A human skull found by chance on a Clifton Beach property has been identified as belonging to a man who disappeared more than two decades ago, a coroner has found.
Gregory Hunter was clearing weeds in a gully on his Clifton Beach Road property on July 5, 2023, when he kicked what he thought was a rock.
It rolled down the hill and he realised it was a human skull.
Police found the skull in dense bushland about 270 metres from the coast.
Nearby, they found an old makeshift campsite with a shallow dug-out sheltered by a rusted sheet of iron.
Officers recovered two brown men’s shoes, a shirt, keys, a Zippo lighter and two business cards from the site. The right shoe contained several orthotics.
Early DNA and dental testing turned up no matches. Investigators compared the skull against 35 missing people on the Tasmanian database without success and conducted DNA testing on 11 male candidates.
The breakthrough came in 2024, when advanced genetic genealogy testing identified a third-degree relative.
That led investigators to Edward Harold Tait, who was born on January 11, 1971.
A DNA sample from his sister Helen Tait confirmed the link.
Tait was born with one leg shorter than the other, which was consistent with the orthotic shoe found near his remains.
Tait had led a reclusive and transient life, moving between Australia, Scotland and India.
He was never reported missing and Helen Tait had no idea he had ever been to Tasmania.
Records showed he was living in the state in 1999.
His New Town rental unit was terminated in March 2000 after it was found abandoned. He had last contacted Centrelink in person on November 30, 1999.
There is no evidence he was alive after that date.
Coroner Madeleine Wilson found Tait died at or near the shelter sometime after November 30, 1999.
Only his skull was recovered and it showed no signs of injury, leaving Wilson unable to determine how or why he died.
“I convey my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr Tait,” she said.
