Innocent Father Of Triplets Found Dead After Mistaken Kidnapping

India-West News Desk

TRACY, CA – Authorities have confirmed that the body of Avtar Singh, a 57-year-old father of triplets who was kidnapped last week, was discovered over the weekend near Lake Berryessa in Napa County.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office identified the body on February 23, ending a multi-day search that began over 100 miles away in Tracy.

Singh, a longtime volunteer at his local Sikh temple, was found near the same white SUV used in his abduction.

In a statement, the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office expressed profound sadness over the discovery, noting that detectives are working tirelessly to identify those responsible for the terrible act. Sheriff Patrick Withrow further clarified that the investigation has revealed Singh was an innocent bystander and not the intended target of the kidnapping.

During a meeting with the temple congregation, District Attorney Ron Freitas emphasized that Singh was in no way responsible for the evil that came to him and urged anyone with information to come forward, noting that the abduction took place on temple property where people surely saw or know something.

The tragedy began on the afternoon of February 17 at the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkash in Tracy, where Singh had served as a dedicated volunteer for over 20 years.

Surveillance footage from that day captured three individuals in dark clothing forcing Singh into a white SUV around 2:30 p.m. The alarm was raised later that evening when Singh’s wife returned home to find their three 6-month-old infants left alone. While authorities have stated the act was not random and that the suspects were pursuing another individual for a specific reason, the exact motive behind the killing remains under investigation.

A GoFundMe has since been established to support Singh’s widow and their three young children: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-avtar-singhs-family