Investigators hope to identify human head and hands found in freezer at Colorado home

(CNN) — People cleaning the freezer of a recently sold home in western Colorado made a grisly discovery: a human head and human hands.

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office first announced the discovery of “possible human remains” in a January 12 news release. In a Thursday update, they said the coroner’s office had conducted an autopsy and confirmed the remains were a human head and hands.

“At this time, we have no other definitive answers until further testing can be completed,” said the sheriff’s office in the Thursday news release. “These types of tests take a significant amount of time, and again, we ask for patience from the public as this investigation continues.”

“A thorough and detailed investigation is the top priority of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office,” the release went on. “Our hope is to positively identify the victim while remaining respectful of the victim and the victim’s family.”

The sheriff’s office did not indicate if a cause of death or the sex of the victim had been identified.

In the first news release, they reported “investigators believe this is an isolated incident, and there is no ongoing threat to the community.”

The remains were found at a home in Grand Junction, Colorado, about 200 miles west of Denver. The sheriff’s office confirmed to CNN in an email that the remains were found in a freezer in the home.

Sam Troester, who lives across the street from the home, told CNN affiliate KUSA workers in white hazmat suits first drew her attention to the investigation unfolding in her neighborhood.

“I feel so bad,” Troester told KUSA. “I would hate to have to be the family missing that loved one right now. It would be heartbreaking.”

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