LONGMONT, Colo. -- Farmers in Longmont have discovered what appears to be a cursed cow tongue hidden in a rural cornfield.

Police believe it may be part of a Santeria spell or a voodoo ritual to force someone to stop talking.

The farmers called police to County Road 28 and County Road 5 around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and police said they found a package wrapped securely in black plastic and tied with yellow nylon ropes.

Police said someone dug a small hole and left the package inside. Since officers couldn't tell what was inside the package, they called out the bomb squad.

X-rays showed no mechanical devices inside, so police opened the package and found some kind of flesh that had sutures in it. An anthropologist, who is part of the investigative staff identified it as a cow's tongue.

When officers opened the sutures, they found a photograph inside, writing in Spanish and what looked like different types of pepper, said Longmont Police Cmdr. Tim Lewis.

Officers said they did some research and found a cow's tongue is used in different types of rituals, including one that would make someone stop gossiping or talking about a person, which is what this appears to be, Lewis said.

One Web site called it a hoodoo ritual, another called it a Santeria ritual, police said.

Police said they don't have any suspects, and they are trying to determine who the picture is in order to warn the person. They are also working to interpret the Spanish note.

Officers said whoever did it would likely not face criminal charges.