WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Officers with the Winston-Salem Police Department started a homicide investigation on Wednesday after a body found on Saturday was identified as a missing person, according to a Winston-Salem Police Department news release.

On Nov. 27 round 6:28 p.m., Eliseo Ernesto Martinez-Gomez, 21, of Winston-Salem, was reported to authorities with the WSPD as a “Missing Person.”

Martinez-Gomez was last seen by family members on Wednesday, Nov. 25 leaving his home on foot around 11:00 a.m. His destination was not known by family members.

At the time, Martinez-Gomez was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and black tennis shoes and did not have a cell phone. He was the subject of a Silver Alert.

On Dec. 20, the WSPD’s Criminal Investigations Division assumed responsibility of this investigation.

On Saturday at 2:16 p.m., authorities with the WSPD responded to Stage Coach Road on a report of a body being found in a wooded area.

Detectives with the WSPD responded to assist with this investigation.

On Wednesday, an autopsy was conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. With the assistance of authorities with the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office, the body previously discovered off of Stage Coach Road was positively identified as that of Martinez-Gomez.

His death is being investigated as a homicide.

No other details of this investigation will be released at this time.

The next of kin has been notified.

Authorities ask that anyone with information regarding this incident call the Winston-Salem Police Department at (336) 773-7700, CrimeStoppers at (336) 727-2800, CrimeStoppers may also be contacted via “Crime Stoppers of Winston-Salem” on Facebook.