HALIFAX -- The New Brunswick RCMP says it has identified the remains found on Navy Island, N.B. last week as those of a woman who went missing in December.

"Even though this is not the outcome we were hoping for, we are glad to be able to bring closure to the family," wrote Sgt. Christopher Henderson with the St. Andrews RCMP in a media release.

Police say the woman was 68 years old, and from St. Andrew's, N.B. She went missing on December 8.

On Saturday afternoon, police said a kayaker found the remains on Navy Island, on a rocky area under shallow water.

Two local fire departments helped police recover the body, and an autopsy has since positively identified the remains.

Police say they do not believe criminality was a factor.