COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Boulder County Coroner's Office has identified the partial remains found in unincorporated Boulder County in the wake of the Marshall fire as Robert Sharpe, 69.
Sharpe was identified through DNA analysis and because of scene circumstances, according to the coroner's office. An official cause and manner of death are still under investigation.
In a statement, Sharpe's family described him as a longtime resident of Boulder, a naturalists who was concerned with children's rights and worked in the construction industry for years.
We are "grateful for the outpouring of support as we try to cope with the loss of our family member," the statement read. "Robert will be greatly missed by his family and friends."
He is survived by three brothers, one sister and many nieces and nephews.
The family asked that anyone wanting to make donations in Sharpe's memory to do so by donating to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund.
Sharpe was reported missing on Dec. 31, the day after the blaze ignited, and his partial remains were recovered in the 5900 block of Marshall Road on Wednesday, said Carrie Haverfield, a spokeswoman for the Boulder County Sheriff's office.
His is the first confirmed death associated to the state's most destructive wildfire, that burned more than 6,000 acres and destroyed nearly 1,100 homes in Boulder County.
Another woman was also reported missing the day after the fire and has been identified as 91-year-old Nadine Turnbull, according to 9News, The Denver Gazette's news partner. The investigation into her whereabouts is ongoing, but her family told 9News her house in Old Town Superior was destroyed.
