A skull that was found sitting in Bradenton Police evidence since September 1974 may be over 100 years old.
More than three decades ago, the human skull was put into a box in an evidence closet in the police department.
The partial skull faded from memory until January 2011, when detectives stumbled upon it while going through old cold cases. Since then, they combed through missing persons cases in hopes of solving the mystery of the skull.
Nothing has turned up to connect it to any cases, but the police department announced Thursday that University of Florida researchers said the skull may be that of a Native American who lived a century ago.
Not much is known about the skull. The lower half is missing and there are no signs of trauma, which led investigators to believe the case was not a homicide. The gender and age of the person it belonged to are also not known.
The only known detail comes from an FBI lab invoice that indicates the skull was found in four inches of water near Bradenton on Sept. 28, 1974.
Anyone with information can call the Bradenton Police Department at 941-932-9303.