The Merced County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the suspicious death of a man found alongside a rural road in Hilmar.

The death could be a possible homicide, though the sheriff’s department has yet to make that official classification.

The deceased has not been identified.

Around 1 p.m. Wednesday a motorist spotted a man lying on the ground alongside the shoulder of Williams Avenue, about 100 yards from Lander Avenue.

The sheriff’s department responded to the scene and found the deceased man. They also discovered he had at least one gunshot wound.

No other details about the incident have been released.