Four children have been found dead inside a flat after an infant was found in the freezer.
Police announced on Monday that post-mortem examinations had been completed on two males and two females, whose remains were taken from a property in Boston, United States on November 17 and 18.
Officers searched the apartment on the first day following a call from concerned cleaning staff who had found the body of "fetus or infant" inside the freezer.
Just 24 hours later, Boston Police Department confirmed the discovery of “what appeared to be additional human remains" in the freezer.
It is understood the first remains were found while cleaners prepared the flat for a new tenant.
One of the containers seen being removed from the building was only around three feet long, according to local reports.
James Borghesani, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden, said last week that prosecutors had struggled to establish whether a criminal offence had been committed due to the freezing of the bodies.
Revealing this had slowed down the work of state medical examiner’s office, he added: "It’s more of a mystery than a crime at this point.”
The grisly findings have shocked members of the community in the Boston suburb of East Broadway, with one neighbour telling NBC 10: "You just hope and pray for humanity, pray for the family that lost the kid, and your heart goes out to that child."
Another said: "It's really just awful to think about and just to know that it was right next door.
"Definitely chilling and haunting to see."
No arrests have yet been made in connection with the incident, and it has not yet been announced whether any charges have been filed.
A statement from Boston Police Department said homicide detectives would continue to investigate the incident along with members of the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
