Dog finds skull of 'Hunt' fugitive

• DNA confirms that a skull that a dog found in Texas belongs to Kevin Patrick Stoeser


• Stoeser pleaded guilty in 2003 to child sexual assault and child pornography charges


• He fled from a halfway house in Texas and had been on the U.S. Marshals most wanted list

(CNN) -- 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.

Convicted sex offender escapes custody

A dog found a skull that authorities identified as being the remains of fugitive Kevin Patrick Stoeser, U.S. Marshals in Texas said Monday, November 17. Stoeser, who escaped from a halfway house in Texas last year, pleaded guilty in 2003 to child sexual assault and child pornography charges and was sentenced to 13 years behind bars. Click through to see others who are on the Marshals' Most Wanted list.

From the U.S. Marshals website: Raymond Abbott "used the alias Robo-Cop while smuggling weapons, such as AR-15's and other automatic rifles, out of Orlando, Florida and selling them in Puerto Rico. The weapons ultimately were being distributed to local gangs and drug cartels in Puerto Rico that had strong ties to groups in Colombia. ... He pled guilty to weapons smuggling in April 1992, and was scheduled to be sentenced in Federal court when he escaped, amid a hail of gunfire, from the maximum security penitentiary in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico on July 3, 1992."

From the U.S. Marshals website: In May 2012, Peter Castillo "allegedly shot 22-year-old military veteran Stephen Perez in the back killing him following an altercation that occurred in the Boston Theater District. Castillo was immediately identified as the shooter by the Boston Police Department and a warrant was issued for homicide. Shortly after the incident, he allegedly fled to New York then to the Dominican Republic where he has extensive ties."

From the U.S. Marshals website: Larry Porter Chism "is wanted for charges stemming from his Escape from the Lonoke County Jail in Arkansas in December 1978. He was serving a 40 year state sentence for armed robbery and narcotics violations and an additional 30 year federal sentence for kidnapping and airplane hijacking. During a previous escape, Chism shot and seriously wounded a correctional officer."

From the U.S. Marshals website: David Benjamin Creamer has been "charged with distribution of child pornography, transportation of obscene materials, firearms violations, money laundering and income tax evasion."

From the U.S. Marshals website: Corey Deshawn Gaston "is wanted in Michigan by the Detroit Police Department and the U.S. Marshals for failure to appear on the original charges of rape (1st and 2nd degree criminal sexual conduct/person under 13), kidnapping, home invasion and child enticement. A federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution has also been issued."

From the U.S. Marshals website: Daniel Hiers "is wanted for the gunshot murder of his wife, and the sexual molestation of a child. He is a former police officer with 11 years of experience and is proficient in police tactics and procedures."

From the U.S. Marshals website: Robert Lee King "is wanted by the Shelby County (TN) Sheriff's Department for the brutal murder of his girlfriend and the attempted first degree murder of his girlfriend's daughter. On December 1, 2005, King allegedly murdered his girlfriend then turned his aggression towards her daughter by seriously injuring her with a sharp object before fleeing the scene."

From the U.S. Marshals website: Frederick Cecil McLean "was charged in San Diego Superior Court in January of 2005 of four counts of child molestation and one count of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14."

From the U.S. Marshals website: Andre Neverson "is wanted for the murder of his sister and an ex-girlfriend, as well as for parole violation and illegal entry into the United States."

From the U.S. Marshals website: John Ruffo "is wanted in the Eastern District of Virginia for failure to surrender for service of a 17 year sentence federal sentence. Ruffo and a co-defendant set up a fraudulent business scheme through which they defrauded United States and Foreign Banks of $350 million dollars."

U.S. Marshals' most wanted

U.S. Marshals' most wanted

"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.