Investigators say Jasmine Aujla Gill’s burned remains were found in El Dorado County after she went missing from Sacramento; husband faces a murder charge
Sacramento (California), October 19: A 30-year-old woman of Punjabi origin, Jasmine Aujla Gill, has been found murdered in California, with her husband arrested on a murder charge following an investigation into her disappearance, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Jasmine was last seen at her Sacramento residence on September 30. Her cousin reported her missing on October 4, four days after human remains were discovered in El Dorado County. Forensic examination subsequently identified the remains as those of Jasmine, whose body had been burned.
During the initial investigation, her husband, Gurinder Gill, allegedly told detectives that officers from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency had taken her into custody while she was checking the mail outside their home.
However, investigators contacted ICE, which confirmed that no enforcement activity had taken place at the residence, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
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Detectives subsequently identified inconsistencies in Gurinder’s account of his wife’s disappearance
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Investigators also learnt that the couple had been involved in an ongoing divorce and child custody dispute
Following the investigation, homicide detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Gurinder. He was arrested on October 14, and officers executed search warrants at two residences associated with him.
Gurinder was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on a murder charge and is being held without bail, according to the sheriff’s office. The investigation is continuing.
The case has drawn attention to the circumstances surrounding the death of an Indian-origin woman living in the United States. The allegations against Gurinder remain subject to the judicial process.
Jasmine’s disappearance had initially prompted a missing-person investigation before the discovery and identification of the burned remains led authorities to treat the case as a homicide.
