A Box Of Human Heads Was Shipped From Rome To Chicago's O'Hare Airport

Orin Zebest/FlickrA box of 18 human heads designated for a potentially suspicious research facility in suburban Chicago has been detained at O'Hare Airport.

The heads, shipped from Rome, were meant for a facility that is "under investigation," The Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday, citing an unnamed source.

While the bizarre shipment isn't related to the investigation, the heads are being detained while the probe plays out, the source told the Sun-Times.

The Sun-Times didn't elaborate on what the investigation entailed or why the research facility was meant to receive the heads.

The heads appear to be medical samples and were properly preserved and labeled, according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesman Brian Bell.

"There’s no issue with the transportation of body parts for medical purposes,” Bell told the Sun-Times. "Everybody here is ‘Oh my gosh, you got a box of heads’ and everybody thinks that it’s unheard of. It is a potentially legitimate medical shipment. We’ve seen it at various ports in the nation.” DON'T MISS: Woman Says She Loves James Holmes Even Though He Might Be A Killer >