They were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood (from left): Jasleen Kaur (27), Jasdeep Singh (36), Aroohi Dheri (8 months), and Amandeep Singh (39).

DLNews Crime:

The daughter was only eight months.

They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time - and had to die because of it...

Terrible crime in the US state of California: Four family members - including a baby - were found dead in the Central Valley on Wednesday. The eight-month-old child's parents, daughter, and uncle were kidnapped two days earlier.

Sheriff Vern Warnke told the media at a news conference that the bodies of the three adults and the infant were discovered Wednesday in an orchard in Merced County, southeast of San Francisco. The motive was initially unclear.

Police identified family members as eight-month-old Aroohi Dheri, her mother Jasleen Kaur, 27, father Jasdeep Singh, 36, and uncle Amandeep Singh, 39.

Surveillance cameras recorded on Monday how the family of four was threatened by a man at gunpoint in their trucking company in the city of Merced (southeast of Sacramento).

The gunman ties up the two men, forcing them to get into a truck. Then, he drives away, comes back a short time later, and causes the mother with the baby in her arms to go towards the back of the car.

The family had been reported missing after Amandeep Singh's truck was found burning around 21 kilometers north of Merced on Monday morning.

Jesus Manuel Salgado (48) is under strong suspicion of having murdered the family

The alleged perpetrator: The criminal and mentally ill Jesus Manuel Salgado (48). He was arrested on Tuesday. Shortly before, he tried to kill himself in his house near the kidnapping scene. According to police, Salgado was sedated with medication at the hospital. Relatives of his had alerted the police after he told them he was involved in the kidnapping.

There is no word to describe the anger I feel and the futility of this incident," the sheriff said. "I've said there's a special place in hell for this guy — and I mean it."

Authorities did not provide further information on Salgado's relationship with the family. The sheriff said investigators planned to question him earlier in the day, but he became violent every time he regained consciousness.