Remains Found in Carson are Examined

Human remains found in Carson were determined to be a foot and a calf, a coroner's lieutenant said today.

The remains were found by an employee at 8:11 a.m. Saturday in a bin that holds debris separated from sewage water at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant at 24501 South Figueroa St., sheriff's officials said. It is operated by the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County.

The discovery could be an indication of a death, or not, said coroner's Lt. Joe Bale. "You can live without a foot and a leg or an arm. We can't assume somebody's dead just because they are missing a foot and a calf," Bale said.

The coroner's department will first put out a teletype to other coroners in the area inquiring whether they have any bodies that are missing a calf and a foot, he said.

Forensic scientists will analyze the bones' DNA, which will take some time, Bale said.

If they can assemble a body and determine the cause of death they could determine whether it was a homicide, he said.

Should a living person come forward to say they lost a leg and a calf, "we'll take that, too," Bale said.

-- City News Service