MERCED, CA – Authorities in Merced County, in central California, released a horrifying new video Wednesday that shows the moment four family members, including an 8-month-old baby, were abducted.
None of the family members were found.
A family was kidnapped at gunpoint Monday from a business in Merced, authorities said. During a news conference Wednesday, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance video showing the moments leading up to the abduction.
In the video, two members of the family – Jasdeep Singh, 36, and Amandeep Singh, 39 – can be seen walking out of the back door of the business with their hands tied together.
Moments later, the video shows the kidnapper leading Jasleen Kaur and her 8-month-old baby Aruhi Deri out of the building and into a truck.
“We continue to ask for the public’s assistance with any information that may help us locate the family,” the Merced County Sheriff’s Office said.
Jesus Manuel Salgado, a man of interest, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon and remains sedated in hospital after trying to kill himself.
Authorities say deputies were notified that one of the victim’s ATM cards had been used at a bank in Atwater, a town about 9 miles north of Merced. Authorities added that the farmer answered the victim’s phone after she was found in the middle of the street.
RELATED: Four family members kidnapped from Merced business, photo of suspect released
The motive for the kidnapping has not been determined, but authorities believe it was financial in nature.
During a news conference Wednesday, Warnke said he believed at least one other person was involved in the abduction, but no further details were provided.
Detectives received information that identified Salgado as a person of interest and that he had attempted to kill himself before police arrived, authorities said in a statement, without specifying where he was taken into custody.
The sheriff’s office said his own family contacted authorities saying Salgado had confessed to them that he was involved in the family’s abduction.
The kidnapper took the baby, the child’s mother, father and uncle, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said.
“If you have any helpful tips or videos, please pass them on to the sheriff’s department … they are doing everything they can, but we need the public’s help right now,” said one family member of the missing man. relatives during a press conference on Wednesday. “Please help us get my family home safely.”
The Sheriff’s Department on Monday released two surveillance photos of a possible suspect and asked for the public’s help in identifying the man. He was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, dark shorts and a light blue disposable mask.
The sheriff said detectives believe the kidnapper destroyed unidentifiable evidence in an attempt to cover his tracks.
Amandeep Singh’s vehicle was found on fire around 11:40 a.m. Monday, the sheriff’s office said in a statement Tuesday. Police and members of Merced’s family have been unable to reach him or the couple. Shortly thereafter, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office responded to the case and determined they had been kidnapped.
The sheriff’s office said the FBI, California Department of Justice and other local law enforcement agencies are assisting in the investigation.
Warnke says this isn’t the first time Salgado has held victims against their will.
According to the Merced County District Attorney’s Office, a similar incident occurred in December 2005. Salgado was in jail on charges of home invasion at gunpoint, witness intimidation and attempted false imprisonment. The victims were not injured. He was released in June 2015.
KFSN-TV and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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