Girl, 8, Mistakes Bomb For Dead Squirrel While Playing Out

An girl in the US stumbled upon a bomb while playing out.

Maya Buffington approached the explosive device in Ankeny, Des Moines, Iowa, shortly before 9.30am on Wednesday (9 June), having mistaken it for a dead squirrel - and any kid worth their salt is gonna wanna check out a dead squirrel.

But what the eight-year-old found was more deadly than dead.

She told KCCI: "I found a bomb.

"I saw something in the street that I thought was a dead squirrel and then I went to go look at it and then [saw] it wasn't a dead squirrel.

"I saw something wrapped in tape and cardboard. I thought I had to get away fast and go tell my mom."

KCCI

Maya's instinctive reaction was of course the correct one, and mum Suzanne duly contacted Ankeny Police.

Sergeant Corey Schneden said the homemade device had a cardboard exterior and a fuse.

Together with Iowa Fire Marshal's Office, they recovered and disarmed the device without detonating it, though officials said it 'was constructed in a way that it could have possibly gone off and caused some damage'.

The fire department's Special Agent in Charge, Ron Humphrey, told the Des Moines Register: "We have tools that try and take them apart.

"Basically, it separates the components - the explosives from the fuse, from the container, if there's any shrapnel in there, safely."

Neighbours were understandably shocked by the discovery.

Tracey Mure said: "That could have been easily an explosion and hurt a kid so it's just crazy.

"You don't think in this neighbourhood that's gonna happen."

KCCI

It's not actually the first time though that a bomb has been found in the streets of Des Moines. Just over three months ago, a live pipe bomb was found outside a polling station, and there have been numerous calls to police reporting explosions in the months since.

Officers are now investigating any possible connections and have spoken to residents with CCTV.

Sgt. Schneden told KCCI: "Nothing's been ruled out, but we don't have anything that points directly that it's connected, but we don't have anything that says it's not.

"Our ultimate goal is to figure out who's doing this. We don't want anyone to get hurt or any property damage."

Topics: US News, crime

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey