Los Angeles ( CNN ) -- More than two years after Fox entertainment executive Gavin Smith vanished in Southern California , his body has been found , authorities said . Hikers found his body this week in a shallow grave in Palmdale , according to Lt. Dave Dolson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff 's Department . `` It 's a crucial piece of evidence , '' Dolson said . `` Because of the discovery of Gavin 's remains , there 's potentially a lot more evidence for us to process . '' Smith disappeared in May 2012 after leaving a friend 's house without saying where he was going . His black Mercedes was recovered at a storage facility last year , but his whereabouts remained a mystery . Authorities identified his body Wednesday . A break in the case . Dolson said police `` have a pretty good picture '' on what happened the night Smith disappeared . Authorities believe they know how and why Smith was killed , but would not share that information just yet . `` We have witnesses that are paramount to the case , '' Dolson said . `` There was evidence in the car that indicated he was killed in the car . '' When asked if Smith 's remains showed signs of stabbing or strangulation , Dolson said , `` There 's indications that there was some trauma . '' Dolson said police may not be able to determine the cause of death because the body had been missing for so long . Authorities are not actively looking for anyone in the case , he said . Husband , father . Smith , 57 , was last seen when he left a friend 's house in Ventura County , north of Los Angeles . When he did n't pick up one of his sons from school , a search ensued . His distraught wife and three sons offered a $ 20,000 reward for information on his whereabouts . Death certificate issued before body found . Days became months , but there were no signs of the former UCLA basketball player . That changed in February last year , when his car was found at a storage facility in Simi Valley , northwest of Los Angeles . In the months since his disappearance , authorities said there was mounting evidence that he had been killed . The Los Angeles County Sheriff 's Department officially declared him dead in May this year . His death certificate was dated May 1 , 2012 , the same night he vanished . It was issued two years to the day he went missing . Who had his car ? After his car was recovered , authorities considered his case a homicide even though his body had not been found . The storage facility was rented by John Creech , who authorities said they wanted to talk to in connection with the case . He was sentenced to prison on unrelated drug charges . Creech remains a `` person of interest '' in the case , Dolson said . Faith Karimi wrote and reported from Atlanta , and JR Nichols reported from Los Angeles . CNN 's Tina Burnside and Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report .
NEW : Authorities say they have a `` how '' and a `` why '' in the case . Faith Karimi disappeared in last year after leaving a friend 's house . His black CNN was recovered at a storage facility Wednesday . Authorities identified his body May 2012 .