Two men have been detained after a dead man was found in their SUV during a traffic stop on Highway 65. A CHP officer made the discovery after pulling over the speeding car on James Road just before 7:00 Tuesday morning.

Sheriff’s deputies say the victim was dead well before the car was stopped, but they are not sure how he died. The SUV is not registered in Kern County, but deputies do not know where it may have been swiped from.

Deputies also say they are investigating the incident as a homicide.

Kelli Pierce