A group of archaeologists discovered 5 human skeletons, all lacking hands or legs, at the military headquarters of the Eastern Front of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, which is currently located in Poland, buried inside the villa of German Air Force commander Hermann Göring.

The members of the group and officials stated that the bodies are divided among 3 adults, an infant, and a child, discovered by a group called the Letabra Foundation, who are amateur archaeologists excavating the site with official permission for several years, according to Reuters.

The bodies were found at the Nazi command center known as the Wolf's Lair in Gierloz, northeast Poland, after the group uncovered a part of a human skull during another digging operation on February 24, and informed local authorities, who decided to conduct further excavations as a result, according to CNN.

Domenik Markiewicz, a member of Letabra, stated during a press interview that they never expected to find such things in a place like this, "the most guarded place in the Third Reich." After the war, the Russians took control of this area, and everyone wondered what happened here. We tried to think of an explanation, but nothing reasonable came to mind. We had no idea what we were dealing with at all. Were there some mysterious rituals by Third Reich extremists? We have no idea."

The Reich is the official name for Germany from 1871 to 1945 in German, meaning the German Empire, and the Third Reich refers to the period accompanying the Nazis' rise to power in 1933, which ended with Germany's surrender in 1945.

Markiewicz clarified that it is unclear whether the skeletons date back to World War II or if they were buried there afterward.

Sebastian Trabeck, the Deputy Head of Education and Tourism Promotion in the Srokowo Forest area, the Polish governmental agency responsible for the site, told Reuters that the bodies were found buried directly underground in a part of the building.

Daniel Brodowski, a spokesperson for the regional prosecutor's office in nearby Olsztyn, announced that an investigation into the matter has been opened, and forensic investigators examined the bodies under police supervision.

Alongside the bodies, charred panels and remnants of the sewage infrastructure were found, but there were no traces of any clothing.

Adrian Kostrzywa, a board member of the foundation, told CNN that the team initially thought they were digging in an old toilet, but they were surprised by the outcome, adding that the next important step is to determine the age of the remains using carbon dating.

The Wolf's Lair was built miles away from the forests of northeast Poland, serving as the Nazi eastern front headquarters that spanned 6.5 square kilometers and consisted of around 200 buildings. The base was one of the largest of its kind in Europe, and the uniqueness of this discovery lies in the fact that the bodies were found in the most guarded buildings of the complex. Hitler spent nearly 3 years there, and the castle was the site of Operation Valkyrie, an assassination attempt against Hitler that took place in July 1944. The site was destroyed in January 1945 to prevent it from falling into the hands of the advancing Soviet army at that time.