A young man was found dead along a gravel road in southern Minnesota, and authorities said Monday that he appeared to be a victim of homicide.

There was no immediate word on the circumstances surrounding the death of the man, whose body was found early Sunday in a rural area of northeast Steele County, said County Attorney Dan McIntosh.

An autopsy was being performed in Rochester. The man's identity has yet to be released, but McIntosh said the man was in his early- to mid-20s.

A 911 call about 1 a.m. alerted authorities to the body, located in a sparsely populated area, McIntosh said. He declined to be more specific.

McIntosh said he was unsure how long the body had been in that location. He added that there was little obvious physical evidence at the scene that was of help to investigators with the Sheriff's Office.

The people who made the call to 911 have been cooperative during questioning, the prosecutor added.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482