Eric Thomas Burniston, 21, of Long Beach, California, was found dead with traumatic injuries in the Temescal Valley area near Corona on November 11, 2016. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department responded to a man down call and discovered his body early that morning; the exact cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

Authorities arrested 35-year-old Dante Danil Carter in Riverside and booked him into the Robert Presley Detention Center on charges related to Burniston’s murder, with bail set at $1 million. Friends and family remembered Burniston for his vibrant personality; a GoFundMe page and obituary messages describe his love for family, his car, his girlfriend, and his pit bull Blue, who was reportedly with him the night he died.

Officials said the motive remained unclear and asked anyone with information to contact investigators.