Dobbins Family Faces Wait After Find
The family of missing Melbourne man Brendan Dobbins were last night facing an agonizing wait after remains were found close to where their son vanished in Costa Rica three months ago.

Brendan Dobbins, a 24-year-old RMIT University student from Glen Waverley, was last seen on the beach at the resort of Tamarindo on March 4.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that the Australian embassy in Mexico City had told them human skeletal remains had been found on the beach at Playa Langosta, three kilometres from Tamarindo.

"Local authorities will conduct a forensic examination on Monday," department spokeswoman Julie McDonald said. "The family of Brendan Dobbins has been advised of these developments."

Brendan's father, Brian, said while the details of the discovery were sketchy, he would send his son's dental records to Costa Rican authorities.

"I'm waiting for any knowledge of corroborative information - they need to take forensic examinations," Mr Dobbins said last night. "I'm waiting to see what they find. It wouldn't be the first time our hopes have been raised.

"And if Brendan is dead, he wouldn't be the only body to be found in the area. "

He said a DNA sample might be needed to help authorities.

Brendan was on an exchange program at a university in Florida and was travelling with Australian and US friends when he went missing on the beach.

At the beginning of May, the Dobbins family believed the mystery surrounding his disappearance was about to be solved. A private investigator hired by the family had been told Brendan was shot dead by drug dealers and buried near Tamarindo.

Mr Dobbins and his wife, Mary, stood by with a local police team a day later, on April 23, as an excavator began digging where Brendan's body was said to have been dumped, 30 metres from the beach.

"It was pretty tough for my wife to take," Mr Dobbins told The Sunday Age from Costa Rica at the time.

But nothing was found.

Mr Dobbins said police believed his son had been the victim of foul play but had not ruled out other possibilities.