Remains found in Flagstaff identified as Mark Austin Dunne of Phoenix

Lina PortmanMay 30, 2024

1 1 minute read

In fall 2019, a hiker discovered human skeletal remains at the base of Mount Elden, a heavily forested area northeast of Flagstaff in Coconino County. Initial efforts by investigators to identify the remains were unsuccessful.

Five years later, officials with the Coconino County Sheriff's Office were finally able to identify the remains of Mark Austin Dunne, a man reported missing from Phoenix in 2017.

According to official reports, Dunne was reported missing to the Phoenix Police Department in March 2017 after a long period of time without contact with his family. Although it is unclear when Dunne arrived in the Flagstaff area, investigation of the scene indicates that he had been camping there for an extended period of time.

Last year, sheriff's officials teamed up with a Salt Lake City-based forensics company to try to identify the remains through a forensic genetic genealogy process. In February this year, a potential match linking the remains to Dunne was discovered through a family line.

A DNA sample taken from the remains was then compared to that of Dunne's family members, which positively identified the remains as belonging to Dunne, officials said.

Lina Portman

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