New York State Police, along with departments in Goshen and Chester, are working to figure out what happened before 28-year-old Michael Partridge was found tied up and left to die on the side of a road in the Village of Chester.

In a press release issued Friday, State Police said someone was driving down North Hudson Street on Wednesday at about 8:15 p.m., when the driver noticed a man bound and laying by the road, and immediately called 911.

Police said they arrived at the scene to find that Partridge was also badly beaten. Partridge, a Chester resident, was pronounced dead a short time later at Orange County Regional Medical Center.

Police announced on Friday the arrests of four people: Seth Pelsang, 30, of Goshen; Timothy D. Smith, 36, of Goshen; Courtney Clemenza, 31, of Chester; and Robert Haskell, 54, of Goshen.

The four were arraigned on second-degree murder charges in Town of Wallkill Court, and are being held at the Orange County Correctional Facility without bail. They are scheduled to appear in the Town of Goshen Court at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

The circumstances and the motive for the killing were unclear as of Friday evening. An official told Spectrum News Friday afternoon that Partridge was beaten and bound somewhere other than where he was found.

The investigation is still ongoing, and investigators have asked anyone who might have information to call State Police at 845-344-5300.