VANCOUVER, Wash. - The search for a missing homeless man who liked to dig deep holes in search of treasure may be over after human remains were found in an area where he was thought to have been digging.

The remains have not been positively identified, but police believe they may belong to 47-year-old James L. Moore, who was last heard from in October. Relatives reported him missing in November and police have been searching for him ever since.

A recent tip suggested Moore might have been digging near Vancouver's Discovery Trail in an area north of State Route 500 and east of St. Johns Boulevard.

Moore had a history of digging very deep tunnels in search of treasure. Detectives believed a hole or trench could have collapsed on him, burying and killing him, so a search of the area was launched on Wednesday. That is when police discovered the human remains.

"They were located at a significant depth," said Detective Patrick Kennedy. "They were obviously exhumed and will be taken to the medical examiner's office for confirmation of identity. At this point, we cannot say for sure it is Mr. Moore. However, based on the depth that it was found and the tools and the earth around it and the shoring materials that were found, it is consistent with someone who may have been digging at a pretty significant depth."

The digging expedition was elaborate, according to police.

"The deepest it got at one point was 25 feet," said Kennedy. "The shoring material found indicates there was a main chamber that possibly shot off into at least two different directions. And these remains were found in one of those, I guess, side chambers."

Police said other homeless people confirmed seeing Moore digging in the area.

"I was sitting up there with a friend last week in that area before they cut the trees down and we said 'I'll bet that guy is down here, maybe it caved in on him,'" said Steve Christian, a homeless man who said he had talked with Moore once while he was digging.