Skull found near beach identified but questions persist
Remains discovered near a makeshift campsite have been identified as belonging to an "extremely reclusive" man who was last seen by his sister 28 years ago.
A pair of store-bought orthotics helped confirm the remains belonged to Edward Harold Tait - but the cause of his death is a mystery.
In July 2023, a farmer was clearing weeds in a gully at Clifton Beach in Tasmania when he stumbled across what he initially thought was a rock.
The discovery of the human skull led to a small campsite about 75 metres away, which contained a corrugated iron roof and items including men's shoes, clothes, keys, a lighter, and a plastic bag with two cards.
DNA testing of the items and remains yielded no matches on state or national databases, with the remains forwarded to Australian Federal Police for biogeographical ancestry testing.
In December 2023, Tasmania Police were advised that no direct match or kinship match could be found.
Seven months later, forensic investigative genetic genealogy testing identified a third-degree male relative, which led to Mr Tait being identified as most likely belonging to the remains.
In a report published on Tuesday, coroner Madeleine Wilson said she was confident based on testing that determined the remains were a Caucasian man.
"I am fortified in this belief by the fact that Mr Tait's parents were Scottish," she said.
"(As well as) the additional fact that Mr Tait was born with a congenital defect in which one of his legs was shorter than the other.
"One of two matching shoes located at a shelter a short distance from the discovery of the human remains, contained store-bought orthotics."
Mr Tait, who was born in 1971 to Scottish parents, moved to Victoria in 1988.
He was in trouble with authorities in multiple states before moving to Tasmania in 1999, the same year he last made contact with Centrelink.
Mr Tait was last seen in 1998 by his sister during a chance encounter on Bourke Street in Melbourne and appeared under the influence of drugs.
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