ST. LOUIS – Officials in Arizona confirmed to NewsNation affiliate KTVI that remains recently found in the Sonoran Desert are those of a St. Louis area man who’s been missing since this summer. 

Chris Sins, 34, grew up in Millstadt, Illinois. He lived in Belleville before moving to Arizona to help care for his ailing father.

Sins had been missing since the end of July, up until his remains were found around three weeks ago. A medical examiner recently confirmed the identity, bringing a sense of sadness and relief to both his family and investigators. 

“I’m sorry this is the way things came out. Unfortunately, the desert is very unforgiving,” La Paz County, Arizona, Sheriff William Ponce told KTVI.

Sins had moved to the tiny desert town of Bouse, Arizona, between Phoenix and the California border. 

A visiting dove hunter found a shoe, according to Ponce. The hunter and his friends, recalling reports of a missing man, searched the surrounding area and found Sins’ remains.

“He was underneath a tree, somewhat in a seated position as much as we can tell,” the sheriff said.

Authorities, including U.S. Border Patrol, had conducted multiple aerial searches, plus ground searches with off-highway vehicles, even searches of mines in the vast, desolate area. Sins’ family searched, too. 

But they still have questions.

They say Chris was giving a man a ride, and yet somehow they got stranded in a different car and then went their separate ways in the desert. While Chris was still missing, the sheriff says investigators extensively questioned the last people to see him, even using polygraphs.

With no sign of a weapon being used and barring any new evidence, the sheriff noted that Chris most likely died from exposure to the extreme, 120-plus degree desert heat. The sheriff says he wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially the kind of person Josh Sins, Chris’ brother, described to FOX 2 in August.

“He would do anything for anybody, which is why he’s in this predicament because he was doing something from somebody like he always did,” Josh said. 

“For us, as well, there is some closure,” Sheriff Ponce said. “We’re thankful that his body was located and he can be brought home to his family and be put to rest properly.”

His loved ones are planning a funeral service Saturday in Millstadt, a burial in Fairview Heights, and a celebration of life to follow in Belleville. 

There is GoFundMe account to help with the expense of bringing Chris back home and laying him to rest. To donate, click here.