Theft Of Human Heads Still A Mystery, Denver Neighbors Call It 'Pretty Weird, Horrible'
DENVER (CBS4) – People were out jogging and walking their dogs in Denver's Central Park neighborhood Monday morning. It's home to many families with young children and there are a number of schools in the area. It's not the place where you would expect a bizarre and horrific crime would happen, but as CBS4 reported over the weekend, Thursday at around 11 a.m., someone stole a 20x15x18-inch box from a medical van containing human heads.
The human remains were intended for medical research.
"It's the type of headline you might see on The Onion. I read it over and was like, is this real?" said Kevin Channell, who lives in the neighborhood.
"I couldn't wrap my mind around what you would do with something like that if you intentionally stole it," Channell said.
Karen Goodson also frequents the area.
"It's pretty weird and I thought it was horrible. I would donate body parts, and for someone to steal them steals from us all. And it desecrates these people," said Goodson.
Both are puzzled by what would compel someone to do this.
"I don't know what to think of it, to be honest. I kind of hope it was a mistake. My guess is they thought they were stealing some sort of expensive medical equipment or something worth some money, not cadavers," Channell said.
Science Care, the company that owns the box, issued the following statement to CBS4's Mekialaya White:
"We were made aware of the theft immediately and we have been working closely with local Denver authorities to investigate this crime. We are doing everything we can to locate the stolen tissue and protect the community. Due to the sensitive nature of our business, and as there are several ongoing investigations, we do not have any further comment on this criminal matter.
This is an extremely rare situation. If anyone has any information on this crime, or on the whereabouts of the box or donated tissue, we urge you to please contact the Denver Police or Science Care at media@sciencecare.com. We look forward to a safe resolution of this situation."
Denver Police are also urging anyone with any information to call Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-STOP. Tips can remain anonymous. Should someone find the box of human remains discarded or abandoned, they are encouraged to immediately call the Denver Police Department at 720-913-2000.