Junction City police have provided details on an incident that occurred in South Park on Oct. 24th when a member of the public walking their dog informed them that they had found a sleeping bag that smelled like there might be someone deceased in it.

Detective Lt. Cory Odell said officers responded to the scene where they found the bag with an odor, and made them think it could possibly be a deceased person. He added it appeared to be an old Army sleeping bag with a shell and a liner. “It appeared to be shaped like there was possibly a deceased person inside of it and was in a state of decomposition that was consistent with that we believed.”

Odell stated after completing their preparatory work authorities opened the sleeping bag. Chuckling he added, “It was discovered that it was full of catfish that had been dumped up there in South Park. ” The location was near the gazebo off of a dirt trail where you enter the park, where the trail hooks up with the Bluffs walking trail.

Odell said he was proud of the officers. “They all went right into we think this might be a serious crime. And when we discovered that it was catfish the atmosphere immediately changed. Everybody was relieved “A” that we didn’t have a deceased person and then it was very humorous at that point on what we had discovered.”

The detective estimated the catfish were in the seven to ten pound range and had been at the South Park location one week or more.  They were disposed of by the City’s public works personnel.