Mystery after human toe is found in a gift box that was left at a Washington state park

An investigation has been launched in Washington state after a man found a severed human toe inside a gift wrapped box washed up on a beach.

Kevin Ewing, from Tacoma, was walking along the shore in Dash Point National Park on Father’s Day when he found the box, opened it and made the gruesome discovery.

Speaking to KIRO7, Ewing said what he had first thought to be some sort of “little Christmas package”, turned out to be like something out of a horror movie.

The Independent has contacted Washington State Patrol, which is leading the investigation, for more information.

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Ewing described the box as small and square, wrapped in green cloth and tied up with yellow string. Inside, the toe was wrapped in white cloth and had been placed next to a feather, some grass, sage and tobacco.

“[I was] kind of sat there in shock for a few seconds,” Ewing told KIRO7. “It was just very creepy. It's like something you would see in a horror movie.”

He added: “A lot of things are kind of going through my head. It's like, ‘where's the rest of the body?’... ‘Did this wash in from the tide, from the water?’ ‘Did somebody you know leave this here intentionally to be found?’”

Ewing said he also wondered if the toe had come from a missing or murdered person, or if it had been part of a “sick game.”

He took pictures of the find and alerted a park ranger.

WSP said the toe appeared to be from an adult male, MyNorthWest.com reported. The agency also contacted local law enforcement in case the toe matched any of their records.

The Independent has contacted the King County Medical Examiner for further details.