Nashville police chief John Drake said “fabric” was found at the site of the explosion that shook the city on Christmas Day, with the fabric allegedly consisting of human remains.
Three people were injured in the morning explosion. The explosion originated in a trailer parked in downtown Nashville. Witnesses said a 15-minute countdown to the explosion was broadcast from the vehicle, warning people nearby to “evacuate” the area due to a bomb. It is not clear if anyone was inside the RV.
No further injuries or deaths have been confirmed. However, Drake said the police believed the tissue “could be” remains, while two police officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that remains were found in the area.
“We found tissues that we believe could be remains,” Drake said, after being asked whether the remains were found during a press conference in the evening. “We will examine it and then we will be able to advise you of this point.”
“The RV was detonated, so if it was someone inside, we have no idea, it was such a big explosion,” he added. “The investigation continues. There is matter all over the area down there. So we will continue to examine this to see if it is human remains.”
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When asked about an “estimate” of the number of fatalities at the site, Drake reiterated that no deaths had been confirmed, saying “at the moment, there are no known deaths, as far as we know.”
A video that appears on social media appears to show the explosion of a video camera placed nearby. A recorded voice can be heard on the video by repeating “this area must be evacuated now” before saying, “If you can hear this message, evacuate now” twice. The image then flashes rapidly and turns white when a large explosion is heard.
The motive of those who carried out the apparently intentional incident remains unclear, although an ongoing investigation may help to clear up some of the uncertainties soon, particularly if the tissue found was from a person who died in the explosion. All three injured people were hospitalized in stable conditions on Friday night.
“We are following all the clues that we can,” said Drake. “Why Christmas morning? We have no idea, it was a total surprise. In fact, when I was informed this morning, I thought maybe it was a propane explosion from a trailer, but it turned out to be an intentional act.”
“We are following the tips that are coming now,” he added. “We will continue our investigative efforts.”
Newsweek contacted the Nashville Police Department for comment.