Skeletal remains found at UC Berkeley’s Clark Kerr Campus were those of homicide victim, police say

BERKELEY — A person whose skeletal remains were discovered in a vacant building on the Clark Kerr Campus earlier this year was a man who died by homicide, authorities said Wednesday.

Officials identified the man as Lawrence McCreary and said he was born on Oct. 8, 1972. His remains were uncovered Jan. 10 in a building that has not been occupied for many years on the campus at 2601 Warring St.

UC Berkeley spokesperson Janet Gilmore said authorities used DNA evidence to identify McCreary. The condition of his bones as analyzed by the Alameda County Coroner’s Office caused his death to be ruled a homicide.

Gilmore said McCreary was not affiliated with the university. He did not have a known residence in the Bay Area and was believed to be from Texas.

McCreary was last known to be alive in 2009, when he would’ve been 36 or 37 years old, Gilmore said. Forensic and other evidence indicated McCreary had been dead for several years when his remains were found, she said.

The campus where McCreary’s remains were discovered is the site of a residential hall complex and event space that’s about a mile from the center of the UC Berkeley campus. Gilmore said the university currently uses the building where McCreary’s remains were found as storage space.

The building has not been occupied since 1979 because of poor seismic conditions, three years before UC Berkeley acquired the Clark Kerr Campus.

Authorities have not said where in the building the remains were discovered, who found them or how long they’d been there. Gilmore cited the investigation Wednesday when declining to release those details.

UC Berkeley police are asking for the public’s assistance with the investigation into McCreary’s death and anyone who interacted with him for any reason to contact Detective Sgt. Jon Caires at 510-642-0482 or jcaires@berkeley.edu. People also can contact Det. Mitch Levi at 510-642-3658 or mlevi@berkeley.edu.