Missing non-verbal toddler Thaddeus Sran's remains found in California orchard as parents 'stop cooperating'
MADERA, CALIFORNIA: The parents of a two-year-old missing child, Thaddeus Sran, were arrested on Friday, July 24, on suspicion of murder. Thaddeus had been reported missing nine days prior to the parent's arrest. Their arrest follows reports of the police finding the remains of a child who is believed to be the missing child. The Madera Police Department had said they had discovered remains of a toddler on early Thursday, July 23, at a remote farming area outside the city of Madera, California.
The child's parents, Brisieida Sran and Sukhjinder Sran, had been arrested in connection with the death of Thaddeus who had been born prematurely and had a feeding tube. Thaddeus was non-verbal and needed special care, the Fresno Bee reported. The body of what seems to be a two-year-old child was found after a tip led the authorities to an almond orchard west of the city, reported ABC30 Fresno.
According to detectives, who had been accompanied by a cadaver dog had found the remains which appeared to be burned in an agricultural fire pit. As per CBS local, police chief Dino Lawson said, "As of right now, there’s some justice for little Thaddeus." Thaddeus was last seen alive on July 14 while at a home in the 800 Block of C Street in Madera, the police revealed. Lawson had confirmed that the remains that the police had recovered this week "were burned".
"This community’s heart (has) been broken over this case, but we’ve all pulled together as Maderans for one special goal, and that was to bring resolution to this case. My heart goes out to Thaddeus, my heart goes out to his brother and his sisters, and today, we will have some justice for them," Fresno Bee quoted Lawson as saying.
The case had become complicated after Wednesday, July 22, as the Madera police revealed that the boy's parents had stopped cooperating with the investigation into their son's disappearance. The city police issued a press release and said, "Unfortunately, Thaddeus’ parents stopped cooperating early on in the investigation. We believe their assistance, in this case, would be helpful. We are hopeful that they will resume cooperating with Madera Police Department detectives."
However, the lawyers for the parents have said the family had stopped talking to the police over accusatory questioning. Attorney Roger Nuttall shared a two-page statement with Oxygen and said, "In light of what had apparently become the accusatory nature of the interrogation of this couple, I advised them in no uncertain terms to cease speaking with law enforcement without the presence of their attorney."
We had earlier reported that multiple agencies had assisted with the search for Thaddeus, including the FBI, US Marshals, and the Madera County Sheriff's Department, Madera Police Chief Dino Lawson said during a press conference on Wednesday. Chief Lawson had also said, "Time isn't on our side right now. It could be that he got out of the house, it could be that he was abducted. Everything is on the table. We're looking at everything and we're leaving no stone unturned."
"Everyone is concerned for Thaddeus’s welfare, especially since he requires specialized care that few are equipped to provide. 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," Lawson added.