Family members of a Clinton man missing since June are waiting to learn if human remains found Tuesday off Main Street in that town are those of their loved one.

Darcy Williams, of China, said her uncle, William Parent, lived on Main Street, also known as routes 100 and 11, where police searched Tuesday. Someone from Maine State Police notified her that a news release was going to be issued about the search and discovery, she said. Police did not confirm the remains were those of her uncle, she said.

“Because of where the remains were found, they wanted to make sure I heard it from them first,” she said. “They know that we have been searching for him. They didn’t really tell us where they were searching, but I figured it out. I appreciate that they gave me a heads up.”

The remains were taken Tuesday to the state Office of Chief Medical Examiner for identification and to determine cause and manner of death.

Lindsey Chasteen, operations manager for that office, said Wednesday officials had not “formally identified any human remains as William Parent.”

“Additionally, once identified, the decedent’s cause and manner will likely be pending further studies while we run toxicology and any other ancillary tests,” Chasteen said in an email.

Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said Wednesday police could not comment further on identity until confirmed.

“Human remains were located in a field off Route 100 in Clinton,” Moss said in an email. “There was a large police presence there yesterday. This remains an active investigation, and no other details are available.”

Williams, 47, said Parent, who would have turned 68 in August, lived for about 20 years in a trailer on property abutting the 774 Main St. property where Clinton and state police converged.

She and Parent were very close, and she saw him regularly as she took him to doctors’ appointments, grocery shopping and other places, so when he disappeared in June, the family became very concerned, she said.

State police issued a news release July 2 about Parent, which included a photo, saying there was concern for his safety.

Williams said she thinks there is a “very high possibility” the remains found are those of her uncle.

“I, personally, at this point, don’t believe he’s alive because I know we would have heard from him,” she said.

She described Parent as a sweet, kind man with a sense of humor who loved Elvis Presley and often sang his songs in public. He was disabled and could be difficult at times because he had some mental illness, but he always returned to his better self, Williams said.

“I have the same birthday as Elvis and on my birthday he’d always call me and sing me an Elvis song,” she said. “He’d go into stores and start singing. He just loved to sing. He did that quite a lot. He had a very big heart.”

The last few months have been difficult for the family not knowing what happened to Parent, who has two sons, Williams said. She said Parent’s live-in girlfriend died about two years before he disappeared and that took a toll on him.

Parent was born out of state and lived in southern Maine for many years before moving to central Maine about 25 years ago, Williams said. She recalled his personality with fondness.

“He was hilarious,” she said. “He was often too friendly when we’d go places. He’d talk to everybody, everywhere we went.”

Clinton police Chief Rusty Bell said Wednesday there was nothing he could say about the case, which is primarily in the hands of state police now.

“We started it (investigation) in June and brought them in and we’ve worked together on it,” he said.

Asked if anything in particular prompted police to search the area, Bell said no, officials had planned to put resources together to do so.

Meanwhile, the family waits to hear about the fate of her uncle.

“It’s just really important to us that they didn’t give up and that we get those answers, because he matters,” she said. “All along, I was just really hoping that they would continue searching for him — that he would matter enough.”