Human remains were identified in two separate bags recovered by a city worker this week in New York.

According to ABC News, a parks employee working a short distance from the Bronx Zoo made the disturbing discovery on Friday afternoon.

The city worker was near Crotona Park on Franklin Avenue in the Claremont community at the time and initially believed the bag might have contained a dead animal.

When the employee called a supervisor for assistance, however, they saw what they believed to be human hair.

Pets belonging to one local began to sniff the then-unidentified contents of the bag, leading the parks employee to intervene.

“My dogs went toward the bags and one of the parks people told me, ‘Don’t let the dogs go near there because it smells,'” the individual said. “She didn’t tell me nothing, she just told me that it smells.”

Soon after the discovery, law enforcement and other officials swarmed the area to investigate, as reported by WABC.

Officers were aided by search animals in combing the area for clues through the evening.

As of the initial police statement, it was still unclear whether the remains were male or female.

A subsequent update indicates the deceased is believed to be a woman.

Police confirmed the remains have been sent to the medical examiner’s office for further analysis.

[Featured image: Pixabay]