Coroner: Found human skull apparently not from recent death

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC (AP) — A coroner in South Carolina says a human skull recently found at a Hilton Head Island park doesn’t appear to be from a recent death.

The Island Packet reported Monday that Beaufort County coroner Ed Allen also says the skull may not be from the area. It was found last week sitting on a bed of pine straw near the bathrooms of a park.

A Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report says a Bluffton man alerted police to the skull because it looked “too realistic” to be a Halloween prank.

The sheriff’s office has said no other bones were found in the immediate area, and it’s checking whether the skull is related to any cases. It says the skull will be sent to a forensic anthropologist and subjected to DNA analysis.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com

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