50-year-old man kidnapped from his home, Santa Cruz County sheriff's officials say

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KTVU) - Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies continued their search for at least two people wanted in connection with an early morning kidnapping Tuesday. 

Authorities say Tushar Atre, 50, was taken from his Pleasure Point Road home and forced into his girlfriend's BMW. That vehicle and an unidentified body were later found on Soquel San Jose Road, near the summit, in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Late Tuesday afternoon, a small army of investigators, heavily armed deputies, and SWAT team members walked a secluded area of the grisly discovery. Officials say evidence led them here around 10 a.m. and they subsequently found the white BMW SUV that Atre was last seen entering.

He was kidnapped from his home in the 3,000 block of Pleasure Point Drive in Santa Cruz around 3 a.m. Tuesday. Sheriff's department investigators say someone inside the home at the time, presumably his girlfriend, called 911 and reported two people forced Atre into her SUV, and then drove off.

The vehicle was found in the 24000 block of Soquel San Jose Road, along with a body, prompting a reverse 911 call to area residents.

"We have not identified that person yet. There are a lot of moving parts to this investigation. Investigators are still at both scenes as we speak," said Ashley Keehn, a spokeswoman for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.

Atre is the founder and CEO of AtreNet, a web marketing and design agency that's based in Santa Cruz. His website shows numerous clients, primarily in the South Bay and Peninsula areas. Officials are investigating his past dealings to try and discover who would want to kidnap him, and why.

"They're investigating pretty much everything. Looking for evidence, anything that can lead us to exactly what occurred. I don't have much information as to why someone would try to kidnap him. But as we do get more information we will continue to update you," said Keehn.

Officials say Atre is still considered missing. They are looking for two suspects and do not know if they are still in the Santa Cruz County search area, which is extensive, spanning approximately 14 miles.

Investigators said they do not believe people living in the area are at risk. They're not entirely sure if the suspects are still in the area or if they drove off. If they did drive away, there is a second vehicle that investigators have yet to identify.