Philadelphia police have a gruesome mystery on their hands after a local resident, 25-year-old Chris James, found a child-sized casket lying in a North Philadelphia street, across from the Mt. Vernon Cemetery and in close proximity to Laurel Hill Cemetery. Once police were called to investigate the casket, it was found to not contain a young child’s body, but rather a bag filled with Human Organs.
Resident spotted the casket from across the street and went to investigate
James said he spotted the casket from a gas station across the street, as a crowd of onlookers surrounded it. James told CBS Eyewitness News in Philadelphia that when he first looked at the casket, which was wrapped in a black garbage bag, he initially thought it would contain a dead animal. Rather than open it himself, James called the police who arrived on the scene shortly after 9 p.m. on Monday. In a caption to a Facebook Live post, James commented on the fact that police had helicopters at the scene. James posted a video about the find on YouTube.
Warning: There is some strong language.
Police open the casket to make a gruesome discovery
The casket had, reportedly, already been pried open and was found to contain a plastic bag filled with human organs. James said he was pretty shocked at the discovery and compared it to something straight out of [Michael Jackson’s] “Thriller.”
Chief Inspector Scott Small of the Philadelphia Police quoted the medical examiner as saying the contents were definitely human organs. Small said officials believe the organs belonged to a child or an infant. He went on to say that what was unusual about the find was there was no body in the casket; no head, no arms or legs, no torso, no bones and no skin, just the organs.
As the casket looked as though it had recently been pried open, investigators are questioning whether it was stolen from a funeral home close by or exhumed from one of the two neighboring cemeteries. Small said there have been cases of people taking human bodies or remains from cemeteries for their own “unusual” reasons.
Medical Examiner investigating to find the origin of the casket
The Medical Examiner’s office is now investigating the mysterious casket and cadaver dogs were reportedly tasked with searching both the Laurel Hill and Mt. Vernon cemeteries for any newly dug up graves. However, according to a report by the New York Daily News on Tuesday, no disturbed graves have been discovered.
Investigators are also contacting funeral homes in the area to see if they can shine a light on the mystery and the origin of the casket and the human organs it contained. CBS News asked anyone who had any knowledge of the casket to get in touch with the Philadelphia police.