Photo: Medford Police
The body of a 2-year-old boy believed to be a missing Oregon toddler whose parents died last week in an apparent murder-suicide has been found in a remote area of Montana, authorities said.
The body has yet to be positively identified as that of Aiden Salcido, but it was discovered in the same area where witnesses saw his parents, Hannah Janiak and Daniel Salcido, days earlier, the Medford Police Department of Oregon said in anews release.
The cause and manner of death will not be disclosed until an autopsy can be conducted next week in Montana.
Aiden Salcido.Medford Police
Janiak and Salcido were reported missing on June 11, the same day Janiak was scheduled to begin serving a sentence at the Jackson County Jail for criminal convictions stemming from a 2018 burglary.
She did not show up, prompting investigators to search through her financial records. In doing so, they found her last activity was June 3 and 4, when she and Salcido purchased camping equipment at a local Walmart. Surveillance video captured the purchases, and images of Janiak, Salcido and Aiden together.
A felony warrant was issued June 24 for Janiak’s arrest in connection with the burglary, while Salcido received one on July 25 for the same crimes.
Police said the trio’s family became concerned for their welfare after they fell off the grid.
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Family described Hannah as a “good mother” to police but noted she suffered from mental health issues and that the three were homeless, often camping along the greenway in Medford.
Officers believed the two were lying about their identities, and during the stop, their 1996 GMC Jimmy fled, leading officers on a pursuit that ended when they spiked the car’s tires.
Upon approaching the vehicle, officers saw both occupants dead: Janiak of a gunshot wound to the head, and Salcido of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Aiden was not with his parents in the car, and police found no evidence of a child having been in the vehicle.
“The Medford Police Department would like to express condolences to our local families of those involved and we appreciate the cooperation that we received,” the department said in a statement. “The Medford Police Department would also like to express gratitude to our local media for quickly disseminating this story in an effort to locate Aiden.”
source: people.com
