Remains may be those of missing man

It could take weeks to confirm human remains found on the South Australian coast belong to missing man Dale McCauley after the man accused of his murder gave police leads to the burial site.

Police found the remains on Friday evening in scrubland in Second Valley, south of Adelaide, almost 18 years to the day Mr McCauley disappeared.

The 44-year-old was last seen at his Willunga home, south of Adelaide, on January 16 in 1998.

The lead detective in the investigation into Mr McCauley's disappearance, Detective Superintendent Des Bray, hopes police will be able to formally identify the remains as those of Mr McCauley in coming weeks.

Adrian Mahony, 65, was recently charged with the 44-year-old's murder following a cold-case review by major crime detectives.

After Mahony was charged in early January, Mr McCauley's sister, Sandra Cole-Stokes, urged him to reveal the location of her brother's body.

As a result of information received from Mahony, police travelled to Second Valley to search an area of bushland on Friday night.

The remains were found hidden under bushes 30m from the road.

"The positioning of the body was such that without the assistance ... it's extremely unlikely that Dale would have ever been recovered," Det Supt Bray told reporters on Friday.

No one else is being sought over Mr McCauley's disappearance.

Mahony is due to appear in court again on March 22.