Gardaí say the remains discovered in a shallow grave in the Midlands have still to be formally identified.
The wife and other family members of Tommy Thompson the 59-year-old Englishman who had been living in Portlaoise before he went missing in April arrived in the area today.
Meanwhile a man, in his thirties, who was arrested yesterday morning and questioned about Mr Thompson's disappearance was released by gardaí in Portlaoise this afternoon and a file is being prepared for the DPP.