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A man who owned a recently closed business that managed human cadavers has been arrested in Arizona after dozens of human body parts, including severed limbs and heads, were found scattered in a remote area in what investigators are calling a "bizarre and grisly case."
Walter Mitchell, 59, was arrested Tuesday in Scottsdale on 28 counts of abandonment or concealment of a dead body, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
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Mitchell owned a Seattle-based business called Future GenX, which involved the management of cadavers for research, according to the sheriff’s office. The business had recently closed.
Walter Harold Mitchell faces charges of dumping body parts believed to have been used for medical research in remote areas outside Prescott, Ariz. (Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
The investigation began Dec. 26 when the sheriff’s office was alerted to the discovery of two human limbs outside the city of Prescott. Investigators found a total of 19 human limbs, including detached arms and legs, according to the sheriff’s office.
The next day, detectives found five more human limbs at a second location outside Prescott, investigators said. Further searching also turned up five severed human heads.
Detectives quickly ruled out the possibility of a serial killer and determined the remains were likely connected to a medical institution and intended for use in the educational and research field, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities investigate the discovery of dozens of human body parts northwest of Prescott on Sunday. (Yavapai County Sheriff's Office via AP)
At both sites, investigators said they found "puppy pad" and gauze-like material used in hospital settings for patients who are incontinent.
Investigators said the evidence was used to trace the remains to Mitchell’s Seattle business. Working with local law enforcement in Seattle, the sheriff’s office learned that Mitchell had left the city earlier this year with human remains belonging to five individuals.
"This situation is unimaginable, and I am so sorry for the families whose loved ones were donated to research and treated in such a horrific fashion," outgoing Sheriff Scott Mascher said in a statement.
Echoing Mascher’s sentiments, Sheriff-elect David Rhodes said, "The disrespect shown to the deceased in this case by those who were charged with caring for their remains is abhorrent and intolerable."
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Detectives traced Mitchell’s travels from Seattle to the Prescott and Chino Valley communities before he ultimately arrived in Scottsdale, where he was arrested, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators said Mitchell’s motive remains unknown.
