State investigators are using bone marrow from a skeleton discovered in a plastic crate last month to identify a possible Aurora homicide victim.
Medical examiners already have determined that the mostly skeletonized remains were that of a woman in her late 40s, said Arapahoe County Medical Examiner Michael Doberson.
Doberson’s office has made a preliminary identification of the woman, but he is awaiting confirmation through DNA evidence from what could be her family before releasing her name, Doberson said.
Possible family members of the victim have provided DNA, which the Colorado Bureau of Investigation is comparing with the bone-marrow DNA, he said. The results are expected within a month, Doberson said.
The unclothed skeletal remains were discovered in a crate stored in the back of Richard Johnson’s home at 1325 Lansing St. The crate had belonged to a man identified only as “JD,” who is serving a prison sentence for stealing from Johnson’s elderly mother.
Aurora police have not identified JD, a man about 40 years old who lived with Johnson for about 1½ years, or said whether he is a suspect in the woman’s death, which Doberson is calling highly suspicious.
“There’s a reason for it being found in a crate, and usually it’s not a good one,” Doberson said.
Aurora police spokesman Marcus Dudley Jr. could not say whether authorities have interviewed JD but said detectives have made good headway in the investigation.
A Fort Collins forensic anthropologist also is examining the remains of the woman to determine the cause of death, Doberson said. In such investigations, toxicology tests could reveal poisoning, or indentations on bones might indicate a stabbing, Doberson said. No determinations have been made so far, he said.
If an exact cause is not determined, Doberson might rule that the death was caused by homicidal violence of undetermined nature, he said.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
