Nearly a month after Indian-origin Jasmine Gill, 30, was allegedly murdered by her husband and her burnt remains were discovered around 70 miles away from her Sacramento residence in the California, US, her family in Punjab’s Ludhiana have made an emotional appeal to US and Indian authorities for custody of her eight-month-old son, Jugad.“My daughter’s life revolved around the baby. Despite daily harassment, she dedicated herself to raising him and sent me his videos every day. My daughter’s heart is still beating inside her son. Oh ohdi aakhri nishaani hai (He is her last sign of remembrance). I want to hug him and feel my daughter in him,” says her mother Sukhwinder Kaur Aujla, 62.“We don’t know even whether killed before being set on fire or burnt alive. Her soul won’t be at peace until her baby reaches her family,” she says, urging the Indian and Punjab governments to intervene with US authorities.“Her baby is in foster care. He needs his immediate family’s affection. His mother is gone and father is in jail,” says Jasmine’s brother, Ludhiana-based poet Paash Azaad.The family has written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking the return of Jasmine’s remains to India for last rites and Jugad’s custody.In his letter to Modi, the family seeks consular and diplomatic assistance, help with travel and visa to pursue legal proceedings and seek lawful contact, custody or guardianship, and coordination with US authorities to have Jasmine’s maternal family considered for the child’s care. They also seek a thorough investigation and the strictest lawful punishment, if guilt is established. In this old photo, little Jasmine is seen in her fathers arms.A nursing graduate of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Ludhiana, Jasmine Kaur Aulakh moved to Canada in 2018, qualified as a registered nurse, obtained permanent residency and worked in Toronto. She married US-based nurse practitioner Gurinder Singh Gill in Jagraon, Ludhiana, on March 11, 2024, in an arranged marriage facilitated by a relative, her brother says. She moved to California after marriage, and Jugad was born on February 9 this year.Story continues below this adJasmine was last seen at her Sacramento home on September 30. Police found burnt human remains the following day, later identified as hers by homicide detectives.On October 16, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said Gurinder had been arrested and charged with murder, after inconsistencies emerged in his account of her disappearance.He allegedly claimed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had taken Jasmine into custody while she was checking took Jasmine while she checked the mail. ICE confirmed no enforcement activity had occurred at the residence. Detectives also found the couple were involved in an ongoing divorce and child custody dispute. Gurinder was arrested on October 14 and is ineligible for bail, the statement said.“Her husband claimed ICE agents took her away, although she had 4 years left on her valid US visa. He lied repeatedly. For two years, she faced endless harassment from him and his family,” Paash alleges.Story continues below this adJasmine last visited India during Raksha Bandhan last year. Her family had seen Jugad only through video and hoped she would return with him.Paash alleges Jasmine had decided to leave her husband because the harassment continued. She looked forward to starting a new life with her son, around whom her world revolved. He further alleges that her husband and in-laws did not support her during childbirth and that she underwent a C-section alone.“From the beginning, they wanted complete control over her finances and insisted on a joint bank account with her husband,” he says.Gurinder’s native village, Dala in Moga district, has passed a resolution condemning the alleged murder, and demanding the strictest punishment, he adds.Story continues below this adJasmine’s father Jagtar Singh Aulakh, died in 2001. Her mother raised both children while working as a nurse at DMCH.“We want to raise and love our grandson as loved Jasmine. I want his full custody and to see my daughter’s soul in her baby,” Sukhwinder says. The family launched an online campaign “Justice for Jasmine”, public support for its custody appeal.