The mysterious disappearance of the McStay family from their San Diego County home has baffled investigators for nearly four years. Now, it appears the case may be closed. Two sets of skeletal remains found in a desert outside Victorville this week are confirmed to belong to Joseph McStay, 42, and his wife Summer, 45, the Los Angeles Times said. San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon wouldn’t say if two additional sets of skeletal remains found nearby belonged to the couple’s two children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the remains were found by a motorcyclist off-roading on Monday.

During a press conference on Friday, McMahon said it was too early to speculate on leads in the case. "It's too early to tell if its [drug] cartel-related or any other suspects," he said. "But, again, the investigation is early and we have not had an opportunity to read all their reports."

Joseph McStay, his wife Summer and their two children disappeared on Feb. 4, 2010. According to the Los Angeles Times, investigators who examined the McStay house at the time of their disappearance could find no signs of a struggle. Food was left on the counter and the family dogs were abandoned.

Eventually, the McStay family car was found in the parking lot of a strip mall in San Ysidro, an hour from the family home and near the Mexican border. Four people resembling the McStay family were seen on surveillance footage crossing the San Ysidro border into Mexico on Feb. 8, the Times said. The family was never found.

"The bottom line was that life was normal for the McStays up to Feb. 4, and on that day they just vanished,” investigator Troy Dugal told the Times in 2011.

At a press conference Friday, Joseph McStay’s brother, Mike McStay, told reporters that the discovery of skeletal remains gives the McStay family a sense of closure.

"It gives us courage to know that they're together and they’re in a better place," he said. "We're going to find this individual or individuals. I know the sheriffs and FBI and everyone wants to bring this to justice. If it’s the last thing I do, I wanna know that it's over."

Mexico