The Daily Mail is reporting that a brother and sister found a mobile phone lying in a ditch in the U.K. and, when turned over to their father, it revealed the shocking image of a man holding a severed head.

Cellphone Found in U.K. With Photo of Embalmer Holding Decapitated Head

(Image via Daily Mail)

According to the Daily Mail, the smiling man in the photo is David Amor, identified as an embalmer in the U.K.’s Buckinghamshire. Now, police are looking into the potential of misconduct:

Chief Inspector Olly Wright, of Aylesbury Vale police, said: “The incident is being treated seriously and while we carry out our initial investigation we feel it would be inappropriate to speculate as to the circumstances in which this photo was taken.”

Officers were in the process of seizing the mobile phone so that they could examine the pictures further.

A spokesman added: “We are looking into this to establish whether any offence has taken place.”

The father apparently found the photo when he removed the SIM card in an effort to identify its owner. He said, “It’s like when you find a wallet, you look inside to see who it belongs to.”  But after seeing the disturbing and “disrespectful” image, he decided he did not want to contact this person directly.

He told the Daily Mail that his daughter, who saw the image on his computer screen, screamed and ran away.

The embalming business Amor works for was identified by a social networking site. The man with whom the Daily Mail reports Amor lives refused to comment on the photos, stating they were talking with the police. Neighbors were reported as calling the act “vile”.

The British Institute of Embalmers has called the incident shocking and points out that its member embalmers adhere to a strict code of ethics that treats every body with respect. The institute said they have no record of the man being a member of the organization.

Thames Today reports an unnamed source from Harris Court, Aylesbury, who knew Amor, as saying “he was mucking about with the body.”