While an autopsy did not establish that the body belonged to Mikels, it did find a cause of death: blunt force trauma, said prosecutor's office spokesman Jason Laughlin.
Laughlin said investigators will try to use dental records to identify the body.
The body was so decomposed that authorities were initially not even certain of its gender. An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.
The 17-year-old was last seen in January taking her 5-week-old daughter to a bowling alley. The baby was found outside a Cherry Hill home the next day.
Douglas Mandichak has been charged with murder. And the victim's uncle, Christopher Mikels, is charged with being an accomplice.
