Hours after a tech executive was kidnapped from his Santa Monica home, authorities recovered a body found near his vehicle.
Police say 50-year-old Tushar Atre was abducted from his home in the 3000 block of Pleasure Point Drive at 3 a.m. Tuesday morning “during a crime,” reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
In an interview with ABC News, Ashley Keehn, public information officer for the sheriff’s office said: “There’s a lot of moving parts right now, detectives are working tirelessly. They have been since we got that call at three o’clock this morning.”
Atre—the founder of a web design company that creates websites for corporate companies—was last seen getting into a 2008 BMW SUV with the license plate 7CUG581, that is said to belong to his girlfriend.
Officials say hours later, around 10 a.m., they found the SUV in an undisclosed location, along with a deceased body that has yet to be identified.
“It’s a pretty secluded, remote area… Soquel San Jose Road. It kind of parallels Highway 17… it’s up near the summit,” said Keehn.
Officials say Atre was likely targeted. Deputies spent the afternoon securing the two crime scenes as they continued their investigation.
According to People, a county sheriff’s office employee said “there is more than one suspect involved,” and that they are “still actively investigating motive of the kidnapping.”
“It’s pretty bizarre that a serious crime like this would happen around here,” said Brandon Kiel, a resident of Santa Cruz. “This neighborhood’s great, right here on the point where people surf… [it’s] a pretty busy area.”
Another resident, Boaz Clunie told ABC7 News, ”Everyone knows each other, so the fact that something that random could happen, it makes you feel like that can happen to you.”
One resident, who asked to remain anonymous said: “Santa Cruz is notorious for different things going on. And you know, people with money sometimes get sucked into interesting situations.”
Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to call Detective Ainsworth at (831) 454-7635.
Kidnapping Case
In another kidnapping case, earlier this year the body of a missing toddler who was reported kidnapped near Pittsburgh was found in a park in a neighboring county.
Indiana County District Attorney Patrick Dougherty said the body of Nalani Johnson, who was to turn 2 this month, was found Sept. 3 in Pine Ridge Park in Blairsville, about 37 miles east of Penn Hills, where authorities allege the girl was kidnapped.
Dougherty said an autopsy would be performed to determine the cause and manner of death.
Twenty-five-year-old Sharena Islam Nancy, who authorities say had been romantically involved with the child’s father, remains in custody in Allegheny County on kidnapping and other felony charges.
Dougherty, referring to a woman “individual currently in custody” in Allegheny County but without using any name, said: “We believe that she is involved. To what extent, that is still being determined.” But he said officials believe there is no danger to the community.
The CNN wire service contributed to this report.
