Decomposing Body Discovered in California After Dog Finds Head and Carries It onto Sidewalk: Reports
Police said the death doesn't appear to be tied to a homicide
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Stock image of a dog on a sidewalkPolice in California were able to locate a decomposing body this week after a dog uncovered — and carried — its human head to a nearby sidewalk.
On Thursday, July 25, the Fresno Police Department was called to the area of Nicholas and Florence Avenues after someone spotted the dog dropping what turned out to be a skull on a sidewalk, according to local Fox affiliate KMPH and CW affiliate KTLA.
The dog later carried the head away, per KMPH. After the dog's discovery, officers then located the rest of the body in a shed about a block away, the outlet said.
The Fresno Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for more information on Saturday, July 27.
Police told KMPH that the death doesn't appear to be tied to a homicide. They added that the coroner's office will investigate.
An on-air report from KMPH, meanwhile, said that the body found was in the late stages of decomposition.
Footage from the scene showed various crime scene investigators, police vehicles and different evidence identification markers around the sidewalk itself, as the area appeared to be blocked off by police tape while being photographed.
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According to the American Kennel Club, some dogs — also known as "cadaver dogs" — are trained to pick up on the smell of death.
Dogs' noses have 200 to 300 million scent receptors — compared to 6 million for humans — and scent regions in their brains are "roughly 40 times larger than ours," per the organization.
While the breed of the dog who discovered the human head on Thursday is unclear, pet care company Wag said that the dog breeds with the best senses of smell include Bloodhounds, Basset Hounds, Beagles, German Shepards and Labrador Retrievers.
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