A male human heart was discovered by workers at a salt factory in the "most bizarre" discovery.
Employees at the Tennessee Department of Transportation facility in McEwen, near Nashville, US, were getting ready for the cold weather on Thursday when they were stunned to find a human heart.
Chris Davis, Humphreys County Sheriff, confirmed the organ was taken to the state medical examiner's office in Nashville for tests which later confirmed the heart belonged to an adult male.
It is known how long the heart had been there after it had been dehydrated by the salt.
The factory is now being treated as a crime scene, according to Mr Davis.
He said: "I've been on some crazy stuff, but this is by far, one of the most unusual crime scenes I've ever been on."
The sheriff believes people out there must have information and urged them to get in contact with the police after the bizarre discovery.
Mr Davis added: "Everybody's somebody's somebody, and at the end of the day it would bother me if I laid down my head at night not knowing that we'd done everything we can for this person and this person's family.
"I've got 32 years in law enforcement. I do have to say this is probably in the top 5 of most bizarre things that I've ever seen.
"At this time we don't feel that anybody's safety is in question."
Officers said the heart was found in the salt as workers prepared the grounds for the freezing temperatures.
The sheriff said: "It was found in the salt where TDOT is preparing to attack the bad weather, severe weather conditions that we have.
"At first they thought it was a rock. The process of what salt does to that, it dries it out.
"It's speculated that it could have been there for just a few weeks.
"TDOT's on board working with us to try and find any kind of information about where the salt came from and when it came in."
The Tennessee Bureau of investigation confirmed an investigation into the discovery is underway.
It said in a statement: "At the request of 23rd Judicial District Attorney General Ray Crouch, TBI special agents are working along with deputies with the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office.
"In investigating the discovery of a human heart in a TDOT salt facility in McEwen Thursday. An initial examination of the heart determined that it was that of an adult male."
Police confirmed no other remains were found at the factory as workers looked through the salt barn for other organs.
