While clearing a recently sold Colorado home, a gruesome discovery was made: human remains.

Officials this week said that they are now investigating the case as a homicide after the coroner determined a head and hands had been found at the property.

Investigators are working to identify the victim, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Thursday.

“At this time, we have no other definitive answers until further testing can be completed,” the statement said. “These types of tests take a significant amount of time, and again, we ask for patience from the public as this investigation continues.”

The sheriff’s office’s has made the investigation a top priority in order to “positively identify the victim while remaining respectful of the victim and the victim’s family,” the statement said.

The initial discovery was made Jan. 12 at a home in the 2900 block of Pinyon Avenue in Grand Junction, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.