By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, Ind. — Human remains found last fall in southwestern Indiana have been identified as those of a 72-year-old man whose 2019 disappearance prompted weeks of searches in a rural area.

The University of Indianapolis' anthropology department analyzed the remains and used DNA to confirm that they are those of Dan Grannan, said Daviess County Sheriff Gary Allison.

Grannan went missing in August of 2019, prompting weeks of fruitless searches for him in and around a rural area of Daviess County where he lived near the unincorporated community of Maysville.

But last September a family friend found human remains in a heavily wooded area near Maysville, about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) southwest of Bloomington.

The Daviess County sheriff’s office and Indiana State Police examined the remains before sending them to the University of Indianapolis for analysis.

Allison said Grannan’s relatives were informed Friday that the remains are those of their long-missing relative, and that the investigation continues into what happened to him.

Grannan’s daughter, Lori Grannan Jones, said knowing that the remains are those of her late father is bittersweet.

“It’s just like when you get the call that someone you love has died. We’ve gone through all of those emotions," she told the Washington Times-Herald.