The body discovered in Otago’s Clutha River last week has been confirmed as missing man Wayne Hammond, who had been missing for more than two weeks.
The Alexandra man had not been seen since leaving his home on the morning of November 1.
His vehicle was later found in the car park underneath the Clyde Bridge, at the start of the Clyde-Alexandra track, at about 3pm later that day.
His body was found about 1.5 kilometres from the Roxburgh Dam, in the Clutha River, on November 17.
Police continue to make inquiries over his death on behalf of the coroner, who will release their findings at a later date, Sergeant Derek Ealson said in a statement.
Ealson thanked their partner organisations, including the Coastguard and Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR), for their “overwhelming and significant” contribution to the search effort.
"We know many of those involved in these organisations are volunteers who took time off from their paid employment to look for Wayne and we want to take the opportunity to say thank you - both on behalf of police, Wayne's family and the community,” he said.
READ MORE: Body found in search for missing Alexandra man
Coastguard volunteers spent more than 200 hours searching for the man over the three-week period.
"Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Wayne at this difficult time," Coastguard Clyde president James Robinson said.
"Although it's not the outcome we had hoped for, I’d like to extend my thanks to the many volunteers across the region who gave up their own time to help bring Wayne back to his family."
LandSAR teams involving 83 people across parts of the South Island contributed 994 hours to the search effort, Central Otago LandSAR’s Eric Schusser said.
As a sign of respect, Ngāi Tahu has placed a rāhui on the Clutha River/Mata-Au for a period of seven days from Monday, November 22 to Monday, November 29.
The rāhui is in place from Clyde Bridge through to the Roxburgh Dam.
People have been advised not to take kai kai from the river area, fish or swim until it has been lifted.
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