Police have confirmed human remains found near Nannup in Western Australia's South West are those of missing man Corey O'Connell.
Mr O'Connell went missing near Jalbarragup, south-east of Nannup, in June 2021, with his abandoned car found nearby.
His disappearance sparked a two-year effort by his family, and in particular his sister Haylee O'Connell, to find what had happened to him.
Earlier this month, police found remains near where Mr O'Connell went missing, but had been waiting on DNA confirmation.
The remains were found after a drone operator took and shared images of the site with Mr O'Connell's family.
A search was underway at the site on Thursday in a bid to try to find further remains.
Devastated family thanks community for support
Ms O'Connell has released a statement thanking the community for their love and support.
"It is with a profound and complex sadness that we can now confirm that the remains found on 16 May 2023 were in fact those of our dear Corey," she said.
"The necessary forensic processes take time, and we appreciate your patience and understanding."
Ms O'Connell said the news was still extremely raw.
"The love and support you have shown to Corey and our family over the past nearly two years is what kept us going – it gave us the strength we needed to coordinate all the searches we did – and we will never be able to thank you enough," she said.
"Corey would still be missing if it wasn't for those of you who gave up your weekends to help us search with the direction from Sonya and the K9 trackers Perth team, the wonderful drone pilot Dan Wood, and those of you who spent time looking through the drone images. "
Ms O'Connell said she was grateful to have a resolution.
"Many families of long-term missing people are still awaiting theirs – please continue to give your love and support to them.
"When all you have is hope, kindness from strangers means more than you know," she said.
"On behalf of Corey and everyone who loves him, thank you.
"He may now rest in peace."
The investigation into Mr O'Connell's death is ongoing, and police have asked anyone with information to contact them on 1800 333 000.
