Denton County Man With Extensive Criminal History Arrested For Alleged Bartonville Cemetery Body Removal

Bartonville police and the FBI arrested Michael Chadwick Fry for abuse of a corpse following a tip about human remains removed from a Texas cemetery.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 20, 2026, 1:05 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Dallas Express

Disturbing Allegations Of Cemetery Desecration In North Texas

The Bartonville Police Department executed a high stakes arrest this week after receiving a specific tip alleging that a local man had tampered with a gravesite. Michael Chadwick Fry now faces a charge of abuse of a corpse, a serious offense involving the unauthorized handling of human remains. While investigators have remained tight lipped about the specific condition of the remains or the exact cemetery involved, the nature of the tip was significant enough to mobilize multiple law enforcement agencies to ensure a swift apprehension.

Federal Authorities Join Local Search In Residential Block

The operation to detain the suspect involved a coordinated effort between Bartonville investigators and special agents from the FBI. Officers served a warrant at a property located in the 500 block of Oakwood Drive, where the suspect was located without further incident. The inclusion of federal task force officers suggests a high level of caution was taken during the raid, reflecting the severity of the allegations and the suspect's documented history of unpredictable behavior in the region.

A Decades Long Pattern Of Criminal Activity And Arrests

Court records from Denton County paint a picture of a man who has been a constant fixture in the local legal system for over twenty years. Since 2003, Fry has been booked for more than twenty four separate offenses, ranging from public intoxication and theft to more violent charges like assault and terroristic threats. This lengthy rap sheet demonstrates a persistent inability to remain within the bounds of the law, culminating in this latest and most macabre set of accusations regarding the sanctity of a burial ground.