A Texas plumber stumbled upon a decomposed human skull while mowing the lawn at work — with police later finding multiple bones and additional remains at a nearby creek, according to reports.
Walter Stephens, who works at Harrell Commercial Plumbing in San Antonio, was handling the routine landscaping task when he made the horrific discovery — initially mistaking the skeletal cranium for a “dried cantaloupe,” KSAT reported.
“I saw what looked like a dried cantaloupe or something,” Stephens said of the grim Sept. 15 revelation.
“I picked it up, and the bottom part of the jaw stayed on the ground. When I turned it over and saw the teeth, I was like, ‘Oh my God.’”
A horrified Stephens immediately notified his boss, who then called the police.
But when local authorities and the medical examiner arrived, they also found a detached jaw, multiple bones, and other small body parts scattered behind the business near Martinez Creek, the outlet reported.
“It was a crazy experience,” Stephens told KENS5, adding that he and his boss often roam the property and believe the sun-bleached remains had recently been moved there by an animal or a person.
“It’s sad, but it was good I found him.”
The skull has since been identified as belonging to 30-year-old Austin Tomas Wyrosdick, the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Thursday, the outlet reported.
The cause and manner of death are still pending.
Police, who are continuing their investigation, have not disclosed how long the victim had been missing.