Sometimes, when you’re out walking your dog, you or your pup might come across something interesting along the way. However, you probably wouldn’t expect to find human remains on your walk.
But one New York man and his dog found just that while walking on Thursday (Mar. 16), Local 12 reports. In the afternoon, they passed by North Mount Loretto State Forest in Staten Island. The dog began to sniff and scratch the ground, where the pair found what the medical examiner later confirmed was a human hand.
Investigating the Human Hand
Investigators found that the human hand belonged to a 63-year-old woman who died in 2011 and was buried in a cemetery about one mile away. The plot next to hers was excavated at the end of February for a new burial.
According to police, the equipment used may have damaged her casket, which in turn likely severed her hand. It’s thought that the hand fell into the soil that was being removed from the plot, as it was then put into a wooded area. But how did the hand end up a mile away? It’s thought that it’s down to animals moving it.
Finding Remains on Walks
It’s not what any dog walker wants to find. But, this isn’t the first time someone walking their dog has discovered human remains. Back in 2015, two professional dog walkers in Scotland found the body of a 60-year-old man while out walking in a nearby park.
They phoned the emergency services, and after paramedics arrived police cordoned off the park and carried out investigations. It’s thought that the man died of natural causes.
And last year, another dog walker in the New York borough of Queens discovered a dismembered body in a duffel bag after his two Rhodesian Ridgebacks followed the scent of blood. “They are scent hounds,” owner Van Nostrand told local media. “They see the world through their noses.”
