Parents of missing Madera 2-year-old are arrested on suspicion of murder

The parents of a 2-year-old boy who was reported missing in Madera, Calif., last week have been arrested on suspicion of murder, police said Friday.

The arrest of the mother and father of Thaddeus Sran — identified as Briseida G. Sran and Sukhjinder Sran, according to the Fresno Bee — comes the day after authorities discovered the remains of a child in an agricultural area west of the city, police said.

During a news conference Friday morning, Madera Police Chief Dino Lawson said those remains have yet to be positively identified and an autopsy was scheduled later in the day. He previously said there was a “very strong possibility” that the remains were Thaddeus’.

Lawson said the remains were found in what he characterized as an “agricultural fire pit” and “were burned.”

Thaddeus was reported missing from a residence in the 800 block of South C Street on the morning of July 15 — sparking an extensive search.

Officials didn’t immediately elaborate on what led them to suspect the boy’s parents might be behind his disappearance, but police said in a statement Tuesday that they “stopped cooperating early on in the investigation.”

The couple denied that allegation in a statement released by their attorney Thursday, according to the Bee.

“We will continue to work the case but, as of right now, there’s some justice for little Thaddeus,” Lawson said.