Missing Central Valley 2-Year-Old Special Needs Boy Found Dead; Parents Arrested For Murder
MADERA, Madera County (AP) — The parents of a two-year-old missing boy were arrested Friday on suspicion of murder, a day after police found the remains of a child believed to be those of the boy in a remote area outside the central California city of Madera, authorities said.
Briseida Sran and Sukhjinder Sran were arrested in connection with the death of their son Thaddeus, who was born prematurely and had a feeding tube. He was non-verbal and required special care, the Fresno Bee reported.
The couple's attorney, Roger Nuttall, could not immediately be reached Friday for comment.
The body of a boy between 2 and 3 years old was discovered Thursday after a tip led detectives to a remote area outside the city.
Detectives aided by a cadaver dog found the remains that appeared to be burned in an agricultural fire pit. An autopsy was expected Friday.
Police have declined to comment on a cause of death or motive. The investigation is ongoing.
"As of right now, there's some justice for little Thaddeus," police Chief Dino Lawson.said.
The boy's parents reported him missing on July 15. They told police they had last seen him when they put him to bed on July 14.
On Wednesday, Lawson said the parents had stopped cooperating with the investigation. He said the Madera County Department of Social Services has taken custody of the couple's other children.
Nuttall, the Srans' attorney, told the newspaper earlier this week they were still cooperating with police and denied any involvement in the boy's disappearance.
Nuttall said he also represented the boy's mother during an investigation into the 2015 death of an infant daughter. He provided few details of those allegations and described the case as "a tragic death of a child who had very serious medical issues."
© Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
