Coconino County, Arizona (KGUN) — The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office recently identified a victim in a 2020 murder investigation.

In October 2020, a body was found in a shallow grave near a lava cave off Highway 180 north of Flagstaff. At the time, the bodies were so decomposed that they could not be identified.

A conviction of murder was made after an investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigators and the Coconino County Coroner’s Office.

DNA samples were then sent to the forensic genealogy lab in May 2021. In January 2023, analysis of the sample revealed that the victims were associated with a specific family tree. At the time, one of the family members in question was missing.

The missing family member has been identified as David Clarke Wilkinson, who is known to have spent time in Phoenix and Prescott from 2019-2020. Wilkinson was also known to have spent time in northern Arizona, where he prompted the release of a missing persons leaflet.

Shortly thereafter, further DNA analysis confirmed that Wilkinson was the victim of this murder investigation.

Wilkinson was a 56-year-old Caucasian male, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing about 165 pounds, prosecutors said. Investigators said Wilkinson may have been traveling with a dog or two while driving a white 1997 Toyota Paseo.

Law enforcement officials believe Wilkinson was camping in Prescott National Forest and Coconino National Forest.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.