Identity of final person missing from Marshall fire confirmed as investigators uncover bone fragments

A home in Superior was reduced to ash in the Marshall fire. Jan. 12, 2022.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
A home in Superior was reduced to ash in the Marshall fire. Jan. 12, 2022.

Boulder County investigators have confirmed they are searching a destroyed home in Superior for signs of Edna Nadine Turnbull, the last person still missing after the Marshall fire.

A brief statement from the Boulder sheriff’s office said Turnbull returned to her home on the outskirts of Superior after being ordered to evacuate. Officials believe she likely died while attempting to rescue her dogs. So far, investigators have only recovered small bone fragments from the site. They have been sent to a lab to determine whether they are human. 

Investigators declined to give any additional information about Turnbull. Relatives have confirmed her identity to the Associated Press, referring to her as “Nadine.” They said she was 91-years-old, but declined further comment. 

There has been one confirmed death from the Marshall fire, which burned nearly 1,000 homes in December. Officials recovered the body of 69-year-old Robert Sharpe at his home in unincorporated Boulder County less than a week after he was reported missing. The cause and manner of death has not been officially determined by a coroner, though witnesses said they saw Sharpe attempting to protect his home from the flames. 

A third person had been thought to be missing, but was later found alive.