Museum Returns Human Remains to Families

A historical practice of retaining human remains without the knowledge or consent of families has been brought to light by the Coroners Division of the Magistrates Court of Tasmania.

The remains, which were kept at the R.A. Rodda Museum of Pathology in Hobart, have been the subject of a lengthy investigation that aimed to identify and respectfully return them to their families.

Coroner Simon Cooper in his ‘Record of Investigation into Deaths (Without Inquest)‘ coronial report released this week state:

“The retention of human remains without family or coronial approval, or even knowledge, is an historic practice out of keeping with, and offensive to, contemporary standards and values.

“It is inconceivable to my mind that it would ever happen again, although the fact that the practice continued for as long as it did and ended only comparatively recently is also almost equally inconceivable.”

The investigation was initiated in 2016 after the museum’s curator contacted the Coroners’ Office about three specimens that had been retained without consent.

This initial inquiry led to the discovery of a much larger issue – 177 specimens of human remains had been retained from coronial autopsies between 1966 and 1991. The practice was carried out by forensic and hospital pathologists, with the vast majority of specimens provided by a now-deceased forensic pathologist, Dr Royal Cummings. The specimens were used for teaching and research purposes, continuing a practice that had gone on for decades.

A coronial finding, made by Coroner Simon Cooper, concluded that the practice was out of step with contemporary standards and values. Under the Coroners Act of 1957, there was no jurisdiction for a coroner to authorise the retention of any part of a dead body for purposes other than investigating the cause of death.

The finding stated that families would have expected their loved one’s body to be complete and that the retention of body parts without their knowledge would have come as a surprise to most people.

The investigation to identify the remains and their families was a complex and demanding process. It involved manually searching through poorly recorded coronial files from the 1980s and 90s, contacting Births, Deaths, and Marriages (BDM) for assistance, and returning original files from State Archives. The effort was completed with little to no additional resources, relying on the dedication of the Coronial Division team.

To locate families, a media release was issued in April 2024, followed by newspaper advertisements in January 2025 with a list of deceased persons.

As families came forward, their names were removed from a list on the court’s website, which media were advised to refer to instead of publishing names to minimise trauma. In some cases, multiple attempts were made to contact potential family members.

Ultimately, about 100 of the 177 matters were identified, and all remains with identified family members were disposed of in accordance with the families’ wishes. The remaining unidentified remains or those with no living relatives found were respectfully disposed of under the law.

Coroner Cooper acknowledged the “pain and anger” this belated discovery has caused for many families. The coroner also expressed his sincere thanks to the team who worked on the challenging and difficult investigation, noting their heavy workload.

Editors note. The coronial report was withheld from publication until all the impacted families had been contacted.

Media release – Meg Webb, independent Member for Nelson, 12 September 2025

Formal State Apology to Coronial Project Families Needed and Further Investigation of Unresolved Matters

Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb today called for the Rockliff Government to issue a formal State Apology to all families affected by the recent revelations that partial remains from their deceased loved ones had been retained unlawfully and held in the R.A. Rodda Museum of Pathology.

Webb also called for Attorney General Guy Barnett to commit to investigating breaches of the law, ensuring both responsible individuals and institutions can be held accountable.

“While the actions which resulted in this horrific situation may be deemed historic, the resulting pain, trauma and anger of family members has been inflicted now,” Webb said.

“Despite the Coroner handing down his findings on Thursday, many questions remain unanswered. Tasmanians deserve full and proper resolution of all outstanding matters relating to this appalling situation.

“The State Government should now commit to undertaking the following two steps at the very least.

“I call on the government to issue a formal State Apology to all those affected as soon as possible and commence further investigations to identify any breaches of the law.”

Webb said the Coroner’s Findings report identifies that the remains retained without authorisation appear to have been sourced by forensic and hospital pathologists in the course of coronial autopsies.

“The Coroner goes on to state:

“The retention of human remains without family or coronial approval, or even knowledge, is an historic practice out of keeping with, and offensive to, contemporary standards and values. It is inconceivable to my mind that it would ever happen again although the fact that the practice continued for as long as it did and ended only comparatively recently is also almost equally inconceivable.” (clause 32).

“Shockingly, the inconceivable did occur, and it has left real damage in its wake. Further, that inconceivable action was undertaken by state appointees and employees, presumably within state and public institutions.

“The state, therefore, must shoulder its share of the responsibility.

“The Attorney General must commit to a formal State Apology to be delivered as soon as possible, while also undertaking to fully investigate any breaches of the law which may have occurred.”

Webb reiterated the swift delivery of an appropriate formal State Apology does not negate the need for a further comprehensive investigation into potential breaches of the law, with both actions required.

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