Mystery of severed legs found in canal in Normandy
A massive police operation followed the fisherman’s discovery of a first limb. Police then found a second, which was wrapped in plastic
The canal passes under the Pegasus bridge only several hundred metres from where the legs were found
Maurizio Fabbroni/Shutterstock
Two severed human legs have been found in different discoveries in the Caen canal in Calvados (Normandy).
A fisherman found a first leg in the canal, prompting a massive police operation that found another leg - wrapped in plastic - but no body. The victim’s identity remains unknown
Up to 200 police combed the banks of the Caen canal in the commune of Blainville-sur-Orne (Calvados) - only several hundred metres from the Pegasus bridge - following the discovery of the first leg on July 28, with police divers sifting through the flotsam and detritus for a clue.
The second leg, which police say was “wrapped in plastic” was found on the bank of the canal on July 30.
Public prosecutor Joël Garrigue told France 3 that at this stage he had "no information on the age, sex or origin of this person".
He added that there have been no recent reports of missing persons that could be linked to the body parts. Neither leg had any clothing with it.
Police have sent the legs for genetic testing and say that they “are not favouring or excluding any possibilities”.
On-site investigations in Blainville-sur-Orne are likely to continue.
