Whitney Duncan and the rest of Holly Bobo's family are speaking out about the discovery of the slain nursing student's remains in Decatur County, Tenn. on Sunday, Sept. 7.

Duncan, who is Bobo's first cousin, had been keeping fans up to date on the latest in the search for the missing girl since her disappearance in 2011. But on Tuesday, the country singer relinquished all hope that Bobo would be found alive:

Duncan and the rest of Bobo's family say that the identification of Holly's remains have brought a comforting, but no less heartbreaking, end to many questions. They say they will seek justice for her untimely and brutal death.

"We’ve lost a precious daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin and friend," says the family in an official statement read by their attorney, Steve Farese, at the Decatur County Sheriff's Office this week. "However, those responsible have lost their souls. Holly’s soul is the one thing that their brutality could not diminish or extinguish."

Farese added that the recovery of her remains has been "bittersweet" for Bobo's family, but that "they are comforted by the fact that they do have a definitive answer at this point."

Decatur County Sheriff Keith Byrd seems to be on the same page as Bobo's family, stating that now that her remains have been identified, the focus will shift on bringing those responsible for her death to justice and that more arrests are still likely to be made.

“The time for talking is coming to a close,” says District Attorney Mike Stowe, adding that the decision of whether or not to seek the death penalty for responsible parties is "a decision that I will make with the family."

Along with her Twitter updates, Duncan posted a sweet photo of Bobo and herself on Instagram with the caption, "Back when we were kids...I know she is an angel in Heaven and that gives us some peace. #hollybobo"

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