Merced County community starts candlelight vigil, in shock over kidnapping and murder of Sikh family

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The Indian-American community in Merced County, California, is reeling from the tragedy earlier this week in which four members of a family were kidnapped and shot in cold blood execution style, in a remote area. The four family members who were kidnapped included 8-month old Aroohi Dheri, mother Jasleen Kaur, 27, father Jasdeep Singh, 36, and the baby’s uncle Amandeep Singh, 39. The family of the victims conveyed through the Sheriff’s office that at this time, they do not wish to have any donations. The suspect Jesus Manuel Salgado, has now been charged.

Hundreds gathered for the vigil where jumbo-size photos of the victims were displayed in the square and community leaders spoke about supporting the bereaved family for as long as it was needed. Religious leaders from different faiths spoke of the tragedy and expressed solidarity as the vigil began, news reports said.

According to a KCRA television report October 6, 2022, the Sheriff of Merced County Verne Warnke said the suspect in the killing of four family members who went missing Oct. 3, Jesus Manuel Salgado was a former employee of the Singhs.

The Sheriff also likened Salgado’s behavior to the 2005 case for which he was convicted and put in prison, only to be released in 2015. In that case as well, Salgado went to his previous employers and demanded money that he believed they owed him. “I believe it could be similar here,” Warnke said on KCRA. “I believe his intention originally was to kill these people,” he added, and authorities suspect Salgado was working with someone else.

In a Jan. 6 evening update, the Sheriff’s office said, “This evening, Jesus Manuel Salgado, the suspect in the kidnapping and murder of Aroohi Dheri, Jasleen Kaur, Jasdeep Singh, and Amandeep Singh, was booked into the Merced County Jail. He was arrested for four counts of murder and four counts of kidnapping. Our Detectives, alongside investigators from assisting agencies, will continue to follow up on any leads of additional people who may have been involved in this horrific incident.”

“We are both horrified and deeply saddened to learn that all four members of the family reportedly kidnapped in Merced County, CA, earlier this week were found dead last night,” the Sikh Coalition tweeted on Oct. 6, 2022. The organization told News India Times it has been in touch with some members of the local sangat, and that it was continuing to monitor the story closely for further developments or any indications about motive.

Members of the Indian-American community organized the four-night vigil to deal with the shock. Starting Oct. 6 night, the vigil will continue till Sunday Oct. 9 nigh.

“Tonight was the community coming together and showing the Singh family that ‘we’re here with you and we will be here with you for as long as you need us, and we will remember the names of those we lost,’”  family friend Priya Lakireddy is quoted saying in the Fresno Bee.

Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto said the community was heartbroken, but confronting the evil. “There is anger, there is sadness, but in the face of that, the community is here,” he is quoted saying in Fresno Bee.

One community member, Paramjeet Singh, told KCRA, “It’s a really big tragedy” for the family and the community. Another community member Edwin Kanth said it was “very very tough for the family. They (victims’ family) can’t even speak to anyone.”

The Singhs immigrated to the U.S. in the early 2000s, KCRA reported, and worked hard to start their trucking business.

Meanwhile, in India, the Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann revealed that the murdered family hailed from Harsi village in Hoshiarpur District. He also urged the Government of India to pursue the matter with United States.

The U.K. Guardian newspaper quoted Jaspreet Caur, the wife of the kidnapped uncle, saying, “My husband is very peaceful and calm person. We don’t have any clue why they kidnapped them.”

On Oct. 4, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office provided an update which said that the ATM card of one of the victims was used at a bank.