Skull mystery deepens following autopsy

Forensic experts say the skull found on a Dargaville west coast beach had undergone an autopsy before.

Identification officials are engaging pathology, anthropology experts and the media in an attempt to find out who the skull belongs to.

Dargaville police sent the body part to the Auckland Hospital mortuary for examination last week and a preliminary report to police from Dr Mike Arnall, who performed the latest autopsy, says there is evidence to show that it had been examined before being found on the beach.

Mr Arnall told Dargaville police that it is possible that the first examination may have been carried out by a doctor or medical students.

But how the skull has ended up at Glinks Gully, south west of Dargaville, remains a mystery.

"We would like to find its resting place, so we have sent photographs to an anthropologist in an effort to do this."

He said the media could also be helpful by raising awareness and tracing historical incident reports dating back to the mid-1980s in an attempt to identify the person.

The Dargaville and Districts News intends checking national archives through its parent company Fairfax Media.
Mr Arnall says he is not able to comment on how old the skull is or what ethnic decent it is, at this stage.

Dargaville police Sergeant Jonathan Tier says as far as police are concerned, there are no suspicious circumstances in regard to the finding of the skull but police are interested in the final results by the experts so that a possible identification can be done and the enquiry closed.