KENAI, Alaska >> Authorities investigating the disappearance of an Alaska family missing for nearly a year have discovered four bodies and a handgun about a half a mile from their home.

Kenai police Lt. Dave Ross said Monday the bodies haven’t been identified by a coroner, but police have every indication it’s the missing family.

He added that they believe the gun came from the family home based on a serial number match.

Ross provided few details, saying the investigation remains open. But he said there’s no reason to believe another person was involved in the deaths or that the bodies were moved.

He said the remains of a dog that match the size of the family dog also were found along the trail.

The bodies were found in a depression behind bushes that made them hard to see from the trail.

Rebecca Adams, 23; her boyfriend, Brandon Jividen, 38; and her children, Michelle Hundley, 6, and Jaracca Hundley, 3, were last seen in May.

Police, with help from the FBI, led a massive search when the family went missing but failed to uncover any clues.

At the time, relatives said it appeared the family had left without packing. Their two vehicles were parked outside their apartment, and their rent for June had not been paid.

A person driving down a west Kenai trail spotted clothing and what appeared to be human remains Saturday, police said in a statement.

Responding officers found remains and items reported missing from the family’s home.

Police said it would take time to positively identify the remains and complete the investigation.

Kenai is a city of 7,100 about 65 miles southwest of Anchorage at the mouth of the Kenai River, Alaska’s most popular sport fishing attraction.