Scientific evidence for the identification of an Aboriginal massacre at the Sturt Creek sites on the Kimberley frontier of north-western Australia.

•Results of a scientific investigation of a reported massacre, Kimberley, Australia.•XRD analysis showed all bone fragments subjected to extreme temperatures to 800°C.•Pathology concluded bone fragments as possibly human but evidence inconclusive.•Comparison with burnt bone from hearth sites showed hearth fires were cooler.•Archaeological signatures for similar remote Aboriginal massacre sites identified.