Keep Austin Weird
Tales from the crypt: We bet this is the strangest donation that Goodwill ever received
One Austinite is keeping things weird with a bizarre Goodwill donation. On Wednesday, the Austin Police Department issued a statement asking for the public's assistance in locating a person who donated a human skull to Goodwill. The macabre item was donated to the store located at 5555 N. Lamar Blvd.
Detective Derek Israel of the Homicide Unit stated during a press conference that the skull was discovered by Goodwill employees on July 16. Goodwill then contacted APD, who turned the skull over to the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office.
"The Medical Examiner here in Travis County has a responsibility to try to identify the identity of any human remains and the circumstances under which the person died," said Israel. "So they requested the assistance of the Police Department in trying to find out who the person is that made this donation."
The Medical Examiner's Office hasn't released a report on the skull, but Israel said it belonged to an adult. At this time, it is not believed to be involved in any crime or foul play; it's more likely that the skull was part of a private collection or an anatomical model.
"I'm sure that person's going to remember having donated that," said Israel.
The skull and the container it was discovered in could have been donated at any time this year. And since items can simply be dropped of at Goodwill, there is not paperwork or a receipt to help identify who donated the skull. The skull was handled by several employees, so it would be difficult to identify anyone through fingerprints.
If anyone has further information about the skull or who donated it, they can call the APD Homicide Unit at 512-974-5210.
