The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has identified human remains discovered in Park County in 2024 as a California man killed in a 2016 homicide, officials said Friday.

The remains were identified as John Cizek, 71, of Newark, California. Investigators said he was the victim of a homicide committed in June 2016. The identification resolves the missing person portion of the case, though the suspect is deceased.

Authorities said the identification was made through forensic genetic genealogy and confirmed March 24, 2026, through a DNA match in the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS.

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The remains were discovered May 28, 2024, by a fisherman in a shallow grave near a river at Deer Creek Campground in Park County near Bailey. An autopsy later confirmed the presence of a gunshot wound to the skull.

Investigators said the location where the remains were found is more than three hours from where Cizek was last seen alive.

The identification process involved the Park County Coroner’s Office, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and forensic genealogy services. A facial reconstruction was completed in December 2025 to assist with the case.

The homicide investigation began in 2016 when Golden police were investigating a sexual assault on a child involving suspect David Little, 40.

According to investigators, Little fled before he could be arrested. On June 21, 2016, detectives attempted to apprehend him in Edgewater during an undercover operation. Little opened fire on officers, who returned fire. He was injured and taken into custody. No officers were injured.

Authorities said Little was found in possession of identification and credit cards belonging to Cizek at the time of his arrest. Investigators also located Cizek’s recreational vehicle in Jefferson County, where evidence of a violent crime was discovered.

Surveillance footage from June 12, 2016, showed Cizek entering his RV at a store in Alamosa at 12:11 p.m. Minutes later, Little was seen arriving at 12:15 p.m., entering the vehicle, and the RV leaving at 12:24 p.m. That was the last confirmed sighting of Cizek, according to investigators.

Financial records indicated Little used Cizek’s credit cards and traveled between Alamosa and Denver, including through Park County, where the remains were later found.

Investigators said they developed substantial evidence linking Little to Cizek’s death, and prosecutors filed murder charges despite not recovering a body.

Little died by suicide October 4, 2016, while in custody at the Jefferson County Jail.