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: Deputies investigate after Singh’s body was found in Napa County, California (KCRA).
Three men are wanted in connection with the kidnapping and killing of Avtar Singh, a 57-year-old California man authorities say was targeted because of a case of mistaken identity.
Alberto Alencastro, 25, Alfonso Cresencio Segura Arellano, 20, and Barnabe Antonio Segura Arellano, 22, have been charged with murder in Singh’s death, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
At a news conference, deputies said the suspects abducted Singh from a Sikh temple in Tracy, roughly 60 miles east of San Francisco, at about 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 17. Investigators said the men forced him into an SUV and drove away, as authorities reported at the time.
Three days later, Napa County Sheriff’s Office deputies found Singh’s body near Lake Berryessa, about 100 miles north of the location where he was kidnapped.
Over the following months, investigators worked to reconstruct the crime and identify those responsible. Authorities said they concluded the suspects were searching for a man accused of stealing a cargo trailer. That alleged thief, however, was in Canada when the crime occurred.
Investigators believe the suspects mistook Singh for the person they were seeking and abducted him.
Singh had not stolen anything. He was a cherished member of the temple, where he lived and worked as a cook and handyman. He had also recently become the father of triplets, who were 6 months old when he was killed.
“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.”
Singh, who was from India, served the temple community for more than 20 years. A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $500,000 to help cover funeral expenses and support his wife and children.
Nearly 3,000 people attended 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,” temple member Parminder Singh told local ABC affiliate KGO.
Authorities warned that all three suspects should be considered armed and dangerous. Investigators also said the men have ties to Mexico.
