A man found dead in his Napier home died from head injuries and police are still investigating whether it's a homicide.

A family member found James David Elliott, 66, dead in his Bluff Hill house on Tuesday, two days after he was last seen alive.

A post-mortem examination indicated Mr Elliott, who lived alone, died from head injuries but police didn't know how he suffered them.

Detective Senior Sergeant Dave de Lange says they are yet to work out if Mr Elliott's death was suspicious.

He said detectives and forensic staff were carrying out an examination of his house to try and piece together what led to his death.

"This may take several days and until that work is done, we cannot confirm any information about how Mr Elliott died," Det Snr Sgt de Lange said.