El Cajon, Calif. ? The nude body of a child found Wednesday in a rural area east of San Diego is believed to be that of a 7-year-old girl who vanished from her home nearly a month ago, authorities said.

Volunteers who have searched for Danielle van Dam since her disappearance discovered the body near a cluster of oak trees.

Police and sheriff's investigators, along with personnel from the San Diego District Attorney's Office, stand near a small grove of oak trees outside El Cajon, Calif. A body found there Wednesday is believed to be the remains of Danielle Van Dam.

A plastic necklace similar to one Danielle was wearing was found on the body. An earring matching the description of a pair the missing girl wore was also found, said San Diego County Dist. Atty. Paul Pfingst.

“Tonight we believe that Danielle van Dam’s body has been found,” he said.

A positive identification of the body could take several days.

Authorities had not determined the cause of death. Pfingst said investigators believe the body was dumped at the site about 25 miles east of San Diego.

Earlier, a sheriff’s deputy at the scene had said the body had been partially burned. But authorities declined late Wednesday to discuss the condition of the remains, pending an autopsy, except to say they were badly decomposed.

“At this point we cannot positively confirm that it is Danielle,” San Diego police Lt. Jim Collins said. “However, we don’t have any other young children missing in the county that have been reported. It’s a high probability that it is her.”

Danielle was last seen on Feb. 1, when her father put her to bed in her family’s San Diego home. She was discovered missing the next morning.

Authorities have charged a neighbor of the family with killing the girl. David Westerfield, 50, pleaded innocent Tuesday to charges of murder, kidnapping and possession of child pornography.

Westerfield, a twice-divorced father of two grown children, has a 1996 drunken-driving conviction but no violent criminal history.

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He has said he was at the same bar where Brenda van Dam was spending time with friends the night Danielle disappeared. Her husband was home with their daughter and two sons.

Westerfield spent the weekend of Danielle’s disappearance traveling around San Diego County in his motor home, stopping in the desert east of the city.

Police have received permission to search a dry cleaner in suburban Poway for Westerfield’s bedding and clothing. Westerfield reportedly had taken seat cushions from his motor home and clothing in for cleaning after his weekend in the desert.

Police have also searched Westerfield’s home and examined three of his vehicles.