Undelivered, Damaged Amazon Boxes Discovered In Plympton Woods

PLYMPTON (CBS) - Plympton Police are working with Amazon to figure out how dozens of undelivered boxes were left in a wooded area in town on Wednesday. The packages were originally found off Brook Street by a passing driver.

"We discovered approximately 20 Amazon boxes that were down the hill in the thorn bushes and the rocks down there," Plympton Police Officer John Simon said.

The boxes were supposedly destined for homes in Plympton and neighboring Kingston. Police who retrieved the boxes found half were intact and half were ripped open.

Police are not sure if the packages were swiped off porches and looted by some thief or simply damaged when they were dumped by a frustrated deliveryman.

Amazon sent investigators and a statement saying, "We have high standards for our drivers and expect every package to be handled with care."

"They can identify where the packages came from, and what warehouse, and hopefully based off that information they can discover what party was driving that vehicle," Simon said.

Police suspect the package pile was there for three or four days. The contents are simple stuff -- like household items, toys, and a gift or two that didn't make it for Valentine's Day.

As Amazon pledged to make things right, police sought to avoid a parade of agitated customers.

"If a person believes that their package is missing or late, I advise them to please contact Amazon customer service and then they can go from there," Officer Simon said.

If police find nothing criminal, the investigation becomes Amazon's issue.

Police said there was a similar dump discovered in Plymouth just last week.

Anyone whose package was recovered will be notified within 24 hours. Anyone who lives in Plympton or Kingston and feels they had an overdue Amazon delivery is asked to call the company, not police.

"If we have your package you will be hearing from us. Amazon is actively assisting our investigation and is conducting their own internal review and want to hear from you," police said.