BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The owner of a Lamont restaurant was found dead in the shower of a motel and police are still trying to determine what happened.

Around 6:15 p.m. Sunday, Bakersfield police responded to a report of an unconscious man in a room at the Budget Inn, 6850 South Union Ave.

Officers said they located Isaias “Chy” Montes also known as Isaias Montez Quiroz, 46, of Lamont, dead in the shower with obvious trauma.

The investigation was considered a suspicious death from the onset and handled as a homicide investigation.

The autopsy was conducted on Tuesday and the manner of death was determined to be a homicide, however, the precise cause is still pending, Sgt. Mary DeGeare said.

Montes is the owner and operator of Nuevo Amanecer Restaurant at 11103 Main Street in Lamont.

He was most commonly known by his nickname “Chy” rather than his formal name.

Montes was last seen on Sunday around 3 p.m.

DeGeare said his vehicle, a blue 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser, was located in a field near the area of DiGorgio Road and May Street in Lamont on Monday.

Anyone with any information regarding Montes that may be helpful to the investigation is encouraged to call Detective Hayes at 326-3541 or Detective Caldas (Spanish speaking) at 326-3556.