KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A set of eyeballs found at a Conoco gas station Wednesday night probably aren’t human, according to Tony Bavuso with Heartland Lion’s Eye Bank. Kansas City, Mo., police tweeted Thursday afternoon, saying the eyes are likely that of a pig and that no crime was committed.
Earlier in the day, police had hoped surveillance video — and a credit card used to pay for gas — would lead them to the men who left the eyes behind. It’s unclear at this time if police have made contact with them.
Investigators said a Conoco employee called authorities around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after finding the eyes in the trash at the Conoco gas station located near NW 112th and N. Ambassador Drive.
“I just saw them in a brown box sitting on top of the trash can, so I decided to go over there. And the curious person I am, I went and took it inside and opened it,” said Latisha McClure, the clerk who found the eyes.
Police said the eyes were inside a medical cooler that was inside a cardboard box with the words “keep refrigerated” on it. Inside the cooler was ice and a sealed package containing the eyes.
“I didn’t know at first what they were until when I found out it was pig eyes,” McClure said.
McClure admitted at first she was freaked out, but now considers the whole thing a joke.
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Investigators contacted several medical facilities, including Heartland Lion’s Eye Bank — the only one in the Kansas City area — but were unable to pinpoint where they eyes came from.
“If it’s animal and not human, that’s going to change everything,” Captain Steve Young said before knowing the origin of the eyes. “The bottom line is we wanted to get the word out in case there’s somebody expecting something and there’s an emergency and we want to get them where they belong.”
