Insets, from left: Alberto Alencastro, Alfonso Cresencio Segura Arellano, Barnabe Antonio Segura Arellano (San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office) and Avtar Singh (Fry Memorial Chapel). Background: Cops in Napa County, California, investigate after finding Singh's body (KCRA).
Three men are wanted for the death of a 57-year-old California man after they allegedly kidnapped and killed him in what authorities say was a case of mistaken identity.
Alberto Alencastro, 25, Alfonso Cresencio Segura Arellano, 20, and Barnabe Antonio Segura Arellano, 22, are charged with murder in the death of Avtar Singh, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said at a press conference that the suspects kidnapped Singh from a Sikh temple in Tracy, which is about 60 miles east of San Francisco, around 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 17. The suspects forced him into an SUV before driving off, cops said at the time.
Three days later, authorities with the Napa County Sheriff's Office discovered Singh's body near Lake Berryessa, some 100 miles north of where he was kidnapped.
Authorities spent the next several months piecing together what happened and who was responsible. They determined the suspects were after a man who allegedly stole a cargo trailer. But the actual thief was in Canada at the time, authorities said.
The suspects believed Singh had stolen the trailer, so they kidnapped him.
But Singh was no thief. The victim actually was a beloved member of the temple who lived on the grounds as a cook and handyman. Singh just fathered triplets who were 6 months old at the time of his death.
"He was such a good person," San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow told reporters. "He cooked for everybody at the temple, and he took care of anything that was broken."
A native of India, he served his temple for more than 20 years. Community members raised more than $500,000 in a GoFundMe for funeral arrangements and financial help for his wife and children.
Nearly 3,000 people showed up for his funeral.
"He worked at a community kitchen, seven days a week, and cooked food for everybody. He was very nice, very polite and very friendly," said temple member Parminder Singh told local ABC affiliate KGO.
Authorities say the three suspects should be considered armed and dangerous. The suspects also have ties to Mexico, authorities said.
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