Parents of Madera boy who went missing arrested on suspicion of murder, police say
The search for a missing 2-year-old Madera toddler ended this week with his parents behind bars, accused by police of murder in connection with his disappearance and suspected death.
Thaddeus Sran was reported missing July 15, but Madera police detectives on Thursday said they recovered charred human remains they believe to be the toddler.
Speaking at a news conference Friday morning, Madera Police Chief Dino Lawson said the parents, Briseida G. Sran and Sukhjinder Sran, were taken into custody on a warrant charging them both with murder.
The child last was seen alive late on July 14 at a home in the 800 block of C Street in Madera, police said.
Roger T. Nuttall, the couple’s veteran defense attorney, said he firmly believes his clients had nothing to do with the child’s disappearance or alleged death.
“I was just shocked by all of this,” Nuttall said. “I’m personally unaware of any evidence that would implicate them at this point.”
Police have declined to comment on any suspected cause of death or possible motives for the disappearance and alleged slaying. Lawson confirmed the remains police recovered this week in a remote area outside the city “were burned.”
An autopsy was scheduled Friday afternoon, but details of the coroner’s findings were not available.
The investigation continued over the weekend.
“But as of right now, there’s some justice for little Thaddeus,” Lawson told reporters.
Madera police Lt. Josiah Arnold said the couple’s three other children were turned over to Child Protective Services.
“This community’s heart (has) been broken over this case, but we’ve all pulled together as Maderans for one special goal, and that was to bring resolution to this case,” Lawson said. “My heart goes out to Thaddeus. My heart goes out to his brother and his sisters, and, today, we will have some justice for them.”
Couple came under police scrutiny after disappearance
In the hours after the child first was reported missing, police said his parents had put him to bed late on the evening of July 14 at the family’s new home on C Street in Madera. The following morning, police said, Thaddeus was missing.
Police initially said they were handling the case as a possible abduction. But, in the days that followed, detectives began looking at the Srans as suspects in the probe, though police have not elaborated on the investigation.
Two days before the remains were found, Madera police said the child’s parents had stopped cooperating with investigators, an allegation the couple’s attorney strenuously denied. Nuttall said he held a news conference late Friday afternoon, in part, to dispel those claims from the Madera Police Department.
“Their family was getting death threats based upon the media having attributed that to law enforcement,” he said.
Nuttall said Briseida was taken to a local hospital after her arrest for an examination. He said she is pregnant and due to give birth in a few weeks.
He described the Madera couple as loving parents, who were shocked to learn police considered them suspects in their child’s alleged slaying.
The search and subsequent criminal probe led by the Madera police detectives involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.
Robert Tripp, assistant special agent in charge with the FBI, said the Bureau has “no higher priority” than finding missing children.
Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno said her office would evaluate the case once they receive the file from police detectives.
Mother was investigated in 2015 for daughter’s death
The child’s mother, Briseida G. Sran, was cleared from an investigation into the 2015 death of an infant daughter, her attorney said in an interview with The Bee. Nuttall also represented the family during the 2015 case.
Lawson on Friday said it was still too early to say whether detectives would reopen the 2015 investigation.
Nuttall described the 2015 case as the “tragic death of a child who had very serious medical issues.”
“That was a baby that was premature, and she was at Valley Children’s for several months before she came home,” the defense attorney said. “She was in a rather very fragile condition.”
Madera police noted early on during their search for Thaddeus that he also was born prematurely and required special care. Thaddeus used a feeding tube to eat, was non-verbal, and had only recently learned to walk.
Nuttall said prosecutors couldn’t establish any wrongdoing by the parents in the 2015 case.
“It was one of those crib deaths,” he said. “It was a very, very awful time for them.”
But 2015 was not the last time the family faced scrutiny. The family also was investigated in 2019 in connection with Thaddeus, according to a government source who spoke with The Bee on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.
Details of the investigation were not immediately clear.
The case was closed in January, and Thaddeus was allowed to remain with his parents, the source said.
Deborah Martinez, director of the Madera County Department of Social Services, didn’t return requests for comment this week.
Scott Murray, a spokesman with the California Department of Social Services, said that authorities couldn’t confirm or deny the existence of any cases of alleged child abuse or neglect without a court order.
The couple remained in custody over the weekend. It was unclear whether bail amounts had been set.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 11:03 AM.
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