Two children playing in woods near the Calhoun Trail connecting Fairview Avenue and Danview Avenue west of White Alder Court reported finding the body in brush well off the trail about 3:40 p.m. Aug. 5. The father of one child looked at the body and called police.

Homer Police Chief Mark Robl said the body appeared to be two to three weeks old. Police found identification on the body belonging to Engle. Engle's family has been notified that police found a body that could be him.

The body was clothed, Robl said, and did not have signs of foul play. It has been sent to the Alaska Medical Examiner's office for an autopsy and comparison with dental records to confirm that it is Engle. Police expect a positive identification within the week, Robl said.

Police put out an alert last month after family reported Engle had not returned home. Engle had been picked up on July 14 while hitchhiking in the Anchor Point area and taken to the Alaska State Trooper Anchor Point Post because the driver thought Engle was intoxicated. Troopers took Engle to South Peninsula Hospital for evaluation, and he was later put in protective custody at the Homer Jail. Engle was last seen leaving the HPD building on Heath Street which contains the jail. Engle was not released until he was determined to be sober, Robl said.

Police and Alaska State Troopers searched areas where Engle might have been. Robl said the body was in thick brush and not visible from the Calhoun Trail.

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.