Burley, Idaho (KMVT-TV) In December of 1988, Rupert resident Norine Boyd went missing. Her truck wasn't discovered until the following spring near the Twin Sisters Rock Formation in the City of Rocks. Fast forward to October 12, 2012, and that's when authorities discovered skeletal human remains in the park. Could they be Boyd's?

While Sheriff Randy Kidd believes the remains are of Norine Boyd, he's still not certain. But what we're learning more about now is where the bones were found.

The City of Rocks is a popular place to recreate, whether it's to rock climb or hike, so why after 24 years, if the remains are indeed of Norine Boyd, are just being discovered?

Kidd adds, "the area in the City of Rocks where the skeletal remains were found is very rugged, there's some distance from any trail down in the canyon that's heavily overgrown. Hard to traverse through, it would be difficult for anyone to go hiking, even if they wanted to."

Area agencies including a cadaver dog discovered one bone and then the majority of bones were found nearby.

Kidd adds, "in working with an archaeologist with them on scene that works in the park which was a great asset to us that she could come and do the excavation and recover the skeletal remains that were in the area."

While the sheriff admits he's surprised it took this long to find remains, the resources they had in the 80's don't even compare to what's available now.

"One of the big resources now is thermal imaging. We have helicopters equipped with thermal imaging equipment that they can fly over an area that if there was a heat source, they would see it. If we have a person missing we believe is still alive, we would deploy those resources."

Kidd spoke to the coroner who says the Boyd family is relieved to believe this is their family member.

"There were evidence on the scene that leads us to that assumption that probably is, but that not been confirmed."

A glimpse of closure for one local family.

The remains are currently being processed by the Anthropology Department at Boise State University.