Authorities are now saying that Avtar Singh, the 57-year-old Tracy man who was found dead in Napa's Lake Berryessa after going missing near his home, was likely not the intended target of his abductors and killers.

The disturbing story of a father of three newborns who was apparently abducted in Tracy last Tuesday and turned up dead in Lake Berryessa on Friday has taken a more troubling turn, as investigators now believe he was not the person whom his killers intended to abduct.

San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow told KCRA this week that his detectives are seeking help from the public as they try to figure out who the intended target was.

"This was not a random act," Withrow said, speaking to KCRA. "They were targeted after another individual for a specific reason and we're hoping that reason comes to the light."

Surveillance video shows Singh being forced into a white SUV on Tuesday, February 17, near the Gurdwara Gur Nanak Parkash temple along West Grant Line Road in Tracy. The video appears to show Singh trying to resist, but being overtaken by three men.

Singh reportedly lived and worked at the Sikh temple as a volunteer cook, and when he was taken, he had three small children — newborn triplets — in his care. Per KCRA, Singh was reported missing when his wife came home from work Tuesday evening around 8:50 pm to find the infants left alone at their home.

A temple spokesperson, Deep Singh, tells the station, "The kids were alone. God's blessing. They were safe, but they were alone."

The spokesperson adds, "He was very sincere and hard working. For 23 years, his main role was the head cook at our gurudwara, at the temple, but he was not only a cook, he was a multi-tasking person."

Deep Singh further explains that Avtar and his wife had recently been celebrated at the temple after the triplets had been born premature, and had only recently come home from the hospital. "It was a big celebration," he tells KCRA. "He was happy, mom was happy, and the community was happy. We're not going to be able to repair her loss."

The children are now reportedly six months old.

A GoFundMe for Singh's wife and triplets has so far raised over $427,000. "Raising even one child as a single mother is challenging — and with three infants, the responsibility is immense," the GoFundMe description says.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case as a homicide, and has not released any further details about any possible motive, or the intended target of the suspects.  Anyone with information is urged to contact the office at 209-468-4400.

Previously: Body of Man Found In Lake Berryessa Suspected to Be Victim of Kidnapping