Man on the run with baby was walking around store naked hours before wife was found dead

1 year ago 819

Published at 3:02 pm, December 1, 2023 | Updated at 3:28 pm, December 1, 2023

Video footage captures Jeremy Albert Best at Swan Valley General Store on Thursday. | Courtesy Scott Logan

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.

10-month-old Zeke Gregory Best and 48-year-old Jeremy Albert Best

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, is about 1’00”, 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.