Severed leg in Sutter now probed as discarded medical waste
Sutter County authorities said Tuesday that a severed leg found Sunday near a popular Feather River destination apparently had been removed in a medical procedure.
As a result of tests by a forensic pathologist and other examiners, what began as a homicide investigation has turned into a probe into the possible disposal of a medical specimen.
Sutter County sheriff's investigators Tuesday contacted hospitals and surgical centers in the Yuba and Sutter County region, but they were unable to determine where the leg may have come from.
The severed limb was found at the base of a levee near "Beer Can Beach," a river destination at Garden Highway and Lee Road.
Authorities announced that they would be expanding their search to other medical facilities in the Central Valley.
The Sheriff's Department said some hospitals retain human material in a frozen state for up to six months before disposal.
Meanwhile authorities searched the river region Tuesday with boats, divers and aircraft for additional clues.