A medical examiner was expected to begin work on an autopsy Monday to determine the identity of a body found in a freezer last week that police believe could be the remains of a woman who has been missing for 28 years.

Kitty Wardwell has not been seen since June 6, 1983, according to Maine State Police. A friend reported the 29-year-old missing several days later and her “on-again off-again boyfriend,” Frank Julian, claimed he dropped her off at a motel in Salem after a fight. Police eventually determined that she was likely the victim of foul play.

The unidentified body was discovered Friday in an unplugged freezer inside a storage unit that belonged to Julian until his recent death. Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland confirmed Monday that Julian had rented that unit since 1992.

Julian, who was 52 at the time of Wardwell’s disappearance, died unexpectedly on October 1, according to an obituary in the Lewiston Sun Journal.

Family members found the body while cleaning out his storage unit, McCausland said. He would not discuss the condition of the body, but he confirmed a Sun Journal report that the freezer unit was removed with the body still inside to be transported for autopsy under the direction of the chief medical examiner.

“It’s likely DNA will be needed to make the positive identification,” McCausland said, adding that he does not expect immediate results.

Wardwell’s family has been notified of the discovery, and McCausland said authorities will continue to update them as the investigation proceeds.