The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office has opened an investigation after a gruesome discovery was made when a resident found a human leg inside a community park.
Officials said the leg was discovered at Warnimont Park on Tuesday, April 2, just before 5:30 p.m., "in or near the water" along Lake Michigan east of the golf course by the pump house.
"At this moment, the discovery is being categorized as a "suspicious death" investigation. However, the investigation is active, and statuses could change at any time," James Burnett, acting Chief of Staff with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital.
Burnett said the Milwaukee County Dispatch Center was notified about a human leg being found when a park patron walking in the park called in to report the grotesque discovery.
MISSOURI FIREFIGHTER'S FIANCÉE AUTOPSY REVEALS 'SUSPICIOUS' SCENARIO, EXPERTS SAY
John Hemmer, a frequent visitor of the park, told Fox 6 that the discovery was very disturbing.
"Very shocking. This is such a quiet area," Hemmer said. "It’s just amazing to me. In a quiet area like this, something so heinous could happen."
The park is located in Cudahy, Wisconsin, a small suburb about eight miles southeast of downtown Milwaukee.
Concerned residents are questioning how this happened and where the leg came from.
2 MISSING NH CHILDREN FOUND ALIVE FOLLOWING MOM'S SUSPICIOUS DEATH; FATHER IN CUSTODY
"We come here often, and we regard it as a safe place for the family to go walking, and to hear about something like this is quite a shock," Eric Ruckstadter, another park visitor told Fox 6.
Despite the gruesome discovery, Ruckstadter told Fox 6 that it won't keep him from going to the park, but he said he is staying aware of his surroundings.
"As long as there are other people around like there is frequently, I’ll feel safe," he said.
Burnett said that there is very limited information at this point to share as to not disrupt the investigation, but he could confirm the leg was human.
Deputies have not disclosed the process of how they will identify who the leg belongs to or where it came from.
