Was it a prank? An unusual Valentine delivered a day late? Or something else?



Police said they don't know why a beef heart was left by the front door of a Northwest Portland house this morning, but they would like to find out.



The owners of the house in the 2300 block of Northwest Flanders Street called police just after 8:45 a.m. after finding a box with some sort of animal heart inside, said Sgt. Pete Simpson, a spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau. They also found a note on the mailbox.



Officers took the heart to the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office, which determined it was a beef heart, Simpson said.



Police spoke with the residents, who said they have no idea why the heart was left on their house. The note didn't provide many answers.



"It wasn't a threat but the note didn't indicate that it was a joke or a prank," Simpson said. "The whole thing is just odd enough and a little alarming."



Beef hearts can be purchased at the grocery store and there's no indication of any animal abuse, Simpson said. Investigators are handling the incident "as if something is wrong" and ask anyone who might know something to call or email police.



"We just want to get to the bottom of it," Simpson said. "If I had a beef heart show up on my front porch I'd be a little concerned."



Police took the box and note for evidence. As for the heart?



They let the medical examiner's office keep that.



-- Kate Mather



