Mr. Braxton-Andrew, who was fluent in Spanish, had been traveling alone in northern Mexico on a break from his job as a part-time teacher in a private school in North Carolina. He had traveled by train on El Chepe and gone hiking alone in the Urique area. He had planned to meet up with his brother in Mexico City later in the month, his family said in a statement. When he failed to do so on Oct. 30, family members knew something was wrong, they wrote on a dedicated Facebook page.

That page, which they created, confirmed his death and posted a tribute on Thursday. The family thanked the Chihuahua governor and attorney general for “their unwavering commitment to locating Patrick.”

“Patrick died doing what he loved — traveling and meeting people,” the post read. “Join us in celebrating his life as he would want us to do. We will always remember Patrick and his joy for life.”

During the weeks of uncertainty over Mr. Braxton-Andrew’s fate, his relatives shared constant updates of what little they had learned about his disappearance, interspersed with accounts of a man they say had a love for travel, sports and teaching.

They wrote that Mr. Braxton-Andrew was last seen around 4 p.m. on Oct. 28 when he went for a walk from his hotel in Urique. He had been spotted walking near a ranch outside the town, and locals searched for him after learning that he was missing, with local police joining the effort three days later.

His family set up a base in Mexico City in recent weeks to monitor the search, according to The Charlotte Observer, which spoke with them on Wednesday, a day before the news broke of Mr. Braxton-Andrew’s death.