Human heart found in salt pile by transportation workers in Tennessee

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An investigation has been launched after a human heart was found in a salt pile at a Department of Transportation facility in Tennessee,

The grisly discovery was made as workers combined ingredients to make brine used to clear frozen roads, and Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said it turned out to be a male heart.

“I’ve been on some crazy stuff, but this is by far, one of the most unusual crime scenes I’ve ever been on,” he told WKRN.

“We are treating this as a crime scene. We are working very diligently to find or not find anything else at this location.

“At this time we don’t feel that anybody’s safety is in question.”

Investigators are searching the location to see if there were any other body parts “to be found.”

Officials say that workers at the facility in McEwan, which is around 50 miles west of Nashville, at first thought the heart was a rock as it had been dried out by the salt.

The heart has been sent to the Medical Examiner’s office in Nashville and the sheriff said it was unclear how long it may have been at the facility.

“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,” he added.

DNA testing will be performed to try to determine the origin of the heart, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.