Police in Arizona were investigating after a human skull was discovered in a box of donations to a Goodwill store.
On Tuesday, police in Goodyear responded to a call near Sarival Avenue and Yuma Road. On arrival, they discovered “what appears to be an actual human skull”, authorities said.
Speaking to ABC15, a police spokesperson, Lisa Berry, said the box was dropped off at some point over the weekend and was opened by employees on Tuesday.
The skull “did not ever make it to the floor. It was in the donation box, again, with other taxidermy items,” Berry said, adding: “This is an unusual one.”
Authorities transported the skull to the Maricopa county medical examiner. Pictures released online showed the skull with several teeth attached and what appeared to be a missing mandible. A fake eye was pictured in the left socket and dark spots covered the skull, a likely sign of age.
The medical examiner’s office confirmed that “it is in fact a human skull”, Berry said, adding: “But at this point, and this is preliminary, it appears to be historic, ancient and it does not appear to have any forensic value at all … No crime is really attached to this skull.”
Berry praised those who alerted authorities, saying: “Goodwill did do the right thing. Anything suspicious should always be reported.”
A Goodwill shopper, Sydney Steele, told 3TV CBS5 how surprising the news of the discovery was.
“I’ve never heard of anything donated like this, especially here,” she said. “I come to this Goodwill all the time and I’ve never heard of anything that crazy being donated.”
The discovery of the skull prompted a slew of reactions online. One person said, “No discount on Halloween items.” Another said, “Looks like someone brought something back from the Pirates ride at Disneyland.”
Goodwill employees have made startling discoveries before. In July, employees in Oklahoma discovered second world war memorabilia including discharge papers from the US navy and service records and ribbons. In 2021, employees in North Carolina found a handgun while sorting through a pile of donations. In 2018, Goodwill employees in Texas discovered an albino boa constrictor snake.