An Idaho infant allegedly abducted by his murder suspect father has been tragically found dead days after his mother was killed at her home, police said.
Zeke Best, who was just 10-months-old, was allegedly abducted by his father Jeremy Albert Best, 48, on Thursday, the same day the infant’s mother was found dead.
Earlier that day, Best was bizarrely seen walking through a store completely naked, but was released from mental health screening hours before allegedly murdering his wife and Zeke’s mother Kali Jean Randall, 38.
After her body was discovered Thursday evening, an urgent manhunt was issued for the child and his ‘heavily armed and dangerous’ father. The search ended in tragedy on Saturday morning as Zeke was found deceased by the side of a road, near to his father, who was alive.
Officers made the discovery after two hunters found a man ‘naked and making odd statements’ in a sleeping bag by the side of the road, who was quickly identified as Best.
Near an embankment by the road, deputies with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office searched his car and reportedly found the infant dead. No cause of death has been released.
Ten-month-old baby Zeke Best was allegedly abducted by his father on Thursday, and was tragically found dead by the side of a road on Saturday near to his father, who was alive
Kali Jean Randall, 38, was the mother of the 10-month-old and married to the baby’s father Jeremy Best, police told Dailymail.com
The baby’s father, Jeremy Albert Best, 48, described as ‘heavily armed and dangerous’, allegedly shot the infant’s mother Kali Jean Randall dead on Thursday before abducting Zeke
The tragic discovery came around 9:15am on Saturday morning in Idaho Falls, Idaho, roughly 36 hours after the child’s mother, who was also believed to be pregnant, was found dead.
Best, who was being sought on suspicion of homicide by the Teton County Sheriff’s Office, was detained at the scene until he could be treated for injuries. It is unclear what these injuries were.
The murder suspect’s black Chevy SUV was found nearby in an embankment, and their search led them to find the deceased child. It is not clear if Zeke was inside the vehicle at the time.
Multiple law enforcement agencies including the FBI are currently investigating the scene, and Best has since been booked into the Bonneville County Jail.
Bonneville County Coroner Rick Taylor told EastIdahoNews that a cause of death is yet to be determined, and his body is scheduled to be taken to Boise for forensic autopsy.
The tragic saga began on Thursday, when Best was bizarrely seen walking through the Swan Valley general Store completely naked.
Best was seen slouching on the store’s counter by a cash register, and was hauled out of the building by several people after trying to grab a cigarette.
Deputies from Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office were called after reports of the disturbance at the general store, and he was taken to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for psychological evaluation.
Footage appears to show a completely naked Best wandering through the Swan Valley general Store on Thursday, hours before his son was abducted
Despite his erratic behavior, Best was released the same day – with his pregnant wife found dead in their home later in the evening
Zeke was found by the side of the road at around 9:15am on Saturday morning, near to where his murder suspect father was seen by hunters ‘naked and making odd statements’
Kali Jean Randall was found unresponsive in her home on Thursday, and her death is being investigated as a homicide
Despite his erratic behavior, Best was released the same day – with the kidnapping occurring just hours after the initial incident at the store.
At around 11:40pm that day, the Teton County Sheriff’s Office says it received an open line 911 call from the Best home. It is not clear if Randall was the one who made the 911 call.
On the call the dispatcher says they heard arguing on the line, and sent deputies to the residence. Upon their arrival, the deputies found Randall unresponsive.
Her death is currently being investigated by the Sheriff’s Office and the Idaho State Police as a homicide.
Police say Best abducted Zeke and went on the run after killing his pregnant wife, and before Saturday morning’s arrest he had not been seen since Thursday evening.
An amber alert had been issued at around 4am on Friday, sending law enforcement across Idaho scrambling to find the missing infant.
Best has since been booked on a homicide warrant, and will remain behind bars until his arraignment.
An amber alert for the couple’s child was issued at 4:30am Friday morning, just over 24 hours after Zeke’s body was found
Randall’s body was found on Thursday evening after a 911 dispatcher heard arguing over the phone and sent deputies. It is not clear if Randall had made the call
Zeke was born at the end of January, and Randall is believed to have been pregnant at the time of her death on Thursday
After the discovery of Zeke’s body, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement the department’s ‘thoughts are with the family of the victims involved in this case.’
‘Further information about this case will be available at an appropriate time in the future as the investigation is still ongoing,’ the statement said.