The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which handles incidents involving dead or distressed marine animals in the area, reported that the carcass of a common dolphin was found on Wednesday on the beach in Allenhurst, just north of Asbury Park.

According to a statement released by the center, the dolphin's body showed clear signs of having been deliberately mutilated. The flesh was entirely stripped away with precise cuts from what appears to have been a sharp instrument, leaving only the head, dorsal fin, and flukes intact. Most of the animal's organs had been removed, sparing only the heart and lungs.

Witnesses claimed to have seen a dolphin of the same species struggling in the surf the previous night, just a block away from where the remains were found the following day. The dolphin, however, managed to swim past a sandbar and return to the sea. It is yet to be confirmed if the stranded dolphin is the same one whose remains have now been discovered.

While the common dolphin is currently not listed as threatened or endangered, the disturbing nature of this incident has prompted an investigation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement.