Texas Dog Finds Skull of Fugitive Child Sex Offender

TEXAS--(KTBC)--One of the U.S. Marshals' 15 Most Wanted fugitives is no longer being sought after his skull was discovered only a few miles from the Texas facility from which he escaped in October 2013.

Officials say that after DNA confirmation and next-of-kin notification, U.S. Marshals confirmed that a human skull found in Del Valle belonged to fugitive Kevin Patrick Stoeser. Stoeser had escaped from the Austin Transitional Center where he was serving the remainder of a 156-month sentence for four counts of child sexual assault and one count of possession of child pornography. Stoeser pleaded guilty to the charges in 2003.

In September, a Del Valle resident contacted the Austin Police Department and reported that his pet lab Carly had found a human skull. The skull had hair and tissue still attached to it. Carly's owners called 911.

The U.S. Marshals say that the description of the skull and the location where it was found sparked its interest in the case. The U.S. Marshals worked with local authorities to have the skull sent to the Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics at the University of North Texas for DNA testing. On Nov. 5, based on the university's results, the Travis County medical examiner concluded the skull was Stoeser's.

“With the untimely death of Stoeser, we can now bring closure to this case,” said Robert Almonte, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas. “On behalf of the United States Marshals Service, we appreciate the assistance of our law enforcement partners throughout the nation who contributed a great deal of time and energy to see this investigation through.”

It took more than a dozen agencies and Carly to close the case against Stoeser. Members from some of those agencies, that dog, and her owners were on hand at the U.S. Courthouse Monday for that official announcement.

The Austin Police Department continues to investigate what caused Stoeser's death. Officials say they will still search for the rest of his remains.

There was a $25,000 reward in this case. It's not clear if Carly's owners will get it but they tell FOX 7 Carly will get plenty of treats for this remarkable find.