A crime scene has been established near a Darwin beach where human remains, including a skull and a "large number" of bones, have been discovered by a bushwalker.
WARNING: This article contains an image of the crime scene, which readers may find distressing.
Police say they were notified of the discovery near Lee Point Beach, in Darwin's northern suburbs, early on Wednesday afternoon.
In a statement released on Friday, authorities said experts had been examining a crime scene at the beach since then.
At a press conference that followed Acting Superintendent Karl Day said it appeared the remains belonged to one person.
He said it was too early to identify the person and the cause and timing of death, or whether it was suspicious.
"At this early stage, it's probably impossible to give an accurate estimation other than the fact that it is skeletal remains, and the skull is intact," Acting Superintendent Day said.
He said there was "no indication of trauma" to the skull or larger bones from initial examinations.
Missing persons, cold case unit involved
As well as a forensics team looking at DNA samples, Acting Superintendent Day said "a cold case unit, a missing persons unit and a major crime unit" were involved.
He said experts were also considering the possibility of historic remains from Aboriginal burial sites.
"We've had an archaeology expert working with us," he said.
"At this stage, they haven't indicated that it is a traditional burial site, but those options still remain open."
He said police had not informed the public of the discovery until Friday in order to prevent possible "contamination" of the scene.
The beach is used by bushwalkers and bird spotters but is not generally in high use.
