Human remains found in a west Birmingham neighborhood were those of a man who had been missing for more than two weeks, and authorities said his death is a homicide.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Darrius Dewayne Brown. He was 33.

Brown’s body was discovered just before 2 p.m. Thursday near an alley off the 1500 block of Tuscaloosa Avenue. The location where the body was found is behind houses in the 500 block of 16th Street S.W.

A nearby resident was walking through the alley when spotted what he believed to be human remains.

Police arrived and confirmed the neighbor’s suspicion.

“This very well could be a homicide investigation,’’ Officer Truman Fitzgerald said at the scene.

Brown was last seen on Monday, Sept. 11 when he left the area of Court J on foot.

Residents said Brown’s family had been searching for him in that area, and handing out fliers.

Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said Brown’s identity was confirmed through dental records. An autopsy showed he had been shot to death.

Brown is Birmingham’s 99th homicide this year. Of those, one was an officer involved shooting and seven others have been ruled justifiable and therefore aren’t deemed criminal.

In all of Jefferson County, there have been 140 homicides, including the 99 in Birmingham.

No arrests have been announced.

Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.