LAKE MATHEWS (CBSLA.com) — The death of a man whose body was found in the trunk of a car near Lake Mathews is being investigated Tuesday as a homicide.

The identity of the man, who was found at 5 p.m. Monday by Riverside County sheriff’s deputies on Gavilan Springs Ranch Road, near Lake Mathews Drive, was not immediately released.

Deputies were called to the remote location, about 16 miles south of Riverside, to investigate a report of a suspicious vehicle, sheriff’s Sgt. Todd Torrenti said.

Deputies found a disabled car that appeared to have crashed into a tree and began searching for the driver, Torrenti said. When they popped the trunk, the victim was found inside.

The man’s cause of death was not disclosed.

Anyone with information about the case can call the sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-2777.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)