MADERA, Calif. — The parents of a missing 2-year-old California boy with special needs were arrested Friday after a child’s charred body was found in an almond orchard just west of the city of Madera.
Sukhjinder Sran, 42, and Briseida Sran, 29, are each charged with suspicion of murdering their son, Thaddeus Sran, according to Madera police officials. Records show each is being held in the Madera County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
NBC News reported that Thaddeus is not the first Sran child to die at a very young age. The couple had an infant daughter who died in 2015, according to authorities.
Madera police Lt. Josiah Arnold told the network last week that the case of the first child’s death remains open. Police Chief Dino Lawson declined to go into detail of that case Friday, saying investigators “may be going down that road” as the investigation into Thaddeus’ death continues.
Briseida Sran is currently eight months pregnant, according to ABC30 in Fresno. Their three remaining children, a boy and two girls, have been placed in the care of Child Protective Services.
“This community’s heart has been broken,” Lawson said during a news conference held Friday afternoon. “But we’ve all pulled together as Maderans for one special goal. And that was to bring resolution to this case.”
Watch Friday’s news conference below.
Lawson said that the Srans were arrested shortly after 7 a.m. that morning. The ABC affiliate reported that they were arrested at Briseida Sran’s father’s home, about 4 miles from where the remains of the toddler were discovered.
According to neighbors, the family lived there until about two weeks before Thaddeus vanished, when they moved to a home in another neighborhood, the news station said.
“Our case is continuing. We will continue to work this case, but as of right now there’s some justice for little Thaddeus,” Lawson said.
City, state and federal searched in vain for Thaddeus, who was born prematurely, had a feeding tube and was nonverbal, after his parents reported him missing the morning of July 15. According to police, the Srans said their son had vanished sometime after they put him to bed around 10 p.m. the night before.
“He was last seen wearing a red shirt and Spiderman pants, with a diaper underneath,” police officials said on Facebook. “He is approximately 2 feet tall and weighs 30 pounds.”
Detectives immediately began investigating Thaddeus’ disappearance as a potential abduction. Madera County deputies, along with U.S. marshals and FBI agents, joined the search.
“When a child goes missing, the FBI has no higher priority than bringing that child home,” FBI Assistant Special Agent Robert Tripp said Friday.
A group of mothers, who formed their own search party, also joined the search for Thaddeus, which took on additional urgency because of his medical needs. His family at one point offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts.
“Everyone is concerned for Thaddeus’s welfare, especially since he requires specialized care that few are equipped to provide,” Lawson said July 16. “We cannot imagine what Thaddeus’s parents are going through, and all agencies involved are focused on the effort to locate Thaddeus and ensure that anyone who may be responsible for his disappearance faces justice.”
The intensive grid search for the boy ended the following day, though investigators continued to probe every lead regarding his disappearance.
The Srans stopped cooperating with authorities early in the investigation, Lawson said Tuesday.
“We are looking into a variety of tips and leads and want the public to know that we appreciate their help in this case,” the chief said in a statement that day. “Please know that there are many aspects of this investigation that we cannot comment on publicly at this time, but we will not stop looking for Thaddeus.”
Roger Nuttall, an attorney for the couple, denied the allegations that they were uncooperative in a two-page statement he released before the remains believed to belong to Thaddeus were found.
“This particular allegation is extremely troublesome to Mr. and Mrs. Sran, as well as to their extended family,” Nuttall said in the statement, which was obtained by NBC News.
Nuttall, who represented Briseida Sran when her 4-month-old daughter died in 2015, told the Fresno Bee she had been cleared in that investigation. The attorney described the infant’s death as “a tragic death of a child who had very serious medical issues.”
“No charges were filed, and we were able to show, frankly, that there was no reason for them to be held liable for anything, and in fact, they were able to reunite with the family,” Nuttall told the Bee on Thursday. “That was a baby that was premature, and she was at Valley Children’s for several months before she came home. She was in a rather very fragile condition.”
On Thursday, Lawson announced that tips and leads obtained by investigators led them to the almond orchard, where a cadaver dog found the remains of a child around 2 or 3 years old.
“We cannot at this time confirm that it’s little Thaddeus until test results are returned to confirm that,” Lawson said Thursday. “All our investigative leads (indicate) it’s a very strong possibility that it is little Thaddeus.”
Watch Thursday’s news conference below.
Lawson said Friday that Madera police detectives have worked the case tirelessly since Thaddeus was reported missing nearly two weeks ago. They now will turn the case over to prosecutors.
“We look forward to receiving the case and doing the appropriate evaluation and taking it forward as quickly and as efficiently as we can, again to continue getting justice for Thaddeus,” Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno said.