Remains of possible human fetus or infant found in freezer in South Boston

Authorities continued to investigate what appeared to be a human fetus or infant in the freezer inside an apartment in South Boston according to officials on Friday.Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe

Authorities are investigating after they found “what appears to be a human fetus or infant” in the freezer inside an apartment in South Boston Thursday afternoon, officials said.

Officers were sent to investigate at 838 East Broadway at 2:15 p.m., Boston police said in a statement. When they arrived, they discovered what appeared to be a human fetus or an infant.

James Borghesani, a spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney’s office, confirmed in an e-mail that authorities were “on the scene of discovery of a possible fetus or infant in a freezer” at the residence.

He had no further information, he said.

According to city records, the property is a nine-unit condominium building. Residents and owners of the units could not immediately be reached for comment. Police at the front door turned a reporter away.

It was quiet Thursday evening outside the red-brick building, which faces the Gate of Heaven and St. Brigid Parishes and sits alongside Medal of Honor Park. Boston police SUVs were parked beside the condo building and across the street, but there was little other sign of the investigation.

Authorities continued to investigate at an apartment in South Boston.Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe

Katie Reilly, 28, said she has lived next door her whole life, in a home that has belonged to her family for five generations.

Reilly was at work Thursday when she received a call from her mother saying there was a helicopter flying over their home and more than a dozen police vehicles outside, she said. When she got home, she saw workers from the state medical examiner’s office coming out of the building.

“It was definitely just really chilling and awful to see, because this is just such an uneventful and safe neighborhood,” she said. “I would never expect anything like that to happen here, especially just right next door to us. … I always feel — and still do feel — incredibly safe around here.”

Reilly said her family knows several of the longtime neighbors next door, but not all of the newer residents. They have never seen anything unusual happening at the building, she said.

“Everything just seemed like business as usual,” she said.

Authorities continued to investigate at an apartment in South Boston.Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe

Boston Police Homicide Detectives along with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the incident, the statement said. Anyone with information should contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at [phone].

State Police referred all questions to the Suffolk district attorney’s office.

This breaking news story will be updated as more information becomes available.