TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities are trying to identify a person whose remains were found near a pistol in a remote area of Sierra County near the California-Nevada line.

The Union of Grass Valley reports the gun was sent to the California Justice Department’s ballistics laboratory in Sacramento in hopes the fingerprints could help in the identification.

The remains and gun were found Saturday near Crystal Peak, about five miles northwest of Verdi, Nev.

Sheriff John Evans says the area has been used by murderers who have dumped victims and by people who have committed suicide.

He says investigators believe the remains are those of a male and they may have been there for more than a year.

Also found were a leather boot, a hydration pack, a pair of sunglasses and a watch.