MARC'S DISCOUNT STORES Probe of skulls found in boxes leads to Peru

At the time of their discovery, the skulls were a week away from store shelves.
BROOK PARK, Ohio (AP) -- The discovery of human skulls in a box auctioned as ceramic figurines began as a bargain-hunting trip to Miami.
What often results from such outings by buyers for the regional Marc's discount store are eye-catching deals, many of them imported pots, trinkets or tools from China and elsewhere.
But this time, workers at a Marc's warehouse stretching for two blocks near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport found 12 skulls in a box purchased at an auction of items abandoned at a customs inspection point.
A Marc's employee was going through the box last Friday, a figurine fell and broke, disclosing a skull enshrouded in ceramic. He contacted warehouse security and the manager, Mark Ternovan, according to Detective James Tesar's report.
A Marc's buyer purchased the box and other items including clay pots, clothing and baseballs for more than $100,000 at a Jan. 15 auction in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The auction was conducted by EG & amp;G Technical Services, which has a contract to sell items seized by customs, the Treasury Department and other government agencies.
In the past, EG & amp;G's auctions have included government-seized items, often confiscated from drug dealers, including jewelry, computers, cars, Rolex watches and zebra skins.
The skull box was shipped by air last May from Lima, Peru, to an individual in Miami, apparently meant as a gift, said Cherise Miles, a spokeswoman for the customs agency. But it was never claimed from customs.
Auction buyer
Marc's regularly stocks shelves at its 51 stores with items purchased at auction, including those attended by owner Marc Glassman, said Debbie List, administrative assistant at the chain based in nearby Middleburg Heights.
"He attends auctions all the time, everywhere," she said.
At the time of the discovery, the ceramic items were at least one week away from making the shelves at Marc's, where closeouts and low prices are favored over shopper comforts.
Shoppers can find men's underwear at the end of the frozen foods, flea collars hanging next to California wines and a chest-high display of unwrapped dog chews. Over in the corner, tropical birds squawk from a room-sized cage.
When you check out at Marc's, don't expect to see price scanners. Cashiers do it the old-fashioned way.
Purchases are packed in plastic bags with another store's name imprinted. The bags can change from day to day, depending on what's available to Glassman and his buyers.
Photos
Police in Brook Park, a working-class Cleveland suburban, released photos showing a sample skull and one encased in ceramic.
The blanched skull appeared to be missing a lower jaw and has outsized eye sockets. The ceramic-encased skull resembled a head with a biker's tightly fitting helmet and wide purple band down the sides of the face, lips pursed closed.
The skulls include at least one of a child and showed evidence of bindings, assistant Cuyahoga County Coroner Heather Raff said. The dried-out look indicated the skulls were aged, possibly for many years.
None had any sign of violence or injuries, according to Raaf, and some may have been buried at some point.