In early December 2023, an Amber Alert was issued in eastern Idaho for 10‑month-old Zeke Best after law enforcement discovered the body of his mother, Kali Randall, at the family home in Victor. The alert described Zeke’s father, Jeremy Best, as a suspect, and warned he might be armed and dangerous. Authorities mobilized across counties, deploying search teams, checkpoints, and public appeals for sightings, hoping first for the child’s safe return.

About 36 hours later — on the morning of Dec. 2 — a group of hunters alerted police to a naked man in a sleeping bag by a rural road east of Idaho Falls. The man matched the description of Jeremy Best.Deputies found his vehicle down an embankment nearby, and tragically, they discovered Zeke’s body near the scene. The child was pronounced dead — putting a devastating end to the search and transforming the case into a homicide investigation.

Authorities determined that the case involved more than a missing‑child scenario — it appeared to be a familicide. A grand jury in Teton County indicted Jeremy Best on multiple counts of first-degree murder: for the deaths of his wife, his unborn child, and Zeke Best. Prosecutors described the act as among the “most horrific crimes committed in Teton County in recent history.”

Best’s early interactions with law enforcement raised serious red flags. Hours before the killings, deputies had responded to a disturbance after he was seen wandering naked inside a general store in Swan Valley. He was taken to a hospital for a mental‑health evaluation. The regional hospital discharged him later that day — and that same night, his wife was found fatally shot at their home. Authorities quickly issued the Amber Alert when they discovered the murder and realized Zeke was missing.

When hunters spotted him on the rural road, Best was behaving incoherently. According to deputies, he made odd statements, and investigators noted his former stop at the hospital hours earlier. The weapon used in the crime — a revolver — was recovered from the home, and evidence suggested a violent struggle took place before the murders.

In 2024, Best’s defense tried to challenge the indictment, arguing that he was experiencing a mental breakdown at the time of the murders and that the grand jury should have considered lesser charges, such as second‑degree murder or manslaughter. However, the court denied the motion — ruling that there was sufficient probable cause for first-degree murder on all counts.

On February 13, 2025, Best pleaded guilty to first‑degree murder in Zeke’s death and second‑degree murder in the death of his wife and unborn child. The plea spared him from the death penalty under state law, but it affirmed the gravity of the crimes — the murder of a baby, a mother, and an unborn sibling.

Separately, in April 2025, Kali’s family filed a civil wrongful‑death lawsuit against Best, seeking damages for the loss of Kali, Zeke, and the unborn child. As part of the suit, they claim Best (or through his conservator) has liquidated assets since his arrest — a move that complicates efforts for restitution and accountability.

During the 2025 sentencing hearing, prosecutors described a relationship marked by turmoil. According to their arguments, Best and Randall struggled financially — exacerbated by medical debts incurred when Zeke was born prematurely and spent time in a neonatal intensive care unit. Prosecutors said Best was verbally abusive, controlling, and had repeatedly pressured Randall — and that the couple had discussed divorce several times before the murders.

The sequence of events — from a hopeful Amber Alert to the shocking discovery of the infant’s body and the mother’s murder — devastated the small communities in eastern Idaho. The tragedy resonated beyond Victor and Idaho Falls, affecting families, churches, schools, and neighbors who knew the family or simply followed the story in panic and prayer.

Local residents organized vigils, shared memories and images of baby Zeke and his mother, and expressed grief on social media. Many commented on how quickly hope turned into heartbreak — the community had rallied to help, but the outcome was tragically final. The magnitude of the violence — the murder of a mother, an unborn child, and an infant — forced reckoning not just with loss but with broader questions about family violence, mental health, and systemic failures that might have prevented the tragedy.

In the aftermath, many observers have asked: could the tragedy have been prevented? Critics point to the fact that Best had been evaluated at a hospital shortly before the murders — but was released, despite being clearly unstable (walking naked in a store, incoherent behavior). Some argue that authorities, medical professionals, or social services missed critical warning signs.

The defense in Best’s case raised similar concerns, arguing that mental‑health breakdown rather than malice was at play — though the court denied their attempts to reduce charges. The issue highlights tensions between individual rights, mental‑health treatment protocols, and public safety.

Meanwhile, the civil wrongful‑death suit filed by the family raises the issue of financial accountability and restitution: they claim Best (through his mother/conservator) has moved assets since arrest, potentially shielding them from victims’ families.  This underscores how, even after justice is pursued, survivors must fight for closure, recognition, and material justice.

As the community continues to mourn, many call for improved mental‑health support, better mechanisms for early intervention in domestic violence, and reforms in how potential threats are assessed — especially when clear warning signs are present.