Stone Canyon Fire victim remains unidentified; missing man not located

DENVER (KDVR) — It’s been a little over a month since human remains were found inside a home in the 2600 block of Eagle Ridge Road during the Stone Canyon Fire in Boulder County, and officials still have not confirmed the individual’s identity.

They also haven’t determined a cause for the fire, which destroyed five homes and burnt over 1,500 acres in Boulder County after it ignited on July 30. The blaze occurred during a spat of wildfires along the Front Range, including the Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County, the Quarry Fire in Jefferson County and the Panorama Point Fire in Boulder.

At the same time, Boulder County Sheriff’s deputies have been searching for a missing 74-year-old man who lived in one of the homes destroyed by the fire. Detectives have been following leads but have not found the missing man.

The office said it is hesitant to conclude that the missing man and unidentified remains are the same person.

“We will do our due diligence and use all scientific and investigative tools and resources available to us to positively confirm the identity of the remains,” the sheriff’s office stated in a release. “We do not want to release the name of the missing man until the identity of the decedent is confirmed, out of respect for the family of the decedent.”

However, the body’s condition has presented “significant challenges” to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office. In August, the coroner’s office told FOX31 they were consulting with a forensic anthropologist about the body, and an assessment would be provided to the office after it’s completed.

The sheriff’s office said Wednesday that the community is very interested in the identification of the person who died in the fire, as well as the cause of the fire, but the agency is taking “all the time needed to ensure that we do not release incorrect information regarding an on-going investigation.”

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office case number for the fatality investigation is 24-03843. The case number for the fire investigation and missing person is 24-03829.

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