Alaska officials identify remains of two members of missing family

By Steve Quinn JUNEAU (Reuters) - Police in Alaska said on Thursday that human remains found over the weekend belong to two members of a four-person Kenai family that has been missing since last May. The state's medical examiner's office positively identified 23-year-old Rebecca Adams and her boyfriend, 38-year-old Brandon Jividen, from human remains found over the weekend, according to a Kenai police statement. The couple, plus Adams' two daughters, ages 3 and 6, were reported missing in May 2014 from their home in Kenai, 65 miles southwest of Anchorage. The family dog, Sparks, also vanished with them. Police were alerted late on Saturday evening to the remains of four bodies plus a dog in a depression just off a trail less than one-half mile from the couple's Kenai apartment. In a statement on Thursday, police said the other remains are presumed to be those of Adams' children, but they still are awaiting confirmation from DNA analysis. On Monday, police added that investigators from Kenai police and the FBI also had found a hand gun with a serial number that matched a gun box previously found in the couple's apartment. That changed the investigation from missing persons to homicide, said Lieutenant David Ross. Last year police said the family left behind automobiles, children's car seats and camping gear. There had been no signs of forced entry into the family's apartment, and police found the door to the apartment locked. Investigators found no signs of a struggle or foul play in the apartment. (Reporting by Steve Quinn in Juneau; Editing by Eric M. Johnson and Sandra Maler)