A Sikh family of four, who were kidnapped on Monday from a Central California business in Merced County were found dead, Merced County Sheriff Vernon Warnke said on Wednesday night during a news briefing. 

Warnke said that the bodies were discovered by a farm hand at around 5:30 pm local time. The identity of the four victims has been released. They were identified as 27-year-old Jasleen Kaur, 36-year-old Jasdeep Singh, their 8-month-old daughter Aroohi Dheri, and  39-year-old Amandeep Singh, the child’s uncle.. 

A primary suspect in the kidnapping was arrested after he used the ATM cards of one of the deceased in Atwater, the sheriff’s office told reporters. The suspect, 48-year-old Jesus Manuel Salgado attempted suicide before being arrested and was hospitalised in critical condition.

Sheriff Warnke has said that he believed the crime was financially motivated. 

Where is Merced County?

Merced County is located in the northern San Joaquin Valley in the Central Valley of California. As of the 2020 US Census, the population of the county was 281,202. 

The region derives its name from the Merced river, which itself was actually called the El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced, when it was named in 1806 by Californio-explorer Gabriel Moraga. 

Between 1841 and 1844, Merced County was part of of a territory of Independent Mexico. Shortly after, land grants made by Mexico created the county. There were four grants in total. Officially, Merced County was formed in 1855 from parts of Mariposa County. The next year, parts of the region were given away to Fresno County. 

Merced County is home to two national protected areas, the Merced National Wildlife Refuge and the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. 

The former Castle Air Force Base is home to several Air Force exhibits, including a B-29A Super Fortress and a SR-71 Blackbird stealth reconnaissance aircraft. The base is located in an unincorporated area near the city of Atwater.