Tourist Finds Cleanly Cut Human Leg On Florida Beach

A family of Canadian tourists saw more on their St. Petersburg, Florida vacation then they bargained for when a human leg washed ashore near the waterfront neighborhood they were visiting.

While the story could have ended there it turns out that the leg was cleanly cut at the thigh and foot, leading city detectives to determine the cause of death.

St. Petersburg police Maj. Mike Kovacsev tells the Tampa Bay Times:

“We don’t know the cause and manner of death, but obviously someone went to great lengths to dismember this body.”

Kovacsev goes on to note:

“The most important thing is identifying the person … You can’t even surmise what happened to them until we identify the victim and look into their life.”

The leg likely washed up between 6 p.m. and 7:40 a.m. which would be between the times in which the family left the beach at their rented beachfront home.

All Florida police know at this time is that the leg belongs to a “heavyset” white person and is believed to be a right limb. The leg was also cleanly shaven which makes police believe it belongs to a female.

Unfortunately the leg also lacks any type of distinct marks (tattoos, birth marks) or scars that could help aid in their investigation.

Police also suggest that the condition of the leg upon retrieval places the limb in water for two days.

Investigators will next check a list of missing persons and then work from that point to determine the origin of the human limb, likely using DNA if a match is not immediately determined. Even with DNA the person’s profile would already need to be in a law enforcement database to return a match.

The discovery of the limb comes just days after police discovered a female body floating 4 miles away in Lake Maggiore on Christmas Day. Police at this time say the two have not been connected.

How would you react if you found a human limb sitting on the beach?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]