Parents charged with murder after cops find missing toddler’s ‘burned’ remains in fire pit
The parents of a 2-year-old boy who was reported missing in California last week were charged with murder Friday after a cadaver dog found his “burned” remains in a fire pit, police said.
Thaddeus Sran, who had special needs and was non-verbal, was found dead Thursday in a farmland area near the city of Madera, where he lived with three siblings and his parents, authorities said.
The heartbreaking discovery came just a day after police said Briseida and Sukhjinder Sran stopped cooperating with the investigation. The couple had reported their child missing on July 15, telling authorities he vanished after they put him to bed around 10 p.m. the night before, according to police.
The boy’s disappearance prompted an Amber Alert and a massive search for over a week.
Thaddeus, who was born prematurely, required a feeding tube to eat and had just learned to walk, though he would mostly crawl to get around, local news outlets reported.
A possible motive for the crime is still unknown.
Madera Police Chief Dino Lawson described the place where the boy was found as some sort of “agricultural fire pit.” He said more details would be released once an autopsy has been completed.
“Our case is continuing,” he told reporters at a news conference Friday. “But as of right now, there’s some justice for little Thaddeus.”
The boy’s brother and two sisters were turned over to the state’s Child Protective Services and are “doing fine,” Lawson said.
Thaddeus’ mother has previously been investigated over the death of another child, an infant daughter who died in 2015, according to The Fresno Bee. The woman’s attorney told the paper she has since been cleared of any wrongdoing.
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