Human skull found by children in Colorado mountain town gets ID'd

A human skull found by children in a Colorado mountain town has been identified, according to the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office.

According to a press release on the matter, the skull is that of David "Michael" Crady, born in October of 1955.

Crady's skull, along with a tooth fragment, was found by children near Silver Lakes Drive in the area of the town of Lawson in May of 2018. It was lying by a power pole at the time with no evidence of trauma found by a forensic anthropologist later that month. The expert who analyzed the skull did, however, determine that the person it belonged to was deceased for at least four months, likely one or more years.

With DNA having been extracted, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation began working the case in 2023, ultimately finding a 99.99% accurate match with Crady in May of 2024.

The cause of Crady's death remains under investigation. There are currently no leads regarding how Crady died or how his skull ended up at the discovery site.

"We deeply appreciate the efforts and collaboration of the University of North Texas, CBI, and our forensic experts," said Clear Creek County Sheriff Matthew D. Harris. "This identification will hopefully provide some closure for Mr. Crady’s family."

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