Human Remains Found by Children Playing in Abandoned House

Children who had been playing in an abandoned house found a burned body inside a sandbag.

Police officers in Rosario, 190 miles north of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, were alerted to the grisly discovery at the property in the Villa Fantasma neighborhood on Saturday, September 2.

When officers arrived, they found the body was charred and in an advanced state of decomposition, according to the TN network. The news outlet Rio Negro said that police confirmed the body was male and added it was a large part of the torso that had been burned.

As of September 2, 168 violent deaths have been recorded in the city, with the majority being linked to the drug trade, according to Rio Negro.

Investigators are now working to determine whether there are more bodies located in a grave near the house as they noticed disturbed earth close by.

Police officers also suspect there could be more victims in the area as they found locks of hair that appeared as though they were not from the burned body. The strands have been handed over to investigators who will analyze it and confirm whether they belong to another person.

While police investigators did not tell the outlets whether the death was suspicious, the body was discovered in an area of Rosario known for its drug-related crime.

Mayor Elvio Cotterli told the outlet Diario Uno: "The city is appalled. We heard it with sadness and concern.

"We are all very sad about what is happening. The prosecution and prosecutors have to move forward with the investigation," Cotterli added.

Drug-related crime is also an issue that affects millions of Americans each year, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS).

It said that an estimated 47,380 Americans are arrested annually for the sale and manufacture of heroin, cocaine, and derivative products.

The NCDAS added some 227,655 Americans are arrested each year for the possession of heroin, cocaine and derivative products, with 1.16 million Americans apprehended for the sale, manufacture, or possession of illegal substances.

The number of arrests made between 2019 and 2020 dropped by more than 400,000, although this could be due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Finally, 72,100 prisoners are sentenced to federal prisons for drug-related crimes, and another 171,300 prisoners are sent to state ones for the same narcotics crimes.

Newsweek has contacted officers at Santa Fe Police Department for their comment via its social media pages.