Gurinder Gill was arrested on murder charges after detectives exposed holes in his claim that ICE had detained his missing wife.
Jasmine Gill, 30, a registered nurse and mother to an 8-month-old son, was last seen at her Sacramento home on Sept. 30. Her cousin reported her missing four days later on Oct. 4, launching a search that would quickly center on the man closest to her.
Gurinder Gill, her husband, initially told Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office investigators that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had taken Jasmine into custody while she was checking the mail at their residence. Detectives almost immediately found problems with that story.
“As the investigation progressed, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office detectives identified several inconsistencies in Gurinder’s statements about his wife’s disappearance,” the department said in a statement last week.
The couple’s private troubles soon surfaced. Investigators uncovered that Jasmine and Gurinder were locked in an ongoing divorce and child custody battle, adding motive and context to the case.
The break in the case came from outside Sacramento County. On Oct. 1, burned human remains were discovered in neighboring El Dorado County. Authorities later confirmed the remains belonged to Jasmine.
Homicide detectives obtained a murder arrest warrant for Gurinder Gill following that identification. He was taken into custody on Oct. 14 and is being held without bail at the Sacramento County Main Jail.
Jasmine’s family described her as following her mother’s path into nursing and working to build a new life. Her mother had raised Jasmine and her brother in India as a single parent while working full-time as a nurse, making what the family called “countless sacrifices to give her children a better future.”
“Jasmine lost her father at a young age. Jasmine’s mother, a single mother, worked full-time as a nurse in India while raising Jasmine and her brother, making countless sacrifices to give her children a better future,” the family said in a statement.
She came to the United States and established herself as a registered nurse, but her marriage had deteriorated. At the time of her disappearance, she was trying to secure freedom for herself and her infant son.
“Before she could build that future, Jasmine was murdered, leaving behind the very child she was fighting so hard to protect,” the family added.
The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign with three goals: returning Jasmine’s remains to India, supporting her infant son, and covering legal costs associated with the case.
“We cannot bring Jasmine back. We cannot restore the future she deserved or take away her family’s grief,” the statement read.
Gurinder Gill remains in custody without bail as the case proceeds.