By Nethma Dandeniya

ABC Mildura-Swan Hill

Topic: Police

A man found a bone by the river in July 2025.

In short:

A year after a human skull was found in Mildura, the investigation is still ongoing.

NSW police say tests were not clear, and the skull will be sent for carbon dating.

What's next?

A former detective says this case could take years, and the bone may never be identified.

A human skull found in Mildura is being sent for carbon dating.

In July 2025, a man walking by the river found a partial skull.

The remains were found partially buried, and they are not historic.

The skull was sent to Newcastle for a special investigation.

NSW Police Detective Inspector Matt Sippel said the tests were not clear.

The skull will be sent to the Australian National University for radiocarbon testing.

Many inquiries were made, including searching missing person databases.

However, there is a lack of evidence.

Detective Inspector Sippel said they do not know how long the skull was there.

Examinations were done, but nothing else was found.

They hope to get more answers from the radiocarbon testing.

An anthropologist ruled out historic remains.

They hope to build enough evidence to lead to more inquiries.

The case will be taken to the Coroner.

A former detective said the investigation could take years.

The first step is to check missing persons records.

They need to expand the search along the Murray River.

If they can determine the gender and any distinguishing factors, they can try to identify the skull.

They may try to extract DNA from the skull.

A former detective said investigations like this can remain a mystery.

Given it was a partial skull, very little could be extracted for identification.

It is difficult to get DNA from a skull that has been in the water.

This is a scientific investigation, not a criminal one.

They are dealing with scientific evidence, not witnesses.

They are relying on science to determine the gender and any DNA.

It would not be unusual if the skull was never identified.

The skull may remain a mystery, but they hope to identify it.

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