Loved ones and community members have been left heartbroken after human remains were discovered during the search for missing Victorian Joshua Bishop.

Police executed a search warrant at a home in the quiet suburb of Westmeadows, north-west of Melbourne, on Saturday, where they made the grim discovery and arrested a man, later charging him with murder.

Just across the road, missing person posters were plastered to a bus stop and light pole.

While the remains are yet to be formally identified, in the hours after the discovery, a close friend, who had organised a fundraiser on behalf of the family, provided an update.

The family had been fiercely searching for 23-year-old Bishop. He was last seen by his housemate on Lalor Crescent in Sunbury, in the city’s north-west, on May 27.

“With the heaviest hearts, we share that our beloved Joshua Bishop has been found — but sadly, not in the way we had hoped. We are devastated and struggling to find the words,” Daniel De Vivero wrote.

“Your incredible support, generosity, and compassion throughout this heartbreaking time have meant more than we can express. The Bishop family has felt truly surrounded by love through every moment of this journey.”

“Rest in peace, Josh. You are deeply loved, and you will never be forgotten.”

Bishop was reported missing on May 29 by his mother, after he failed to access his phone or bank accounts.

Weeks after his disappearance, his parents made an emotional plea for their son’s return, urging anyone with information to come forward.

They described his disappearance as completely out of character.

The home on Erinbank Crescent, where the remains were found, is just kilometres from Broadmeadows Valley Park, where Bishop’s phone had last been traced.

Detectives arrested a 27-year-old Westmeadows man, who was charged with murder on Sunday night.

He will appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.

Police say the investigation remains ongoing.

-AAP