An Idaho toddler who was allegedly kidnapped by his suspected father was tragically found dead in her home days after his mother was murdered, police said.
Zeke Best, who was just 10 months old, was allegedly kidnapped 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 evaluation hours before his wife and Zeke’s mother Kali Jean Randall, 38, were found dead.
After her body was discovered on Thursday evening, an urgent manhunt was launched for the child and her “heavily armed and dangerous” father. The search ended in tragedy Saturday morning when Zeke was found dead on the side of the road near his living father.
Officers made the discovery after two hunters found a man “naked and making strange statements” in a sleeping bag on the side of the road, who was quickly identified as Best.
Near an embankment on the road, deputies with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office searched his car and reportedly found the dead toddler inside. No cause of death was announced.
Ten-month-old baby Zeke Best was allegedly kidnapped by his father on Thursday and tragically found dead on the side of the road near his living father on Saturday
The baby’s father, Jeremy Albert Best, 48, described as “heavily armed and dangerous,” allegedly shot the child’s mother, Kali Jean Randall, on Thursday before kidnapping Zeke
Kali Jean Randall, 38, was the mother of the 10-month-old child and married to the baby’s father, Jeremy Best, police told
The tragic discovery occurred around 9:15 a.m. Saturday morning in Idaho Falls, Idaho, approximately 36 hours after the child’s mother, who was also believed to be pregnant, was found dead.
Best, who was wanted by the Teton County Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of murder, was held at the scene until his injuries could be treated. It is unclear what injuries occurred.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are currently investigating the crime scene and Best has since been booked into the Bonneville County Jail.
Kali Jean Randall was found lifeless in her home on Thursday and her death is being investigated as a homicide
An Amber Alert for the couple’s child was issued at 4:30 a.m. Friday morning, just over 24 hours after Zeke’s body was found
The tragic saga began on Thursday when Best walked completely naked through the Swan Valley General Store.
Officers from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office were called to reports of a disturbance at the convenience store and taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for a psychological evaluation.
Despite his erratic behavior, he was apparently released the same day – the kidnapping occurred just hours after the first incident in the store.
Before Zeke’s body was found Saturday morning, Best was last seen Thursday evening.
Randall was found that evening at her home in Victor, Idaho, shortly after the Teton County Sheriff’s Office said they received an open 911 call from a residence at 11:39 p.m.
In a statement, police said deputies were dispatched to respond to a disturbance the dispatcher heard over the line. When they arrived, they found an unresponsive female subject, later identified as Randall.
Her death is currently being investigated as a homicide by the Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police.
Zeke was born in late January, according to Randell’s social media
Following the discovery of Zeke’s body, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the department’s thoughts were with the family of the victims involved in this case.
“Further information on this case will be available in due course as the investigation is ongoing,” the statement said.