Bone fragments found in search for missing woman after devastating Colorado wildfire

A woman rushed into her home to rescue her dogs as a devastating wildfire spread in Colorado. Now bone fragments have been found on the property, authorities said.

Investigators have been searching for Edna Nadine Turnbull, who has been missing in Superior since the Marshall Fire ripped through the area between Denver and Boulder on Thursday, Dec. 30.

“Investigators … have been actively searching a property in the Town of Superior for the remains of Edna Nadine Turnbull,” the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said in a Jan. 19 news release. “The property is where Ms. Turnbull, after being notified to evacuate, entered the residence in an effort to rescue her dogs during the Marshall Fire.”

Officials uncovered “small bone fragments” at the property, according to the sheriff’s office. The bones will undergo scientific testing to determine if they belonged to a human.

That process can take weeks or months to get results, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office did not specify where or when the fragments were found.

Authorities initially launched active searches for multiple people who were missing after the massive wildfire. “Partial human remains of an adult” were found in unincorporated Boulder County, the sheriff’s office said Jan. 5.

Human remains found in search for people missing after Colorado wildfire, police say

The remains were found near where the wildfire began, McClatchy News reported.

The Marshall Fire was the most destructive wildfire in the state’s history, McClatchy News reported.

The fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. It quickly grew to encompass more than 6,000 acres, according to Boulder County officials.

Gov. Jared Polis declared a state of emergency on Dec. 30 when the fire turned destructive.

The cause of the Marshall Fire is under investigation.

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