Investigators say a 41-year-old man stole human remains, posted videos and threw bones onto FBI property in Dallas.
BARTONVILLE, Texas — A North Texas man is accused of stealing human remains from cemeteries in Texas and Oklahoma, then tossing bones over a fence at the FBI’s Dallas field office as part of what investigators say was an effort to force federal attention onto his claims.
Authorities identified the suspect as 41-year-old Michael Chadwick Fry. Police say the case now stretches across at least three cities: Bartonville, where he was arrested; Denton, where investigators found a damaged mausoleum and missing remains; and Oklahoma City, where officers had already opened a case tied to the theft of an urn from a cemetery. The allegations have drawn attention because of the unusual route of the investigation, the handling of human remains and the growing number of agencies pulled into the case.
The investigation accelerated in mid-March after Bartonville police received a report from Fry’s mother, who told officers he had asked for money to rent a U-Haul because, according to court records cited in multiple reports, he “had a body that needed to be moved.” Police say Fry left before officers got to the home. Soon after, investigators learned of a video posted online that appeared to show him outside the FBI’s Dallas field office, throwing a white bucket over a secure fence and into a parking lot. According to the affidavit described in published reports, the video included Fry saying he wanted to “summon” federal agents. An FBI agent later determined the bucket contained bones that appeared to be human.
Investigators say the videos did not stop there. According to reporting based on the arrest affidavit, officers also reviewed footage that appeared to show Fry inside his Bartonville home holding what looked like a human skull with dirt, leaves and hair still attached. In that material, he referred to the remains as “Elizabeth Virginia Lyon,” a name investigators believed could be tied to the bones recovered at the FBI property. Police have said testing is underway to determine exactly whose remains were taken and whether the skull and the bones recovered in Dallas came from the same person. Authorities have not publicly said whether all missing remains have been recovered, and they have not released a full accounting of how many burial sites may be involved.
As the case widened, police in two states began comparing notes. Denton police said they were notified March 18 that remains recovered during the Bartonville investigation may have been taken from IOOF Cemetery in Denton. A search there led officers to what the city described as a damaged mausoleum with remains missing. Next of kin were notified. In Oklahoma, law enforcement connected the case to an earlier theft investigation in Oklahoma City involving an urn containing human ashes. KOCO reported that an affidavit said Fry admitted taking an urn holding a woman’s ashes from a cemetery near Nichols Hills in early February. That report said court records described his motive as an attempt to “coerce her family into helping arrest high-level politicians.” Authorities have not announced charges in Oklahoma as of Saturday.
For now, the filed charges are in Texas. Bartonville police arrested Fry on March 18 after executing a search warrant at his home with FBI assistance. He was booked on two counts of abuse of a corpse and one count of tampering with evidence, according to reports citing police and booking records. News coverage said he was being held on a $30,000 bond. It was not immediately clear from the available reporting whether he had retained an attorney to speak on his behalf. Investigators have also not said whether federal charges are being considered, even though the alleged bucket-throwing incident happened at FBI property in Dallas.
The case has unsettled people well beyond the North Texas suburb where Fry was arrested because it turns cemetery grounds and memorial spaces into crime scenes. Denton police said only that the investigation remains active and that Bartonville is leading the case with assistance from the FBI and other agencies. Oklahoma City’s earlier report of stolen cremated remains, which initially seemed limited and unclear, now appears to be part of a broader pattern that crossed state lines. The next major step is likely to come from lab testing and any added filings from prosecutors, which could clarify how many victims’ remains were involved and whether more charges will follow in Texas, Oklahoma or federal court.
As of March 28, Fry remained in custody in Texas and the investigation was still open. The next public milestone will likely be any updated court filing, bond action or formal identification of the remains recovered in Dallas and from Fry’s home.
Author note: Last updated March 28, 2026.