‘RETURN MY FAMILY’

Man Arrested in California Kidnapping—but Four Victims, Including Baby, Still Missing

The person of interest tried to kill himself as authorities desperately search for an 8-month-old infant and her parents.

A person of interest in the kidnapping of four family members in central California was arrested Tuesday, authorities said. The victims—8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her parents, and her uncle—have not yet been located, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office said. The family was abducted at gunpoint from a family business in Merced on Monday. The arrested person of interest, 48-year-old Jesus Manuel Salgado, is in the hospital in critical condition after attempting to kill himself, authorities said. The sheriff’s office added that Salgado’s own family had contacted authorities to say he had admitted being involved in the kidnapping. The victims’ relatives are now left praying that their loved ones are still alive. “Please, I have a 6-year-old and a 9-year-old kid, and they are waiting for their dad,” said Jaspreet Caur, the uncle’s wife. “Please, please send my family back. Please return my family.”