Leaders at the Sikh Temple where Avtar Singh worked and lived say the body found Friday is that of the abducted 57-year-old father.
TRACY, Calif. — A community in San Joaquin County is mourning after a longtime Sikh temple volunteer was abducted Tuesday. Temple leaders say he was later found dead in the Bay Area.
San Joaquin County deputies say 57-year-old Avtar Singh, a husband and father of newborn triplets, was taken Tuesday afternoon from the Tracy Sikh temple where he lived.
On Friday, deputies found a body near Lake Berryessa. Officials in Napa County told ABC News the person did not die there, and that the investigation was turned over to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office has not publicly identified the body, but temple leaders say it was Singh.
Between hymns and prayers on Sunday at the Tracy Sikh temple, friends described a deep sense of loss.
“The community is shocked,” said Deep Singh, a longtime friend of Avtar and the temple’s secretary. “Avtar has been part of this family since the last 23 years. He’s been serving as a cook. He was our plumber. He was our carpenter. He was our electrician.”
Beyond his many skills, Deep said, Avtar was a close friend.
“I’ve known him from back home in India, too,” Deep said. “He was a hard-working, passionate person.”
According to Deep, Avtar was watching his babies at the temple on Tuesday afternoon when sheriff’s deputies say three people dressed in dark clothing showed up.
Investigators say surveillance video shows Avtar Singh getting into a white SUV against his will. Deep believes it may have been a case of mistaken identity.
Family friend Rasleen Kaur said she called deputies after Avtar didn’t return home later in the day.
“Right away, you think, ‘who knows where he is and where he could have been taken,’” Kaur said. “Your mind just, right away, thinks, ‘oh my gosh, is he in danger? What can we do?”
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information to come forward. Investigators said they plan to release an update Monday morning.
As prayers continued Sunday, Kaur described the emptiness left behind in the temple kitchen where Singh once worked.
“They took an innocent man. He was so near and dear to us, so this was shocking, and it was just so unfortunate because he was innocent in all of this,” Kaur said. “I didn’t even go into the kitchen today, I couldn’t, and I think everyone is just hoping that he would just walk by because he’s always here, and so, it’s truly a void.”
Deep said Avtar’s family is struggling to cope. Community members have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral expenses and stability for Avtar’s family.
“His family is in shock,” Deep said. “Everyone is concerned. They are looking for justice.”
Watch more from ABC10: Deputies investigate possible abduction of Tracy man