Northland District Headquarters
Walton Plaza, Whangärei
Wednesday December 2, 2009

Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding a skull that was located at Glinks Gully on Dargaville's Ripiro Beach.

The skull was located in sand hills on the 17th November 2009 after a particularly high tide washed sand away that was concealing it.

No other bones were located in the vicinity of the skull. Guitar strings and a guitar pick located at the same site are not thought to be related to the person's death.

The skull appeared to have been placed in the sand hills by someone and parts of it had deteriorated due to exposure to the weather. There was no other human matter attached to or with the skull.

Examination by a pathologist revealed that the skull had been subject to an autopsy prior to it being placed in the sand hill by unknown persons. This may indicate that the skull originated from an historical coroner's case and/or a police investigation.

The person was thought to have been European, had one gold filling and several other tooth repairs. The person's age was possibly 30 to 50 years of age.

The cause of death of the person was likely to have been by a gun shot to the head and possibly by the deceased person's own hand. Markings on the jaw bone of the skull also indicate that the skull may have been used by someone in a medical area.

Police are mystified as to how the skull came to be in anyone's possession. They are keeping an open mind about the motive for anyone having possession of the skull and then disposing of it in the sand hills.

Police would like to hear from anyone who has knowledge of anyone previously being in possession of such a skull or deaths of this nature within the last 50 years.

The purpose of the police enquiry now is to establish the identity of the deceased person and return the skull to its rightful place.

ENDS

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