New London — Police are investigating the discovery of a loaded gun in a children's backpack that was left in the lower rear parking lot of a city funeral home.

According to a police narrative of the incident, Reid Burdick, a funeral director and city resident, first spotted the backpack behind the Byles-MacDougall Funeral Service building on Sept. 12. He found it odd and the next day came back to retrieve it, the report states.

Inside the backpack, which featured characters from a children’s show called “Shimmer and Shine,” Burdick saw a silver .38-caliber revolver that appeared to be loaded. Nearby was a single black Nike Air Max sneaker, meant for a size 8½ right foot.

Police later found five live rounds inside the Rossi .38 Special, which was manufactured in Brazil and had been imported by the now-defunct Interarms of Alexandria, Va. It had not been reported as stolen.

The lower parking lot of Byles-MacDougall, which is at 99 Huntington St., sits diagonal from the ISAAC school at 190 Governor Winthrop Blvd.