Denver police are on the lookout for a box of human heads that was stolen from a freight truck last week.
The heads were inside a blue-and-white box marked "exempt human specimen" and were intended for medical research, according to 9NEWS.
The box was inside a truck that was parked in Denver's Central Park neighborhood, east of downtown. Sometime between 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and 9:30 a.m. Thursday, someone broke into the truck and stole the box as well as a dolly, KMGH reported.
It's not clear whether or not the thieves knew they were stealing a box of severed heads.
Those who live in the area say the whole situation is disturbing.
"Pretty shocking," Isaac Fields told KDVR. "I guess I don't see too many strange things happening around here usually, but you know you never know."
The incident comes just days after the Denver Police Department warned on Facebook that "vehicle-related crimes such as auto theft and theft from motor vehicle continue to be a problem in Denver," CBS News reported.
The heads belonged to Science Care, a company that facilitates tissue donations to medical researchers and educators, KDVR reported. The company's CEO called it an "extremely rare situation."
"A sealed box containing donated tissues was stolen from a secured truck operated by a third-party specializing in the logistics of donated tissues," CEO Tricia Hammett said in a statement. "The secured truck was in the process of returning the tissue to Science Care after a medical training event. Unknown individuals illegally broke into the truck and robbed it of the Science Care box."
Hammett said Science Care is working closely with local Denver authorities to investigate the incident, but she couldn't provide additional information "due to the sensitive nature of our business."
At this point, no arrests have been made. An investigation is ongoing.
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