Yazoo City, Miss. ? The bodies of three family members who disappeared from their home on Valentine’s Day were found Monday in a wooded area of Mississippi, and a relative was charged with murder, authorities said.

Warren Strain, spokesman for the Mississippi Highway Patrol, told CNN that the bodies of what are believed to be Michael and Rebecca Hargon and their 4-year-old son had been found.

The discovery of the remains and the charges against Earnest Lee Hargon capped an intense three-week search for clues in the case. Earnest Lee Hargon, a 43-year-old truck driver, was arrested on drug charges Friday, and authorities rushed to the search area in southern Mississippi on Monday morning.

In a Yazoo County courthouse, Earnest Lee Hargon heard the three capital murder charges read and was ordered held without bond.

He is a cousin of Michael Hargon, 27, who disappeared on Feb. 14 along with his 29-year-old wife and their son, James Patrick.

Investigators have been checking a piece of land that Michael Hargon recently inherited from his uncle, Charles Hargon, to determine if it is linked to the disappearance, said Jennifer Hargon, Michael’s sister.