Small-Town Mystery: 9 Brains Found on Street

Nothing like walking outside your door one day, and stumbling on ... nine brains. That's the grisly sight that baffled residents of a village in upstate New York this week, the Post-Standard reports. People discovered the brains on a street near railroad tracks in Gouverneur, NY, and called the cops, who took them to a veterinarian—who says they are likely dog brains removed by a professional and kept in formaldehyde. "We measured and weighed the specimen," veterinarian Tim Monroe tells 7 News. "It comes out to about 70 grams, which would be consistent with a dog-sized brain."

An assistant professor at Clarkson University says they could be sheep brains, "which are more commonly used in dissection laboratories," she tells North Country Now. "They look more like sheep brains to me." So what the? Well, people do buy animal brains (like cow and sheep) for eating purposes. And dog brains can be bought by people "in an educational setting," Monroe says. According to a Gouverneur police sergeant, the crime amounts to littering, but he has no leads. An animal advocate figures someone just tossed the brains off a train: "It goes by quite often," she says. "It’s just a sick prank somebody did. They’ll probably never find who did it." (Read about surgeons who performed brain surgery ... by mistake.)