Skeletal remains found near UC Berkeley identified as death ruled a homicide

BERKELEY, Calif. — Skeletal remains that were found an in occupied building near the University of California Berkeley campus earlier this year have been identified by investigators and the death has been ruled a homicide.

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Investigators with the UC Berkeley Police Department announced that the human skeleton that was found in January in an unoccupied building by campus has been identified, KGO-TV reported.

In a statement from police obtained by the news outlet, the skeletal remains were identified as Steven Lawrence McCreary, who was born on Oct. 8, 1972.

The Alameda County Coroner’s Office ruled McCreary’s death as a homicide, according to KGO. The reasoning was based on an analysis of the condition of the bones, according to CBS News.

A cause of death for McCreary was not released according to the news outlet.

Investigators say that evidence shows that McCreary died “many years ago,” according to CBS News. Police learned that he was alive around 2009 and would have been about 37 years old around that time.

McCreary was from Texas and had been hitchhiking and traveling the country via train, according to SFGate. He often spent time in the Bay Area.

Police said that McCreary had no affiliation with the university, according to the news release obtained by the news outlet.

McCreary’s body was found in an occupied building at a residential hall complex and event space that is about a mile away from the main UC Berkeley campus, CBS News reported.