The family of Souderton Area High School Class of 1986 alumnus Jonathan Elwell, 44, believes decomposing remains found along a railline in Iowa are the missing man.

According to The Souderton Independent, Elwell was reported missing on April 18, 2012 from his Shillington, PA home.

A rented Volkswagen Jetta that Elwell was driving when he disappeared was found April 20 in Iowa,

A decomposing body was found June 19 in Crawford County, Iowa along Union Pacific Railroad tracks near Highway 30, according to the Bulletin Review Online in Denison, IA.

The body was found a mile-and-a-half away from the Volkswagen, according to the Bulletin Review.

According to Omaha World-Herald, the Jetta was found on a gravel stretch of 370th Street, two miles west of Westside, IA.

According to the Bulletin Review, the body was discovered Tuesday afternoon during a bridge inspection. Crawford County Sheriff James Steinkuehler said in the Bulletin Review article that a Union Pacific Railroad crew moved something near the railroad tracks and then found the body.

Autopsy results are pending, according to the Bulletin Review.

Steinkuehler told the Bulletin Review that although it could be Elwell, identification would not be possible until his dental records are received from Shillington.

According to the Omaha World-Herald, Gay Elwell, one of the Elwell's sisters and a magistrate judge in Easton, PA, said the family was "extremely confident" that the body is that of her brother. 

"It makes it very clear to us that the dental records will provide confirmation," said Elwell in the Omaha World-Herald article.

Family members Wanda M. Elwell, Gay L. Elwell, Herbert J. Elwell III, Merry E. Markland, Joy L. Rank and William E. Elwell issued a statement to the press on June 21:

The family of Jonathan Elwell has been advised that, pending final confirmation from dental records, the human remains located Tuesday along a rail line in Crawford County, Iowa, are those of our beloved son, brother, uncle and cousin.

The recovery of his body has ended the search that began two months ago when his rental car was found abandoned. And although we still — and probably always will — have unanswered questions about how he came to this place and this end, we are grateful that we will be able to bring him home to rest.

The statement also thanked officials and authorities for their efforts. The statement also said that it was not the outcome the family had hoped for, but "it is, at any rate, an ending, and we will strive for a new beginning."

According to the Omaha World-Herald, Steinkuehler has previously described Elwell’s disappearance as suspicious but said he did not have evidence of foul play. Family members have said Elwell has suffered from depression but had never vanished like this.

The Omaha World-Herald said the family gave them this statement:

The recovery of his body has ended the search that began two months ago when his rental car was found abandoned. And although we still — and probably always will — have unanswered questions about how he came to this place and this end, we are grateful that we will be able to bring him home to rest.

You can see a family photo of Elwell at this highlighted link.