Body found in Maine freezer may be remains of woman missing since 1983

(CBS/AP) LEWISTON, Me - The body of a woman found in an unplugged freezer is believed to be that of a 29-year-old woman who was reported missing in 1983.

Authorities say Kitty Wardwell was reported missing by her then-boyfriend, Frank Julian, who for nearly two decades had rented the storage locker where the body was found.

Julian, a novelty salesman, died at age 80 earlier this month. The woman's remains were found Friday by Julian's family while cleaning out the storage space in Lewiston.

Julian reported Wardwell missing to Salem, N.H., police, reports Fox news. At the time, he told authorities he dropped her off at a Salem motel and then drove up to Maine alone.

Stepgen McCausland, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman, said, "Remains have been found, but we don't know whose body this is definitively at this time."

He explained that Julian had been renting the storage unit since 1992.

"We have put both families in the loop about the discovery and we have interviewed a number of members of both families, but the final determination will be made by the medical examiner."

State police are hopeful that DNA testing can confirm that the remains are Wardwell.