RUSSELLVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A family dog brought home a child's severed foot, but searchers combing surrounding woods in northwest Alabama found no signs of any other remains and don't know where the child might be.
No children have been reported missing, killed or maimed in or around Russellville. Police Chief Chris Hargett said investigators were studying missing persons reports from nearby areas and sent the severed foot for forensic tests in a bid to narrow the search.
The son of a homeowner spotted the family dog carrying something late Saturday and called his father, who then alerted police. Hargett said an orthopedic surgeon verified that the dog had dragged up a child's bare foot, severed below the ankle.
The foot was found in a subdivision, Hargett said, and authorities on Sunday searched the area with cadaver-sniffing dogs without finding anything.
"A dog could have brought it so far and then another one got it," Hargett said. "It could be miles away."
He added that the foot appeared to have been outdoors only a few days. But he said it's unlikely a young child could have survived such an injury without treatment and added investigators have received no indication that the child is alive.
"We pretty much have to think the worst," Hargett said, noting no accidents have been reported by area hospitals involving the loss of a foot.
TYWKIWDBI has tried to keep abreast of the all the reports of severed feet being found in the Pacific Northwest. But this is starting to get ridiculous.
Addendum: forensic studies have revealed that the "child's foot" was actually a bear's paw.
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