(CNN) — The search is over for a California family who disappeared under mystifying circumstances three years ago.
Authorities confirmed the identity of two of four sets of remains found Monday in the California desert near Victorville as those of Joseph McStay and his wife Summer, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said Friday.
They were identified through dental records, he said. Two other remains found nearby are believed to be those of their sons Joseph and Gianni, McMahon said.
He said positive identification will be done through DNA testing.
The four were killed, McMahon said. No suspects have been identified and the sheriff did not elaborate on how they died.
Some family members became emotional during Friday afternoon’s news conference.
“It gives us courage to know they are together, and they’re in a better place,” said Joseph’s younger brother Mike McStay, choking back tears. “It’s been a tough road.”
A motorcyclist reported finding possible skeletal remains Monday in an area not far from Interstate 15 near Victorville, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Police found two shallow grave sites, with two sets of remains in each grave, McMahon said.
February 4, 2010 was the last day anyone saw the family or heard from them. When police entered their Southern California house more than 10 days later, they found eggs on the kitchen counter and bowls of popcorn in the living room. Their two dogs were also in the home. But not a single trace of the McStays.
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