STEUBEN,EAI Community  Maine (AP) — The identification of a body pulled from the ocean this week confirmed the worst fears of many in the community following the discovery of an empty lobster boat belonging to a recent high school graduate from Maine.

Tylar Michaud, 18, of Steuben, went missing on July 21 after he went out to tend his lobster traps near Petit Manan Island. A massive search was launched after his boat was discovered empty.

The state medical examiner’s office on Thursday positively identified a body recovered earlier in the week as Michaud, said Patrick Keliher, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

“I’m grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support that followed Tylar’s disappearance. The efforts of all who joined in the difficult search were unprecedented. Many agencies and individuals devoted countless hours to this search. It speaks volumes about the profound impact a loss like this can have,” Keliher said in a statement Friday.

Michaud was lost at sea less than two months after graduating from Sumner Memorial High School. He planned to use proceeds from lobster fishing to pay for classes this fall at Maine Maritime Academy.

The body was discovered in waters off Addison by another lobsterman on Monday, a day after several hundred people attended a memorial service at the high school.