Police are trying to determine the identity of a portion of a human skull found on the beach at Useless Bay near Maxwelton Road and believed to belong to a homicide victim.

Island County Sheriff’s Detective Ed Wallace said late today that the skull of a male younger than 35 was found by two island visitors on Nov. 26. The pair took the skull home to Mercer Island and it was kept in a garage until it was turned over to the Mercer Island Police Department, which identified it as human.

Forensics experts also said marks on the skull indicate the victim may have been struck with an axe, hatchet or machete, and that death could have occurred as long as 10 years ago, Wallace said.

A search with a special canine unit was to have been conducted today in the area the skull was found, but was called off due to bad weather, he said.

Wallace urged anyone with information, or who has collected what they believe to be animal bones over the past decade on the beach near Useless Bay, to call him at 360-678-7968.