A human leg that was to be used for tissue donation was stolen from a nonprofit's van while the staffers stopped to eat.
The limb was stolen around 3 a.m. Monday in downtown Los Angeles.
When the OneLegacy workers returned to the unmarked van, a cooler containing the wrapped and chilled leg was gone, along with their personal backpacks.
Coroner Mark Fajardo said in a letter to county supervisors that it's likely the thief didn't know what was in the cooler.
OneLegacy connects organ and tissue donations with hospitals and transplant centers.
It issued a statement saying: "This appears to be a routine vehicle break-in by thieves looking for valuables."
A DNA sample was taken from the person who donated the leg to confirm its identity if recovered.