Police found a Santa Barbara man dead in his residence Saturday evening, and on Monday authorities said the case had been ruled a homicide.

The specifics of the case remain unclear, but the victim has been identified as 36-year-old Samuel Bautista Justo, who lived in the 700 block of Castillo Street.

Santa Barbara police officers responded to a call to check on the welfare of Justo, a fairly common call, according to spokesman Lt. Paul McCaffrey, and found Justo when they arrived at the residence.

McCaffrey said it’s still unknown how long Justo had been dead. The investigation is ongoing, and police aren’t specifying the circumstances that made the death appear suspicious. No arrests have yet been made.

Detectives have been working since Saturday night and know a lot more now than they did then, McCaffrey said, though there’s a lot more to determine.

Anyone with information about the victim is asked to call detectives at 805.897.2335.

— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk or @NoozhawkNews.