A human leg washed ashore on a beach behind a Gulf Coast home, and authorities were searching Tampa Bay on Wednesday to find the body that goes with it.
The leg was found on a beach behind the seawall of a residence being rented by Canadians, St. Petersburg Police spokesman Bill Proffitt told NBC Miami.
Police are presuming it was the right leg of a white heavy-set woman because it was hairless, Proffitt said. It was cut at the hip, and the foot was missing.
The Medical Examiners office was running DNA profiles on the leg to determine the race, sex and time of the death of the person.
Marine units were out on Tampa Bay doing a grid search to see if they could locate the rest of the body.
"It's still very intact with very little damage to it from animal life," Proffitt said.
Authorities from various counties were working together to piece the mystery together as St. Petersburg police do not have a missing person who would match the profile.
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Anyone with information is asked to call police at 727-893-7780.
