FORENSIC scientists believe a St Helens family could hold the key to identifying whether a skull belongs to one of the world’s most notorious outlaws – or a barbaric mass-murderer who once lived in Rainhill.

Experts in Melbourne, Australia, are trying to establish whether exhumed remains are from Ned Kelly.

But the bones could also belong to Frederick Deeming, a Rainhill man who had secretly slain then buried his wife and four children in the 19th century before fleeing Down Under.

In 1891 he murdered his second wife Emily Mather (the daughter of a Rainhill newsagent) in Melbourne, leading to his horrendous crimes in St Helens being uncovered.

Such was the bloodcurdling nature of his brutality that to this day some suspect he was Jack the Ripper.

Kelly, executed in 1880 and Deeming, hanged in 1892, were buried alongside each other in Old Melbourne Gaol.

The Aussie scientists can’t be sure which villain the skull belong to but DNA comparisons could solve the riddle.

Firstly, however, they need descendants of Deeming, who had 10 siblings, to come forward.

If a DNA sample matches that of the genetic code of the skull, the mystery would be solved.

Deeming, who was 38 when he was executed, lived with his family at Dinham Villa in Rainhill, in July, 1891, renting the house under the name of Albert Williams.

He later met Emily and they headed to Australia, where a year later he murdered her.

Deeming was convicted following a trial at Melbourne Supreme Court, in April, 1892, and hanged a month later.

The bodies of his first family were discovered buried beneath the Rainhill house.

Deb Withers, a spokeswoman from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) said: “Ned was executed at The Old Melbourne Gaol on November 11, 1880.

“His body was exhumed in 1929 when the gaol was re-developed and a skull that was supposed to belong to him was souvenired and eventually went on display at the gaol next to his death mask until the late 1970s when it was stolen.

“It turned up last year and was handed in to the VIFM for examination so the mystery and Ned’s remains could finally be put to rest.

“In the course of the forensic institute’s examination, they have discovered through historical research that Ned was apparently buried next to the body of Frederick Deeming.

“Now apart from supposedly being buried next to Ned, strangely their heads were similar and after examining the death masks of other prisoners and many forensic tests our forensic experts have narrowed our skull down to probably either Ned or Fred.

“So our quest now is to find a Deeming descendant, so we can test for DNA and either confirm or eliminate.”

The institute’s British genealogist has researched the Deeming family and many of them appear to have remained in the region.

The spokeswoman added: “I’m hoping that a story may help us find them. Frederick had 10 siblings so we think there must be someone out there.

“And as it is only going back a few generations it’s not such a long shot. It’s just difficult finding the right person or someone who can lead us to the right person.

“Basically we need a female descended from one of his sisters or a male descendent from one of his brothers.

“So it must be the daughter of a daughter of a daughter of his sister or the son of a son of a son of his brother.

“Some of Fred’s relatives therefore changed their names to Bailey which was his mother’s maiden name, making them harder to track down.”