A human head has washed up on a popular tourist beach in Florida, sparking a major police investigation.
The head was found on Tuesday at around 8.30am by a worker raking Miami Beach.
He immediately called the Miami-Dade Police Department who confirmed that the head was human.
The grim discovery was made near the Boulvevard 200 block of Crandon Boulevard not far from the apartments at Key Colony, officials said.
Investigators at the scene examined the area that appeared to be cordoned off, according to aerial footage.
Police told CBS News it was not immediately known if the head belonged to a male or a female, or how old that person was. They added that homicide investigators were looking into the discovery.
Residents have expressed shock after they were left “horrified” by the news.
One local said: “Obviously it’s quite disturbing. My typical route through our neighbourhood is very safe. We have our children here; our children play on these beaches and it’s just beyond belief.”
Another, overlooking the beach from his apartment, said: “Police immediately arrived on scene blocking off a section of the beach with crime scene tape and cones. The head was covered by a blue tarp.”
The Miami-Dade Police Department has been contacted for an update.
The incident comes after the body of a 31-year-old model was found floating near Key Biscayne at the end of September.
Adriana Vieria had drowned off Miami Beach while partying on a yacht and joining friends in the sea for a swim.
The swimmers realised something was wrong when they told her to go back to the boat due to jellyfish and she failed to appear.
Her body was found floating in the water and despite being rushed to hospital, she was later pronounced dead, New Miami Times reported.
