ROCKPORT — The state medical examiner has identified the body found by hikers last month as that of a 43-year-old Rockport man who disappeared in 2022.

Jared Paradee was living at a motel in Rockport near the intersection of routes 1 and 90 when he was last seen Feb. 19, 2022. His body was found on April 28 in a wooded in the vicinity of the motel.

Camden/Rockport Police Chief Randy Gagne announced medical examiners’ finding on Friday, expressing the department’s condolences to Paradee’s family and friends. The cause and manner of death have not been determined.

Paradee was a well-known community member in Rockland and could frequently be seen along Main Street. He had worked at Rock City Coffee Roasters and In Good Company.

Family, friends, and police agencies conducted extensive searches after he disappeared, including foot searches, and with a canine and a drone.

The discovery of human remains was made by two people hiking in a wooded area near the former Rockport Elementary School property on West Street. The remains were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta for positive identification.

The location where the remains were found is an area that was the subject of multiple searches following Paradee’s disappearance.