Tennessee law enforcement officials were stunned when they were called in to investigate the bizarre discovery of a human heart at a government road salt facility on December 15.

“I’ve got 32 years in law enforcement. I do have to say this is probably in the top five of most bizarre things that I’ve ever seen,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told WSMV.

Sheriff Davis said that Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) workers at a salt facility in McEwen — a town about 60 miles southwest of Nashville — called police after they discovered the heart buried within the salt stockpile.

According to the sheriff, the workers were collecting salt from a barn in order to make brine solution to prevent icing of roads when they found what they initially thought was an odd-looking rock. However, the workers quickly determined it was a dehydrated human heart that had apparently been left in the salt for a long time.

“An initial examination of the heart determined that it was that of an adult male,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said in a statement. “Additional DNA testing will be performed to try to determine its origin. This remains an active and ongoing investigation.”

Sheriff’s deputies were called in to search the area for any other remains, but none were found.

“We’re just going to keep doing that until we feel really good that there’s no other remains here on the scene,” Davis said. “Somebody, somewhere knows, and we’re seeking information. I always reach out to the public if you happen to have any idea or just an inclination.”

The ongoing investigation will be led by TBI special agents and deputies with the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office.