Gavin Smith's body has been found more than two years after he went missing. Hikers found the body of Fox Entertainment executive in a shallow grave in Palmdale, according to Lt. Dave Dolson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Dolson said, "It's a crucial piece of evidence. Because of the discovery of Gavin's remains, there's potentially a lot more evidence for us to process." Local authorities were able to identify his remains on Wednesday.

Gavin Smith vanished in Southern California in May of 2012 after he left a house of one of his friends in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles. He did not say anything about where he was going. When he was not able to pick up his sons at school, a search ensued. His wife and sons, who were extremely distraught, even offered a reward worth $20,000 for any information regarding Gavin Smith.

The black Mercedes that he usually used was found at a storage facility just last year, but, at the time, his whereabouts remained a huge mystery.

According to Dolson, the police now "have a pretty good picture" about what happened the night that Smith suddenly disappeared. Authorities now believe that they have figured out how he was killed and the motive behind it. However, they would not divulge any further information to the press.

"We have witnesses that are paramount to the case," Dolson revealed. "There was evidence in the car that indicated he was killed in the car." He was then asked if Smith's remains reflected any signs of stabbing or strangulation. He only replied, "There're indications that there was some trauma."

Dolson stated that the police may not be able to determine the cause of death since Gavin Smith's body had been missing for such a long time now. However, according to him, the police are not actively looking to arrest anyone right now.