Police respond after human skull found in Goodwill donation box in Arizona

A report of a human skull found in a donation box brought police to a Goodwill store in Arizona. 

An employee called in the gruesome find, according to CBS affiliate KPHO-TV, because they feared it might be related to a criminal or missing-persons case. In a photo shared by the Goodyear Police Department, the skull is withered, with what appears to be a prosthetic blue eye attached to the right socket. 

The police department's public information officer Lisa Berry said at a news conference that the medical examiner's office studied the skull and found that it is likely not related to a criminal case. 

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

"We did speak with the medical examiner's office, they did confirm that it is fact a human skull, but at this point, and this is preliminary, it appears to be historic, ancient and does not appear to have any forensic value at all, and what that means is that no crime is really attached to this skull," Berry said. 

A customer told KPHO-TV that they were shocked to hear about the find. 

"I've never heard of anything donated like this, especially here. I come to this Goodwill all the time and I've never heard of anything that crazy being donated," said shopper Sydney Steele. 

In:
• Arizona
• Donations

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a news editor and reporter for CBS News. Her reporting focuses on current events, breaking news and substance use.