North Texas man accused of abusing corpse threw bucket of human bones over FBI fence, affidavit says
A Bartonville man arrested this week on a charge of abusing a corpse allegedly threw a bucket filled with human bones over the FBI's Dallas field office fence, an act detailed in a newly released affidavit.
The document says Michael Chadwick Fry filmed that incident and posted it online. In the video titled "We send Elizabeth over the FBI fence…," Fry claimed the stunt would "summon" federal agents.
The Denton County man also told his mother that he needed money for a U‑Haul, saying he "had a body that needed to be moved," according to the affidavit.
Arrest made at Bartonville home
On Wednesday, investigators with the Bartonville Police Department, assisted by FBI special agents and task force officers, served a warrant in the 500 block of Oakwood Drive in Bartonville and arrested Fry.
Police said they had received a credible tip that Fry had "unlawfully removed and abused human remains taken from a local cemetery."
In a news release, Bartonville police said Fry was ultimately charged with two counts of abuse of a corpse and a third‑degree felony count of tampering with evidence.
Denton County court records show Fry has been arrested more than two dozen times dating back to 2003. Previous charges include assault causing bodily injury, disorderly conduct, possession of alcohol by a minor, public intoxication, burglary of a habitation, theft of property, terroristic threat, driving while license invalid, criminal mischief, and resisting arrest.
Affidavit details YouTube videos
Video reviewed by investigators shows Fry at the Dallas FBI field office making references to "Elizabeth's remains" and throwing a closed white bucket over the fence, the affidavit says.
An FBI special agent reported the bucket contained numerous bones that appeared to be human. The bones were sent for forensic analysis.
The affidavit also says an officer reviewed Fry's YouTube account, "Fry and Barto news! Where we reveal mass killers." Two short videos show Fry at his Bartonville residence holding a human skull with dirt, hair, and leaves attached. He referred to the skull as "Elizabeth Virginia Lyon."
The officer wrote that he believed the skull and the bones recovered at the FBI office were from the same remains.
Cemetery searches and a new shovel
Fry's mother told authorities she found GPS searches for cemeteries – one in Arlington and two in Oklahoma City – in the vehicle Fry drives. She also reported finding a new shovel at the residence and said Fry had begun locking the shed, which she said he had not done previously.
According to the news release, investigators later determined that Fry had stolen an urn containing human remains from a cemetery in Oklahoma City, where police had an active case from February. The release also said FBI agents found evidence at a Denton cemetery indicating a coffin had been removed from a mausoleum.
2018 arrest after crashing truck into Dallas news building
In 2018, police say Fry repeatedly smashed a rented pick-up truck into the Downtown Dallas Fox affiliate TV station during the morning news show.
They said he also tossed thousands of papers on the ground that had random words and phrases, including "high treason" and "witchery" scrawled on them. They were printed copies of news reports from a 2012 incident with Denton County Sheriff's deputies. During that incident, the deputies shot and killed a driver who was ramming into their police vehicle. Fry was in the passenger seat of the suspect's car.
No injuries were reported in the 2018 incident, and Fry was charged with criminal mischief.
Bartonville police said the investigation is ongoing.
CBS News Texas will provide updates when more information becomes available.
