CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- Prosecutors said they can't file charges against two people they believe are responsible for the death of a man whose remains were found at the bottom of a canal more than 30 years after he was reported missing.

Jeffrey Klee was 18 years old when he disappeared on June 21, 1977. Family members never knew what happened to him until last March, when police found his Chevy van at the bottom of the C-14 canal off Coral Ridge Drive.

“It took 31 years for my family to find out what happened to Jeff,” said Klee's sister, Laurel Steele, who spoke at a news conference Thursday where more details about Klee's disappearance were released.

Klee was last seen at the Crown Lounge in Tamarac where, witnesses said, he left with his best friend, David Cusanelli. Cusanelli told detectives Klee dropped him off at his brother’s home and never heard from his again. But after Klee's van and bones were found in the canal, detectives said Cusanelli ultimately confessed that he and Klee were arguing over a girl that night and that he may have hit his friend in the head with a rock in self defense.

“There was definitely a confrontation that night that led to Jeff Klee’s death,” said lead Det. David Weissman.

Records released Thursday show Cusanelli’s brother Carl told detective he helped push the van into the canal but claims he didn't know Klee was inside. Based on their statements, prosecutors feel the brothers could be guilty of manslaughter, but the statute of limitations on that charge at the time was only three years, which means the case had to be filed by 1980.

Local 10 tried to contact the Cusanelli's but was unable to locate them. Their attorney, Mitchell Polay, told reporter Roger Lohse by phone that the brothers had nothing to do with Klee's death or disappearance and that the statements they made to police were taken out of context.

It’s not the way Klee’s family hoped this sad chapter would end, but their faith tells them it’s not the end of the story.

“We often wonder what roads Jeff would have taken in life. We will never hear him being called Daddy, Uncle Jeff or Grandpa," Steele said. “As for the Cusanelli's, one day they will stand before a higher court where God will judge their motives, their deeds and their hearts.”

Klee's family members said they hope someone has information that could make possible charges in the case first- or second-degree murder charges, for which there are no statutes of limitations.