Officials have identified the remains found at a Pima Canyon trail last month.Β
The Pima County Sheriff's Department identified the remains as of Steven Mark Brashear, 66, a man who was reported missing in Oro Valley in early December.Β
The manner of death has not been determined, the department said.Β
The remains were found on December 31 near the popular Pima Canyon hiking trail in the Catalina Mountains near North First Avenue and East Magee Road.
Arizona Game and Fish Department authorities killed three mountain lions who fed on the remains found in Pima Canyon, saying the lions posed a threat to hikers and others. The lions did not kill the person, the Medical Examinerβs Office said.Β
Brashear was reported leaving Bartlesville, Oklahoma, on Dec. 7, headed to Arizona with another man, the Oro Valley Police Department said in a news release on Dec. 27.
Officials said Brashear may have arrived in the Tucson area late Dec. 8, but he had not been seen or heard from since.
His family told officers itβs unusual that Brashear has not contacted them, police said.
Daylan Jacob Thornton, 21, was arrested January 4 on suspicion of stealing Brashear's truck. He has since been released from Pima County Jail on bond. Thornton is still a suspect in the case, said Marissa Hernandez, Pima County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman.Β
The sheriff's department is continuing its investigation.Β
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call 88-CRIME, an anonymous tipster line.Β
