PENNSYLVANIA (KNX) - In the only known case of its kind in the country, police in Economy are still investigating an embalmed severed head found in the woods eight years ago.
"It's been bizarre from the very beginning," said Economy Borough Police chief Mike O'Brien.
The head of a woman was discovered on Dec. 12, 2014. Still, investigators don't know who she is or how she got there.
O'Brien said the investigation immediately led them to funeral homes and cemeteries, but no one reported a missing corpse or a disrupted grave.
"Most, if not all [funeral and cemetery directors], had commented that they were all present and would be present until at least they started to put dirt on top of the vault when [the deceased is] buried," he said.
The embalming destroyed most DNA markers, but investigators have been able to gather some information about the woman.
An autopsy found the woman's eyes had been replaced by red toy balls that are often found in vending machines.
"Nobody uses that for laying out for a funeral," O'Brien said. "In place of an eye missing for whatever reason, they would use a prosthetic eye."
Police believe the woman had a funeral before her body was harmed. A toxicology report also discovered drugs typically used in end-of-life situations.
Additional testing placed her around Beaver County in the three months before her death, including eastern Ohio and southern New York.
This week only, Crime Solvers of Beaver County and Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers are offering a $10,000 reward for information in the case. O'Brien says they have already received a handful of calls.
"Any idea, or theory, or concept that comes from anybody, I don't dismiss until we're able to dismiss it completely and absolutely. I take all of that in consideration because it is such a unique and odd case."
Anyone with information should call Economy Borough Police, Crime Solvers of Beaver County or Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers.
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