Police Determine Origin of Human Skull Donated to Goodwill

Workers at a Goodwill in Arizona got quite the surprise when sifting through a donation box received at the store: a human skull. While the incident immediately calls to mind the idea of a grisly crime, authorities concluded its origins weren't criminal in nature. 

Staff at a Goodwill store in Goodyear, AZ contacted local police after finding the object from an unknown donor. It was covered in dark black spots and its upper front teeth were still intact. And to make it even creepier, the left eye socket contained a fake eye. 

A Goodwill manager @ the Sarival & Yuma location reported finding what appeared to be a human skull in a donation box. GYPD transported it to the OME for investigation. Their initial findings confirm it is human & appears to be historic. It doesn’t appear to be linked to a crime. pic.twitter.com/nhNw7D9FZA

— Goodyear Police Dept (@Goodyearpolice) September 6, 2023

Goodyear Police Department Public Information Officer Lisa Berry explained that after police arrived on the scene, they decided to send the skull off to the county medical examiner's office to determine where it came from. The experts concluded that it was indeed a human skull, but it appeared to be "historic" and not tied to some bone-chilling (no pun intended) crime. "It does not appear to have any forensic value at all," Berry stated plainly. 

A spokesperson for Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona told Arizona Central that the store employees did the right thing and followed company protocol by immediately reporting the donation to the police and cooperating with their investigation. Still, while the skull might have some significance for a collector of some sort, it remains unclear if it will be returned to the Goodwill store and available for purchase. 

Depending on the company you keep, the skull could be a great conversation starter or conversation ender.