An investigation into the Bartonville man that allegedly removed a body from a cemetery revealed he had also possibly stole ashes from Oklahoma City, posted videos of human remains online and dumped human bones at the Dallas FBI office.
41-year-old Michael Chadwick Fry of Bartonville was arrested for allegedly removing a body from a Denton cemetery. (Photo courtesy of Denton County Jail)
On Monday, Bartonville PD received a call from the mother of 41-year-old Bartonville resident Michael Chadwick Fry that said he was requesting money to rent a U-Haul to “move a body.”
Fry had gone to his mother’s residence to ask for the money and left irate after explaining why he needed it.
According to a dispatch call, Fry’s mother believed he might have been going through a psychotic episode at the time.
Following the report, a bulletin was issued to neighboring agencies to find Fry and monitor for any suspicious activities that might be related.
Denton PD joined the investigation Wednesday and later found a damaged mausoleum at IOOF Cemetery in Denton with remains missing.
Special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation reached out to Bartonville PD after receiving a video, which had been posted to YouTube, from Fry’s sister that allegedly showed Fry throwing a bucket containing human bones over the fence of the FBI Dallas Field Office.
In the video, titled “We send Elizabeth over the FBI fence to summon them by force,” Fry claimed to be attempting to get the FBI’s attention so they could intervene in what he described as wrongdoing by Denton County officials from a past arrest.
An investigation by Bartonville PD and FBI agents revealed Fry had posted other videos to the same YouTube account where he posed with a human skull and an urn of ashes at his residence.
Bartonville PD believes the skull belongs to the same body as the bones dumped at the FBI office.
Officials believe Fry had stolen the urn of ashes from a cemetery in Oklahoma City back in February, which was connected to an active case with Oklahoma City PD.
According to police, Fry’s mother searched his car and found a shovel and searches for two cemeteries in Oklahoma City and one in Arlington.
Bartonville and FBI special agents searched Fry’s residence Wednesday with a warrant, which is when they took him into custody.
According to a press release from Bartonville PD, Fry’s charges increased to two counts of Abuse of a Corpse, a State Jail Felony and Tampering with Evidence, a Third-Degree Felony under Texas law.
Fry has a long history of arrests in Denton County.
He was most recently booked into the Denton County Jail on March 20, 2022 on a criminal mischief charge that occurred on Oct. 26, 2021.
Before that, he had been arrested 28 times by the Denton County Sheriff’s Office, Denton PD and Argyle PD dating back to Aug. 5, 2003.
Some charges he has collected over the years have been possession of alcohol by a minor, burglary, engaging in organized criminal activity, arson, theft, terroristic threats, driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest and his most recent charge: abuse of corpse without legal authority.
According to the Denton County Jail, he is being held on $30,000 bond.
Officials said the case remains active and ongoing. Check back for more information as it is released.