enforcement agencies, are continuing to actively look for the family.
Jasdeep Singh and Amandeep Singh arrived at the business between 8:30 and 8:40 a.m., the video showed.
Around 9 a.m. Jasdeep Singh seemed to casually interact with the suspect, believed to be Salgado, outside the building. The two walked toward the entrance to the business, with Singh leading the way. The suspect carried a white trash bag, the surveillance footage showed.
“(The suspect) put down the trash bag and you’ll see right there he pulls out a firearm,” Gibson said.
Singh and the suspect entered the building and remained inside for a few minutes, and video then showed Jasdeep and Amandeep exit the back door with their hands apparently zip-tied behind their backs as the suspect followed them with the gun in hand.
The suspect put Amandeep and Jasdeep in the back seat of Amandeep’s pickup truck, the video showed. The suspect drove away and returned six minutes later, according to the surveillance footage.
Less than a minute later, video showed Jasdeep Singh carrying her baby, Aroohi, out the back door, unrestrained, with the suspect following behind.
The investigation at the family’s business that revealed the video began Monday after authorities found Amandeep Singh’s Dodge Ram truck on fire in the town of Winton.
When officers arrived at Singh’s home investigating the car fire, a family member was unable to get in contact with him. When the family was unable to contact Amandeep Singh, as well as Kaur and Jasdeep Singh, they reported them missing to the Sheriff’s Office.
With Salgado unable to speak with sheriff’s deputies due to his condition, there is still no clear motive for the kidnapping, Warnke said.
“We are currently with the suspect now, waiting for the doctors to get him to a point where he can cooperate,” Warnke said, adding that any time Salgado has “come near consciousness he’s been violent.”
Salgado was convicted in 2005 of armed robbery, which involved false imprisonment, Warnke said. He was paroled in 2015 and has not had “major contact” with the law since
“We continue to ask for the public’s help with any information that may assist us in locating the family’s whereabouts,” the statement from MSCO added. “If you have any information regarding this incident or the whereabouts of the victims, please call our tip line at 209.385.7547. The tip can be confidential.”
