Police are investigating after an assault rifle was found in a popular Port Moody park, just steps away from a daycare facility.

Const. Luke Van Winkel said the weapon was discovered by a couple women who were strolling through the old Ioco Townsite on Sunday afternoon.

“They’d been walking around and at one point they came across a firearm,” Van Winkel said. “Fortunately they called the police. Nobody touched it, nobody tried to move it.”

Officers responded and searched the area for more guns, but didn’t find any.

Police said the assault rifle appears to be an AK-47 or similar model. The weapon was rusted, and authorities believe it might have been in the park there for a while.

“We’re sending it off for examination, trying to determine where it’s from, if it’s been used in a crime, and its origins,” Van Winkel said. “It’s a bit of a mystery.”

Police couldn’t say whether the rifle was loaded when it was discovered in the park.

The gun wasn’t completely out in the open, but it wasn’t well-hidden either. It was found in some brush near a park that’s used by a lot of people, including families and kids from a nearby daycare.

Van Winkel said it’s always unsettling for the public to find guns, and reminded anyone who discovers a weapon or suspicious-looking item to contact police immediately.

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Scott Hurst