( CNN ) -- The work in Washington state communities shattered by a landslide in late March has turned its focus from searching for missing bodies to a rebuilding operation , a spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff 's Department said Monday . Forty-one people have been confirmed dead and identified . Two people remain missing , but `` essentially the active search has ended , '' Shari Ireton told CNN . A rain-saturated hillside along the Stillaguamish River gave way on the outskirts of the rural town of Oso on March 22 . Search crews had been digging through deep mud and debris , which is 70 feet thick in some places , to search for the missing . `` We are looking at recovery and rebuilding , '' Ireton said , referring to clearing and repairing roads damaged or covered by the slide . Steven Hadaway and Kris Regelbrugge were never found . Frank Hadaway told CNN affiliate KCPQ that he has peace even though his brother 's body may never be found . One resident , who found his sister 's body in her car two weeks ago , said the search needs to continue . `` There 's a lot of people that want to keep going , '' Dayn Brunner told KCPQ . `` And there 's a lot of people that will even do it for free . We just want everybody out . '' The search is not entirely over as some workers `` will still be monitoring for possible victim 's remains , '' Ireton said .
It has been 38 days since a rain-saturated hillside in Washington gave way . The National Weather Service said the area is expected to remain wet for several more days. One resident says locals want the search for the remaining two missing to continue .