The State Medical Examiner's office in Anchorage report, that after taking custody of remains found in the woods in the Meadow Lakes area, they have positively identified the remains as 33-year-old Corey Newell.

Newell’s remains were recovered in the Meadow Lakes woods off of Pittman Road on February 12th after a caller reported finding a body there.

Newell has been missing since December 29, 2013, after he left his long-time friend, Darryl Wellborn’s house on his way to visit his girlfriend. He was never seen alive again.

His snowmachine was located in the area later that week by Wellborn, and troopers weren’t notified that Newell was missing until the following Thursday, four days later. By then, fresh snow was on the ground, complicating the investigation.

Troopers were able to talk with Wellborn who related to troopers that Newell’s snowmachine, a Polaris RMK Pro 800, had been wedged between two trees, damaged, but still driveable. Wellborn also told troopers that the only set of tracks led away from the snowmachine toward the road, not in the direction where Newell was ultimately located.

According to reports, Newell’s girlfriend last saw Newell when he left her residence on his way to Wellborn’s home on Saturday night, a day before he was last seen.

Newell’s family and friends have been actively searching for Corey since his disappearance over a month and a half ago. Although that search has now ended, the search for answers as to what happened to cause Corey’s disappearance and death will continue.

Alaska State Troopers are still investigating the cause and circumstances surrounding the death of Corey Newell.