Idaho baby found dead by police one day after Amber Alert, police say father is in custody

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho baby was found dead by police on Saturday, one day after an Amber Alert was issued for him, authorities said. The baby’s father was taken into custody on an arrest warrant issued in connection with the death of his wife.

Police found the body of 10-month-old Zeke Best about 24 miles (39 kilometers) east of Idaho Falls after a hunter called to report a man in a sleeping bag on the side of the road. The man was identified as Jeremy Albert Best and was wanted in the alert issued Friday on suspicion of kidnapping the child in Teton County, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office said.

Officers located Best’s car in an embankment off the road and found the baby dead at the scene, the office said in a news release. Idaho State Police and the FBI were among the agencies processing the scene, authorities said. The investigation is ongoing.

The man was also wanted as part of an investigation into the death of his wife, Kali Jean Randall, whose body was found in her Victor residence on Thursday. The Teton County Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page Randall’s death was being investigated as a homicide.

Best was being held in Bonneville County Jail and will remain in custody until his arraignment, authorities said. When reached by phone Saturday evening, the jail could not confirm whether a defense attorney who could speak on his behalf had been assigned to his case.