"We just don't know a whole lot about who this person is or what happened to this person."
Toilet not working? For most, the culprit is a broken chain, but for some Arizona residents this week, the drains were clogged with human flesh.
Officials from the Phoenix Water Services Department made the gruesome discovery Wednesday after receiving complaints from a local resident about a toilet that wouldn't flush.
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Phoenix police and other agencies spent roughly 17 hours extracting the remains from the sewers.
The body is believed to be that of an adult though police have not yet determined who the person was or how they got there.
“This is a medical examiner's issue right now,” Officer James Holmes of the Phoenix police told InsideEdition.com. “We just don’t know a whole lot about who this person is or what happened to this person.” An autopsy of the remains is expected to shine more light on the cause of death.
In the meantime, local police have said they are treating the discovery as a homicide and have promised a full and complete investigation.
Read: Police Pull Body From Lake After Alligator Was Seen With Human Remains in Its Mouth
"There's loved ones out there missing someone," Holmes told the Arizona Republic. “This has been, and will continue to be a long and complicated recovery effort."
A media release issued to InsideEdition.com stated that the situation was unprecedented for the city’s homicide detectives and that the investigation was ongoing.
Officials have also stressed that potable water service to the community has not and would not be affected by the inquiry.
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