Missing piece in unsolved cases Museum’s human skull seized

Alex de Vos
A human skull could be the missing piece in a century-old puzzle of unsolved mysteries, according to police.
Forensics have seized the skull that was displayed in a showcase at the Queenscliffe Historical Museum.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said the human skull, found in Port Phillip Bay in 1982, was part of an ongoing investigation into long-term missing person cases.
“Victoria Police can confirm that detectives from the Belier Task Force have taken possession of a skull,” the spokesperson said.
“The skull will now undergo a range of forensic testing.”
The spokesperson could not comment on the age or sex of the skull confiscated from the museum on August 31.
“As the investigation is still progressing, it would not be appropriate to go into specific details,” the spokesperson said.
The skull was recovered from an area opposite the ferry terminal in 1982, by a local diver, and handed into police. It was returned to the diver who donated the skull to the museum.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum’s Jocelyn Grant believed the skull belonged to a Chinese fisherman or cabin boy who had gone missing during a shipwreck in the 19th century.
“It’s small so it could be Asian or it could be a younger person – it doesn’t look like a big bloke,” Ms Grant said.
“Before 1850 there were probably people coming from Tasmania to Melbourne and there were no proper records.”
Ms Grant said she was “disappointed” the skull had been confiscated, but was looking forward to receiving the results of the investigation.
“The kids are a bit disappointed,” she said,
“But it’s even more interesting to see if they can find something more about it.”
She said the skull was the museum’s biggest drawcard.
“The little kids loved the skull,” she said.
“We’ve got lots of things we can put in the empty cabinet, but nothing as exciting as a skull.”