DES MOINES, Iowa — A body found in the Des Moines River over the weekend is thought to be the remains of 18-year-old Abdullahi "Abdi" Sharif, who went missing in January.
Sharif's family held a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
"He was someone that makes you happy, makes you love ... tells you, you know, any story that you want to hear," Abdi's mother, Fadumo Ahmed, said through a translator. "His sisters, brothers, everybody loves him. And they all miss him."
The Polk County Medical Examiner's Office identified Sharif's body on Monday. He was last seen on Jan. 17, 2020.
The Des Moines Police Department says there were "no indications of traumatic injury" found in an autopsy. Cause of death will be determined following a complete examination of autopsy findings.
Sharif's body was found Saturday afternoon near Prospect Park on the Des Moines River banks.
WATCH: Des Moines Police Department provides update on Abdi Sharif (May 4, 2020)
Joining together in the rain, friends and family prayed over the short life of 18-year-old Abdi Sharif.
For months their home and their hearts were empty, missing the young man who they say always provided for their family.
The community banded together to help the family search for the 18-year-old, something for which they're grateful.
Abdi's sister, Ifrah, said the discovery of her younger brother's body in the river was not the outcome that she was hoping for.
"Especially those who have searched. We want to say thank you to them. There were many searches, some were good days some were cold days," Ako Abdul-Samad said.
But it offered some closure.
"I remember praying during the month of Ramadan, and I was begging god anything. Even if it is a dead body, I will do my best to accept it. It's gonna be tough, but I'll do my best to accept it. At least I can bury him and know where he is now. That's what we wanted, something," Ifrah said.
So Tuesday, they closed a sad chapter as they laid him to rest.
Knowing the next day they'd be back to searching for answers, searching for justice, for the young man whose infectious smile gave them a reason to love even harder.
RELATED: 'Nobody just vanishes off the earth': Search intensifies for missing Des Moines teen Abdi Sharif