An Idaho father who allegedly abducted his 10-month-old baby after murdering his wife was admitted to hospital just hours earlier after walking around a store naked.
Jeremy Albert Best, 48, was last seen on Thursday night just before midnight and is said to be ‘heavily armed and dangerous’.
Police believe Best abducted his child Zeke Gregory Best after killing his wife Kali Jean Randall, 38, at their home in Victor, Idaho.
A relative of Randall has since revealed that she was expecting her second child at the time of her death.
Footage obtained by East Idaho News shows Best roughly 24 hours before the kidnapping, walking through the Swan Valley General store naked.
Best can be seen in the video with a cigarette in his mouth as he slouches over the store’s counter next to the cash register.
Best can be seen in the video with a cigarette in his mouth as he wanders aimlessly around the store naked
Kali Jean Randall was found unresponsive in her home in the Idaho town, and her death is being investigated as a homicide
Deputies with Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office had responded to the store and identified Best.
The outlet reported that Best was evaluated by EMS teams outside the store and was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center over mental health concerns.
It remains unclear what happened at the hospital, but a spokesperson confirmed that Best was discharged on Thursday afternoon.
Later that day, officers arrived at the home of the family to find Randall unresponsive, with her death being treated as homicide.
In a statement police said deputies were dispatched to respond to a disturbance heard over the line by the dispatcher.
An amber alert for the couple’s child was then issued at 4:30am on Friday morning, with police saying Best was last seen driving a Black 1995 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV with an Idaho license plate 1T39349.
Best is described as a 5’11 male weighing 245 pounds with brown/grey hair and green eyes. His son Zeke is described as 1’00” weighing 20 pounds.
Police believe Best abducted his child Zeke Gregory Best, seen here, who is only ten months old
Best is described as a 5’11 male weighing 245 pounds with brown/grey hair and green eyes and is said to be armed and dangerous
In a statement police said deputies were dispatched to respond to a disturbance at the family home, which was heard over the line by the dispatcher
They warned the public not to approach the ‘heavily armed’ suspect and have asked anyone with information about the suspect, vehicle or endangered child is asked to call 208-354-2323 or 911 immediately.
Meg Fischer, Randall’s cousin, told East Idaho News: ‘She was a beautiful and free spirit.
‘She was called to the mountains and made her home there. She was a lover of animals, especially her dogs.
‘Motherhood was her greatest joy and we assume she gave her life protecting her children. We love her endlessly.’
Fischer also said she was ‘shattered to share that Kali was expecting her second child’.
In a statement from the family, they said: ‘In the wake of the devastating loss of our beloved Kali and her unborn baby, our family is overwhelmed with grief and sorrow.
‘Our hearts ache, and our focus is entirely on the safe return of baby Zeke.
‘In the midst of every family’s worst nightmare, we humbly request privacy as we focus our energy on the safe return of Kali’s beloved son, Zeke.’
Zeke was born at the end of January according to Randell’s social media and was expecting her second child
Best owns a local mechanic shop in Victor, Idaho, called Jeremy’s Auto, and has been a mechanic for 20 years.
On his business website it says: ‘Meet Jeremy Best, your local mechanic and new best friend’.
Jeremy said that when not repairing cars – he’s ‘soaking up the sun on his leisure boat’ or ‘cruising the backroads with his lady, Kali, and three dogs’.
