 -- The remains of Gavin Smith, a 20th Century Fox executive missing since 2012, were found and identified in California, authorities told ABC News.

Hikers discovered Smith's remains Sunday in a rural area of Palmdale, northern Los Angeles County, the County Sheriff’s Office said. The cause of death isn't known, as the results of an autopsy have not been finalized.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, which is handling the investigation, plans to release additional information on the case this morning.

Smith, 57, a married father of three, disappeared in early May 2012 after leaving a friend's home in Ventura County's Oak Park neighborhood. The night he went missing, authorities say, Smith drove off, without a word, and never came back.

The disappearance was originally considered a missing person’s case, but reclassified as a homicide in February 2013 after Smith’s car, a black 2000 Mercedes-Benz 420E, was found at a storage facility.

No one has been charged with Smith’s death.

Smith played basketball at UCLA in the mid-1970s under legendary coach John Wooden. He later spent 18 years in the movie industry, helping to distribute movies such as “Avatar” and the “Star Wars” trilogy.