A man whom the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office identified as a kidnapping victim has been found dead at Lake Berryessa in Napa County, sheriff’s officials announced Monday.
And investigators believe he wasn’t the intended kidnapping target.
Avtar Singh, 57, of Tracy, was found dead about 3:20 p.m. Saturday by Napa County sheriff’s officials, deputies said. The discovery prompted a brief closure of Monticello Dam and Wragg Canyon Road, Bay City News reported.
The outlet also reported that it appears Singh had been killed elsewhere and his body dumped near the lake. Lake Berryessa is about a two-hour drive from Tracy.
“It appears that the decedent did not die in Napa County,” Napa County sheriff’s spokesman Henry Woffard told Bay City News.
A search had been underway for Singh since last Tuesday after the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a man dressed in Sikh clothing missing in the 16000 block of west Grant Line Road in Tracy. A Sikh temple in Tracy, the Gurdwara Gur Nanak Parkash, is located at 16101 W. Grant Line Road, and reports have indicated that Singh was a volunteer there.
Surveillance video at the time shows Singh being taken, apparently against his will, and placed into a white SUV by three individuals dressed in dark clothing, sheriff’s officials said.
“Our detectives are working tirelessly to investigate this case and identify those responsible for this terrible act,” the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said at the time. “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 case has received extensive coverage from the Indian media. A report from one news site, Times Now, identified Singh as a cook at a Sikh center.
On Monday, sheriff’s office spokesperson Heather Brent confirmed a KCRA report that Singh was not the intended target in the kidnapping. She did not elaborate.
A GoFundMe account set up by family friend Rasleen Kaur and the Sikh temple said Singh’s “absence leaves a profound void in our community.” He is survived by his wife and 6-month-old triplets, according to the account.