JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK -- Volunteer searchers packed up their camp site at this rugged desert park and left Saturday, a day after a search party found a body believed to be that of missing Carlsbad teenager Eric Sears.

Officials had not officially released the identity of the young man found Saturday. But search leader Mark Berklite, a firefighter and neighbor of the Sears family, said he took "a good, long look" at the body from 10 feet away and is certain it was that of the 17-year-old Carlsbad boy, who disappeared while camping in the park July 15.

Eric and his friend, 17-year-old Ben Fogelstrom of Carlsbad, had been camping at Jumbo Rocks Campground when Eric disappeared. Volunteer searchers began using the same campsite Thursday. On Friday, they found the body lying next to some brush on top of a rock outcropping, not far from where Eric was last seen.

The searchers and their supporters held a simple memorial service Friday night for the Carlsbad High School graduate. It was conducted under a crescent moon while a cool desert breeze blew through the campsite.

"We held hands, had a prayer session," Berklite said.

Eric's parents, Tom and Wendy Sears, were not at the memorial, grieving instead in nearby Twentynine Palms. They remained in seclusion with their family Saturday in the small desert town.

An autopsy will be performed this week on the body, according to a report released Saturday by the Riverside County coroner's office. The office is referring to the body only as a male who was found by searchers.

A searcher described the body as having short, blonde hair and said it was clothed only in what appeared to be a pair of boxer shorts.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department began investigating Eric's disappearance last week, saying foul play was a possibility, based on interviews with more than 30 people. Sheriff's spokesman Dennis Gutierrez said Saturday that the department would not make any statements about the case until Monday.

Investigators have said repeatedly that Ben Fogelstrom is not a suspect and that Ben and his family were cooperating in the investigation. Authorities searched the Fogelstrom home Thursday and removed several items from the residence.

The Sears' home, which last week became a gathering place for friends and neighbors of the family, sat empty Saturday. Neighbors would sometimes walk outside their homes, greet each other with hugs and chat quietly, but the hustle and bustle of the past week had decidedly quieted down.

Still, posters with remarks such as "our prayers are with you" remained on the two-story gray home at the corner of the quiet Carlsbad cul-de-sac where Eric spent much of his life. The notes are ready to greet his parents and sister, Stephanie, when they return from the desert.

A large photo collage pinned to the entrance of the home shows Eric smiling and hugging friends. Poems and quotes from the Bible were also penned on signs leading to the doorway. Candles and flowers adorned the entryway.

At dusk, neighbors and friends gathered to wash an RV that had been lent to one of the Carlsbad search teams. Sears' neighbor Steve Ward likened the RV washing to the neighbors' constant concern and care for the Sears family.

"These are people that are essentially thinking of anything they can do to help them through their suffering," Ward said of those washing the RV. "It seems minor but it all adds up. It's brought the best out of people in the worst of times."

At Joshua Tree, finding the body gave the searchers a sense of closure, said Berklite.

There was "so much (uncertainty) about the future, until we found him," he said. "So much up in the air. So many complex feelings."

Now, Berklite said, the searchers can focus and "get on with this journey, find out what Eric wanted."

With guidance from a search and rescue team representative, Berklite said 15 searchers decided Friday to try to hunt through an area near a hillside.

"We fanned out, about 50 feet between each of us, and went to the hill," he said. "Our goal was to go to the hill and that's where we found him."

Using a Global Positioning System, the searchers initially reckoned the body was 2.2 miles from Eric's campsite. Berklite said they discovered later that the distance was about 1.5 miles.

As Berklite talked, a man and woman approached. The man said they knew a body had been found, but wanted to offer their help if anyone was planning to continue the search.

Berklite told them the search was over.

"Tom and Wendy have stressed through all of this that they didn't want anyone to get hurt," he told the couple. "There's been enough pain already."

Staff writers Jennifer Kabbany and Anne Riley-Katz contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Jo Moreland at (760) 740-3524 or jmoreland@nctimes.com.