A Sacramento man is charged with murdering his wife after telling police that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had taken her from their home — a claim investigators say was fabricated and that ICE itself denied.
Gurinder Gill, 28, faces a murder charge in the death of his wife, Jasmine Gill, a 30-year-old nurse born in India and the mother of their 8-month-old child. The two were in the middle of a divorce and a custody dispute at the time she disappeared, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Jasmine Gill was last seen on Sept. 30. Her cousin reported her missing on Oct. 4. When detectives questioned Gurinder Gill about where his wife had gone, he told them ICE agents had arrested her while she was outside bringing in the mail at their Sacramento home.
Sheriff’s investigators checked the story with ICE directly.
“Detectives contacted ICE, which confirmed that no enforcement activity had occurred at the residence,” said Sgt. Edward Igoe, a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
By the time detectives debunked the claim, investigators in neighboring El Dorado County had already found burned and buried remains roughly 70 miles from the Gills’ home, discovered on Oct. 1 — before Gurinder Gill ever gave his account of ICE taking his wife. The remains were later confirmed to be Jasmine Gill’s.
Igoe said detectives caught multiple inconsistencies in Gurinder Gill’s statements as the investigation moved forward. Deputies arrested him on Oct. 14 and searched two homes connected to him. He is being held without bail.
A GoFundMe set up for Jasmine Gill’s family says she was born in India, where her mother still lives, and that she became a registered nurse to follow in her mother’s footsteps. The fund, which has raised more than $21,000, is intended to help return her remains to her mother and support her son.
“She was fighting for a better future for herself and her baby,” the campaign states. “She was seeking a divorce. She was trying to find the freedom, safety, and fresh start they both deserved. Tragically, before she could build that future, Jasmine was murdered, leaving behind the very child she was fighting so hard to protect.”
The case is a reminder of how quickly official-sounding claims about federal enforcement can be invoked and must be checked — in this instance, a direct call to ICE closed the door on the story within days.
