A Salinas physician was bludgeoned to death in Las Vegas, his body left in the trunk of a car, according to the Clark County Coroner's office.

The body of Dr. Thomas Burchard, 71, was found by was found by officers about 10:50 a.m. March 7 near the entrance to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, according to authorities.

Burchard died from blunt force to the head and his death was ruled a homicide. His identity was released by authorities Thursday.

A man driving through the remote area with his kids noticed a parked vehicle that had a rock thrown through one of its windows, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Officers responded to his report of an abandoned vehicle but when they opened the trunk to conduct an inventory search, they instead found Burchard's body inside.

Community Health of the Monterey Peninsula spokeswoman Mary Barker confirmed the death of Burchard.

"He’s a longstanding physician in the community who was very helpful to many of his patients," said Barker. "It was a sad situation and our hearts go out to his family."

According to Barker, Burchard worked as many as 40 years with the behavioral health program with Montage Health. He had a small number of adolescent patients and a larger number of adult patients.

Burchard lived off Highway 68. His death is still under investigation by Las Vegas police.

Las Vegas police urge anyone with any information about this incident to contact Las Vegas police at 702-828-3521 or homicide@lvmpd.com. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or www.crimestoppersofnv.com. Tips leading directly to an arrest or indictment processed through Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a cash reward.

This story has been updated with information from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and the Clark County Coroner's Office.

Kate Cimini covers agriculture, environment, and human interest stories for The Californian. Have a tip? Call her at (831) 776-5137 or email kcimini@thecalifornian.com.Subscribe for full access to all of The Californian's local news coverage.