AN anthropologist will examine two rib bones tomorrow to determine whether they are linked with missing Victorian toddler Daniel Thomas.
But other bones and a small t-shirt found yesterday in scrub near the town of Myrtleford, where the two-year-old boy went missing almost four years ago, are not linked to the case, police say.
Acting on a fresh tip-off, police resumed the search for Daniel's remains in the area in Victoria's northeast where he went missing while in the care of babysitter Mandy Martin on October 17, 2003.
The search, involving more than 50 police and State Emergency Service volunteers, is covering Slaughteryard Creek Road and an area of bush near Myrtleford, 280km north-west of Melbourne.
A pathologist today examined 20 bones, including a pelvis and vertebrae, found by searchers yesterday. Of those, 18 were discounted as animal bones, police said.
Two ribs will be sent to a Melbourne anthropologists for further examination.
Detective Senior Sergeant Rowland Legg of the homicide squad said the t-shirt was not Daniel's.
"We've shown Donna Thomas (Daniel's mother) the piece of shirt that we found yesterday and she's definitely excluded that," he said at the scene today.
Sen Sgt Legg had earlier confirmed police had two suspects in the case.
He said today that even if Daniel's remains were not found, murder charges could still result.