BUNNEL, Florida. – The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says human blood found in a public park restroom Monday is linked to an ATV accident and no one was killed or seriously injured.

According to investigators, on Monday around 2:40 a.m., patrol officers were conducting a safety check in the public restrooms at Hidden Trails Park when they came across a “significant” amount of blood smeared on the wall of the hallway leading to the women’s restroom. The case report states that the blood appeared fresh.

The report also states that as the two deputies moved further into the restroom, they discovered a loaded 9mm firearm magazine on the floor.

The deputy gave verbal commands to anyone inside to come out. Having received no response to verbal commands, officers ventured further into the restroom where they reported discovering more blood spatter on the walls and floor. Blood was also in the trash can. The report states that upon going deeper into the toilet, deputies discovered a medium-sized pool of blood in the sink.

A drone and K-9 unit were deployed to search the entire park for anyone who may have been injured or hiding, but the results were negative.

According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the blood was confirmed to be human blood.

News4JAX crime and security analyst Tom Hackney weighed in on the bloody discovery.

“Something bad happened to someone. I know it sounds simple, but having this large volume of blood and then throwing a handgun magazine mixed in with it, it takes your mind to dark places,” Hackney said.

Sheriff Rick Staly released the following statement asking for the public’s help:

“We are actively investigating this situation, and any information from the public could be critical in helping us determine what happened.” What happened could just be an accident or something more serious. If you know anything or saw anything suspicious at Hidden Trails Park on Monday, November 11, please contact us immediately. You may have the information we need to determine the source of the blood.

Hackney also said there is another aspect that raises red flags.

“A few days after this was discovered and no one showed up at the hospital with someone with a gunshot wound or presented it to them, some sort of traumatic event happened; a stillbirth or something like that,” Hackney said. “Nothing has come to light, which leads the investigator in me to think there is something much more sinister going on here.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the FCSO Communications non-emergency line at 386-313-4911 and reference case number 2024-97279, email FCSO at [email protected] or submit a tip through the FCSO app or website. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS.