New video may hold clues in California tech millionaire’s mysterious killing, cops say
The mysterious kidnapping death of a California tech millionaire remains unsolved months later, but authorities are hoping a newly released video and a substantial reward can help crack the case.
Tushar Atre, 50, was killed on Oct. 1 after he was taken by force from his beachfront home on Pleasure Point Drive in Santa Cruz, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said he was last seen getting into a white 2008 BMW SUV stolen from his girlfriend — the vehicle that he was later found dead inside.
But nearly four months after Atre’s murder, the case remains unsolved.
“Our detectives and forensic team have been following every lead and working tirelessly on this case,” deputies said in an update Wednesday, releasing new footage and details that authorities hope will help track down suspects.
The new video shows a man riding a bicycle in front of Atre’s home in the hours before the kidnapping. Deputies described the man on the bike as a person of interest in the case.
“Now we’re asking for your help in solving this crime,” Ashley Keehn, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office, said in a video.
Target shopper flips man in wheelchair in brutal California parking fight, video shows
Sheriff Jim Hart added that “someone out there knows something about this case, and we hope that the video and information we’re releasing today jogs their memory so that we can hold these criminals responsible for these terrible crimes — and also give some closure to the Atre family.”
Keehn said the newly released video shows the bicyclist “observe the home for a few seconds” from across the street around 12 a.m. on Oct. 1
“We’re asking anyone who may know who this is or have additional video of this person to please contact us,” Keehn said.
Deputies also released a map showing the path the SUV is believed to have traveled after the kidnappers stole it.
“We’re asking anyone who was along that path of travel around the time of 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning and saw that vehicle or anything suspicious — please let us know,” Keehn said.
The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects has been raised to $200,000, deputies said.
“Look at this video, talk to your friends and neighbors and help the sheriff’s office solve this case,” Hart said.
Deputies asked anyone with information to call Sgt. Daniel Robbins at (831) 454-7635, or to phone the anonymous tip line (831) 454-7631.
Take a look inside the longest drug tunnel ever found on California’s US-Mexico border
Authorities released another video just a month after Atre’s killing, hoping it would spark leads.
That earlier footage showed three suspects in Atre’s killing “walking out of an alley on East Cliff Drive onto Pleasure Point Drive. One of the suspects is carrying a duffle bag, the third suspect is carrying a rifle,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“This is still an ongoing investigation, but we have reason to believe the motive was robbery,” the Sheriff’s Office said in an update on Facebook last year.
Atre was described by Northern California TV stations as a “millionaire tech exec” and “well-known businessman.” KPIX reported that he founded and was CEO of a web marketing and design firm called AtreNet. A now-removed LinkedIn profile, which appeared to be associated with Atre, said he had owned the company for nearly 24 years.
“We are looking into all aspects of his life,” said Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Brian Cleveland, according to the Los Angeles Times. “All doors are open.”
Cleveland said Atre was at his home with others when “multiple suspects broke into his house and abducted him in his girlfriend’s white BMW,” the Los Angeles Times reported in November.
“We think that this was not a random act by any means,” Cleveland said, according to The New York Times.
Some material in this story appeared in previous articles by the author
