Missing 2-Year-Old’s Parents Arrested for Murder of Their Own Child
The parents of a missing 2-year-old California toddler have been arrested on suspicion of murder of their own child, police said Friday.
They were arrested at around seven in the morning at a home at 3300 block of Winter Way in the California City of Madera.
Briseida Sran and Sukhjinder Sran, parents of Thaddeus Sran, were arrested the day after authorities found the remains of a toddler in an agricultural area west of the city, said a report from Fresno Bee.
In a news conference Friday morning, Madera Police Chief Dino Lawson said the remains that they found have yet to be identified as Thaddeus' but said previously that there is a "very strong possibility" that it is indeed the child they are looking for. An autopsy on the remains was scheduled later that day.
Lawson said the remains were found in what he described as a "fire pit" and "were burned", reported Los Angeles Times.
The child went missing July 15 after disappearing from their home at 800 block of South C Street in Madera. His disappearance sparked a widespread search.
According to the parents, the child went missing after being put to bed on Tuesday, July 14.
Metro UK reported that Thaddeus was born premature and needed a tube to be fed. He was also non-verbal and had only learned how to walk recently.
Police, knowing this, grew worried over the safety of the child but tried to keep an open mind. They knew that time the child's condition did not make time on their side.
It could be that the child got out of the house or was abducted. "Everything is on the table. We're looking at everything and we're leaving no stone unturned," Lawson said.
The couple's attorney could not be reach immediately for comment, according to CBS San Francisco.
Parents Did Not Cooperate
The officers did not explain at first what led them to think the boy's parents were behind the disappearance but the police said they "stopped cooperating early on in the investigation."
The police were quoted in a Fox News article saying, "We believe their assistance, in this case, would be helpful." They hoped the parents would continue to work with them in solving the case.
The couple denied their less than cooperative attitude during the early parts of the investigation through a statement released by their lawyer Thursday.
Through their lawyer, the couple claimed that no further effort was made by law enforcers to speak with them about the case. But the police stood by their statement.
Another Child Died in 2015
The couple also had an infant daughter who died in 2015.
"We will continue to work the case but, as of right now, there's some justice for little Thaddeus," Lawson said.
According to neighbors, the Srans just moved a few weeks ago.
The police did not comment on possible motives for the disappearance and alleged slaying and the investigation still remains in progress.
The department said they have reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to ask for assistance on the case.
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