Authorities in Idaho are investigating after a man allegedly killed his pregnant wife on Thursday at their home and then kidnapped their 10-month-old son. The boy, Zeke Gregory Best, was found dead Saturday in a black Chevy SUV with his naked father nearby, deputies said.
The tragic situation began just before noon Thursday when the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office was called to the Swan Valley General Store after a man, later identified as Jeremy Albert Best, was naked and walking through the store, according to a press release. Video obtained by EastIdahoNews.com showed the man identified as Best slumped over a counter before being escorted out of the store. An ambulance took Best to a hospital for medical and mental health concerns, deputies said.
He was not arrested. A hospital spokesperson told EastIdahoNews.com that Best was later discharged. Authorities said they later arrested Best Saturday and found Zeke’s body after hunters spotted the defendant nude on the side of a road.
Around 11:40 p.m. Thursday, the Teton County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call where dispatchers heard a “disturbance” over the line, a press release said. Deputies responded to the home in the 4600 block of Skyline Loop in the city of Victor, which is near the Idaho-Wyoming border, and found a woman later identified as Kali Jean Randall, 38, “non-responsive.” First responders pronounced her dead on scene and consider her death a homicide, deputies said.
Jeremy Best, left, is accused of murdering his wife and kidnapping their 10-month-old son Zeke Best in Idaho. The boy was later found dead and his father naked nearby. Hours before Best is accused of killing his wife and kidnapping his son, he was found walking around a store naked. (Teton County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities issued an Amber Alert for Zeke after his father allegedly kidnapped him. They issued a murder warrant for Best’s arrest and said he was “armed and very dangerous.”
Around 9:17 a.m. Saturday, some hunters east of Idaho Falls called the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office after they saw a man in a sleeping bag on the side of the road.
“The caller stated the man was naked and making odd statements,” a press release said.
Deputies found the man and identified him as Best before arresting him. Authorities said they located Best’s black SUV nearby off the road and down in embankment. They found Zeke dead inside. Deputies did not release the baby’s cause and manner of death.
“Our thoughts are with the family of the victims involved in this case,” the Bonneville Sheriff’s Office said.
Best is at the Bonneville County Jail without bond on the warrant for his wife’s murder. Authorities have not given a motive.
Randall was pregnant with her second child, her cousin Meg Fischer told EastIdahoNews.com.
“She was called to the mountains and made her home there. She was a lover of animals, especially her dogs,” Fischer said. “Motherhood was her greatest joy and we assume she gave her life protecting her children. We love her endlessly.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
