A California family — including an 8-month-old baby– has been kidnapped from a business by a man who has been described as “armed and dangerous,” according to the authorities.
The Merced County Sheriff’s Office said that the four family members were taken against their will on Monday from a business in the 800 Block of South Highway 59 in the south Merced area.
The missing victims were identified as 8-month-old Aroohi Dher, her mother, Jasleen Kaur, 27, father Jasdeep Singh, 36, and uncle Amandeep Singh, 39.
The sheriff’s office released two images from a surveillance video showing a person they believe to be the kidnapper, describing him as a man with a light complexion and a shaved head who was last seen wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
“We believe the suspect is armed and considered dangerous and were asking the public does not approach the suspect or victims and calls 911,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a press release.
Merced County Sheriff Vernon Warnke said in a video update that his investigators have not yet determined why the “lowlife” had abducted the family, adding that no ransom demand has been made since Monday.
Warnke also said there are signs indicating that the “individuals involved” in the case destroyed evidence in an attempt to cover their tracks.
The sheriff appealed to the public for information on the whereabouts of the kidnapped family and the suspect.
“People are going to be working 24 hours on this until we get a break in this,” Warnke vowed. “We got to bring this family home safely.”
