The body of a California father has been found near a lake days after authorities said he was kidnapped by three people.
“It is with profound sadness that we confirm the kidnapping victim, Avtar Singh, has been located deceased,” the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release issued Monday, February 23.
Singh, 57, was kidnapped by “three unidentified individuals” wearing dark clothing in Tracy the afternoon of Tuesday, February 17, according to an earlier release shared by the sheriff’s office.
Surveillance footage, which captured his abduction, showed the kidnapping suspects take Singh into a white SUV “against his will,” authorities said.
He was kidnapped near the Gurdwara Gur Nanak Parkash temple, where he had been a volunteer, KCRA-TV reported.
A few days later, a body was found at Lake Berryessa by Napa County sheriff’s deputies, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said. The lake is about a 100-mile drive northwest from the Sikh temple.
The body was identified as Singh, according to authorities.
Singh and his wife were parents to 6-month-old triplets, according to a GoFundMe page established to support Singh’s funeral expenses, as well as his family.
He had volunteered at the temple in Tracy for more than 20 years, according to the GoFundMe page.
“He was known for his humility, quiet dedication, and loving nature that made everyone feel like family,” the GoFundMe page reads. “His seva, sincerity, and unwavering faith touched countless lives, and his absence leaves a profound void in our community.”
Now, his family faces “a future without a devoted husband and father,” the page continues.
San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow told KCRA-TV that it appears that Singh was an unintended kidnapping target. The motive for the abduction is unclear, Withrow added.
In the news release, the sheriff’s office said that “detectives are working tirelessly to investigate this case and identify those responsible for this terrible act.”
“Based on the information known at this time, this appears to be an isolated incident, and there is no known ongoing threat to the community,” the office added.
Temple leaders told KXTV that Singh and his infant triplets lived at the Sikh temple in Tracy. Before his abduction, he had been supervising his babies, according to the TV station,
Deep Singh, the temple’s secretary and Avtar’s friend, told the TV station that the temple community is “shocked.”
“Avtar has been part of this family since the last 23 years,” Deep said of Avtar, according to KXTV. “He’s been serving as a cook. He was our plumber. He was our carpenter. He was our electrician.”
“I’ve known him from back home in India, too,” Deep added. “He was a hard-working, passionate person.”
Avtar’s friend, Rasleen Kaur, told the TV station that she alerted deputies to his disappearance after the three people suspected of kidnapping Avtar arrived at the temple.
It is currently unclear how Avtar died, as authorities have not specified a potential cause of death.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with information on the kidnapping to contact the agency.
