Man on the run with baby was walking around store naked hours before wife was found dead
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SWAN VALLEY — A man accused of kidnapping his 10-month-old son walked into a store naked Thursday and was admitted to the hospital for mental health issues. That night, his wife was found dead at a Victor home.
Jeremy Albert Best, 48, is on the run after police say he abducted his infant son, Zeke Gregory Best. An Amber Alert was issued Friday morning for the baby, who is believed to be in imminent danger. Best, a mechanic who works in Victor, is considered “heavily armed and dangerous.”
EastIdahoNews.com has learned that around noon on Thursday, Best had a run-in with law enforcement in Swan Valley.
Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a disturbance at the Swan Valley General Store regarding a nude man who walking through the business. Deputies identified the man as Best, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
Video of the incident, sent to EastIdahoNews.com, shows a fully-naked Best slouching on the store’s counter next to the cash register and grabbing a cigarette before he is escorted outside of the building by several people.
He was evaluated by EMS on scene and taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center by ambulance, according to the news release. A deputy followed the ambulance, and Best was turned over to hospital staff for further medical and mental health concerns.
It’s not clear what happened at the hospital, but EIRMC spokeswoman Coleen Neimann confirms Best was discharged Thursday afternoon.
The Teton County Sheriff’s Office has not released any new details about what happened between the hospital and a 911 call received by the Teton County Sheriff’s Office around 11:40 p.m. from a home at 4600 Skyline Loop in Victor. The dispatcher heard a disturbance on the line, and deputies went to the house.
When they arrived, Kali Jean Randall, 38, was found dead. Randall was Best’s wife, and her death is being investigated as a homicide.
Best is believed to have left the home with Zeke, and their location is unknown, investigators say.
Best is white, 5’11”, weighs 245 pounds, has brown hair that is graying, green eyes and a graying beard. He is driving a 1995 black Chevy Tahoe with Idaho license plate number 1T39349.
Zeke is white and weighs about 20 pounds.
Anyone with information on the suspect or child is asked to call 911.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office says it will not be making any further comment at this time and is helping the agencies involved in the ongoing investigation in Teton County.
Statement from Kali Randall’s Family
Meg Fischer, Randall’s cousin, tells EastIdahoNews.com that Randall was “beautiful and free spirit.”
“She was called to the mountains and made her home there. She was a lover of animals, especially her dogs,” says Fischer. “Motherhood was her greatest joy and we assume she gave her life protecting her children. We love her endlessly.”
Fischer says Randall was from Appleton, Wisconsin and worked as a silversmith. Fischer says she is “shattered to share that Kali was expecting her second child.”
Fischer shared a statement on behalf of the family:
“In the wake of the devastating loss of our beloved Kali and her unborn baby, our family is overwhelmed with grief and sorrow. Our hearts ache, and our focus is entirely on the safe return of baby Zeke. In the midst of every family’s worst nightmare, we humbly request privacy as we focus our energy on the safe return of Kali’s beloved son, Zeke.”
