Fort Bragg, N.C. — Authorities have identified remains recently found at Fort Bragg as those of a 16-year-old Fayetteville girl, who has been missing for more than two years.

Pamela Waldher, 16, was reported missing from her home on Glen Canyon Drive on Jan. 23, 2005. A few days later, Waldher's book bag and coat were found on Fort Bragg off N.C. Highway 87 and Nursery Road, in Harnett County, about 16 miles from her home.

The Fox 50 program "NC Wanted" reported that police sources said DNA testing confirmed the remains are those of Waldher.

Fayetteville police haven't released information about when or where on the base the remains were found.

Officers called the case a death investigation and said they have not ruled out foul play in the case. Everyone Waldher came into contact with is considered a "person of interest" in the investigation, police said.

Word of the identification quickly spread Thursday to Terry Sanford High School, which Waldher attended. She had a 4.0 grade-point average and was co-captain of the debate team.

Debate coach Don Perkins answered questions from former students all day. He said that sobering as the discovery was, he felt as if a burden had been been lifted.

"Not knowing is so much worse than the inevitable," Perkins said. "And knowing she's going to be put to rest the right way makes me feel a whole lot better."

In 2003, when Waldher was 14, she moved from Washington state, where she had lived with her grandparents, to live with her father, Beau Garcia, in Fayetteville.

Garcia initially reported her missing as a runaway. Authorities later categorized her as missing and endangered and listed her in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's database.

In a segment on "NC Wanted" earlier this year, some people close to Waldher said her relationship with her father had soured before her disappearance. Garcia said he and his daughter had a nasty argument two days before she disappeared.

"She was very upset, very angry. And the long and short of it, I let her down," Garcia said on "NC Wanted."

Police officers and dogs twice searched a half-mile wooded area near Waldher's home, most recently last February. The area is considered a route she could have taken to Fort Bragg, "NC Wanted" reported.

Perkins said he doubted his former student ran away.

"Pam would never run away. I knew her too well," he said. "As a 4.0 grade-point-average student, she loved school, and that's the last thing she would leave."

Garcia declined to comment Thursday morning on the discovery of her remains. Waldher's grandparents in Washington state could not be reached for comment.