NIXA (AP) - Christian County authorities are trying to unravel the mystery of how large pools of blood and someone's personal belongings ended up on a southwest Missouri highway.
Sheriff Joey Kyle said a passerby found the blood Sunday near skid marks along U.S. 160 just south of Nixa. He said it looks like there was a fight and that the amount of blood makes it likely that someone was seriously injured.
The blood covered several dozen square yards and was also found on a stop sign, a parked car and a flatbed trailer where someone smoked cigarettes.
Authorities recovered several items at the scene, including a smashed cell phone, broken sunglasses and a bloody knife. The Springfield News-Leader reported that the phone was so damaged that investigators could not retrieve personal information.
"It looks like someone turned off the TV and there's no more story," Kyle told The Associated Press.
The mystery persists even though search dogs were sent to the scene and authorities searched the surrounding area on foot. He said the department is following up a couple minor leads, and road rage remains a possibility.
"I don't hold up a whole lot of hope until someone comes forward with something," Kyle said. "There wasn't a whole lot of physical evidence other than the blood."