Four kidnapped family members found dead in US state California

SAN FRANCISCO-- Four kidnapped members of a family in Merced County, in the US state of California, were found dead, the county sheriff said Wednesday night.

"Tonight, our worst fears have been confirmed," Merced County Sheriff Vernon Warnke said at a news conference. "We found the four people from the kidnapping, and they are in fact deceased."

A farm worker discovered the bodies, said Warnke.

The victims are 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her parents 27-year-old Jasleen Kaur and 36-year-old Jasdeep Singh, and her 39-year-old uncle Amandeep Singh. They were taken against their will on Monday from a business on South Highway 59, according to the sheriff's office.

The suspect, Jesus Manuel Salgado, 48, was arrested Tuesday after using the missing family's ATM card at a bank that morning, the sheriff's office said, adding that he was unconscious after a suicide attempt.

Warnke said investigators are still trying to determine the motive behind the kidnapping.