A man who pleaded guilty to sex crimes against children and was featured on CNN 's `` The Hunt '' is dead , U.S . Marshals in Texas said Monday . Law enforcement credited the media for keeping the case out front -- and an Austin Labrador retriever who found the convict 's skull in a field and brought it back home . The dog brought the skull back home in September and its owner contacted authorities , who have worked since then to determine if the remains were that of fugitive Kevin Patrick Stoeser . DNA tests recently confirmed that . `` We owe her a box of dog bones , '' U.S . Marshal Robert R. Almonte said , gesturing toward the dog and his owner , who were at the press conference . See more on Stoeser from `` The Hunt '' Stoeser , a U.S. soldier who was dishonorably discharged , pleaded guilty in 2003 to child sexual assault and child pornography charges and was sentenced to 13 years behind bars . While he was on supervised probation at a halfway house in 2011 , Stoeser was returned to prison after engaging in electronic communications with underage girls . In August 2013 , Stoeser was transferred to the Austin Transitional Center , a halfway house in Texas . Two months later , staff members allegedly caught Stoeser using a smart phone which had images of underage children , authorities said Monday . When confronted , Stoeser ran through an emergency door at the facility . Stoeser was on the U.S . Marshals top 15 most wanted list . Authorities said Monday it 's unclear when he died , or how . No other remains have been found , they said . Remains of another suspect featured on the `` The Hunt '' were also found earlier this year , and another suspect who was profiled on the show was killed in a gunbattle with authorities . In August , the remains of Shane Miller were found in California . Miller was the prime suspect in the deaths of his wife and two young daughters . In July , a phone call to authorities came during an airing of `` The Hunt '' which led them to Charles Mozdir , a suspected sex offender . He died in a shootout in New York City as police closed in on him .
DNA confirms that a bone that a dog found in Texas belongs to Kevin Patrick Stoeser . Stoeser pleaded guilty in 2003 to child sexual abuse and child pornography charges . He was from a halfway house in Texas and had been on the U . Army most wanted list .