An Alberta man, who was found dead three days after calling police to say he had been assaulted and was lost, was a victim of foul play, RCMP confirmed Tuesday.

The RCMP detachment in Brooks, about 180 kilometres southeast of Calgary, received a call on Sept. 1 from a man who said he had been assaulted, but didn't know where he was.

Police determined the call came from an area along old Highway 1, east of the city, but an RCMP search was unsuccessful in finding the caller.

After intensive searches using police dogs and a helicopter, RCMP officers found Sharmarke Mohaned Warsame, 39, on Sept. 4 in a field of high grass.

An autopsy concluded that the Brooks resident had been slain, the RCMP said on Tuesday, but police are not releasing the cause of death.

The victim was known to police, said RCMP Sgt. Patrick Webb. Investigators have interviewed several people and are seeking several suspects, he said.

"We have strong ideas of what transpired but at this time, we're just playing that close to the chest because we have several other suspects we have to locate," he told CBC News.

The RCMP said no information was publicized prior to Tuesday because it would have hindered investigators in identifying witnesses and gathering evidence.

With files from Andree Lau