Detectives from Task Force Southern returned to the area on Wednesday and have confirmed the discovery of remains at Minvalara, southeast of Orroroo.
They remain at the scene along with forensic response officers, a forensic anthropologist and State Emergency Service volunteers.
Mr Atkins' death is one of three being investigated by the task force and thought to be linked to the Adelaide drug trade.
A 32-year-old man was charged with his murder this year, with four other people charged in relation to his alleged detention.
Police said previously it would be alleged Mr Atkins was assaulted multiple times and held at a number of locations before being taken to SA's mid-north and killed.
The 29-year-old's death was thought to be linked to the drug trade, along with those of two other men, Trevor King and Jeff Mundy.
Mr King, 41, was found dead at suburban West Lakes in January 2020, with police believing his death was staged to look like a suicide.
In the months before his death, he was the victim of unlawful detention and serious assaults, resulting from a drug debt.
Mr Mundy, 36, was last seen in December 2020. His body has not been found, with police suspecting it was disposed of somewhere on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula.
6°C