INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – A kayaker was out enjoying the water Monday, when police said he came across the skeletal remains of a human hand. Police spokesperson Tom Gentry said they got the call around 3 p.m. to the Little Blue River Trace Trail.
Gentry said their department, along with other agencies, cut off a portion of the trail to pedestrians, runners and cyclists while they investigated.
Gentry said they don’t know how long it was there for, and are not saying yet if the bones belong to an adult or child.
But it’s discovery leaves trail users both alarmed and curious.
“I guess at night time, it’s very isolated and it’s dark and it’s off roads you can get to fairly easily so nothing surprises me anymore,” said Susan Burton, a trail user. “I’m going to be curious to see what it is, if it was just dropped here or something,” she said.
Another trail user, Ron Combs, said the area is often packed with people, so he is alarmed.
“Anytime you find a skeletal part that they don’t have answers to, obviously something happened that shouldn’t have down here,” Combs said.
Gentry said police will continue the investigation Tuesday. He said perhaps, investigators might bring in cadaver dogs.
Gentry said investigators are also trying to research any records of anyone who might be missing.
He said the bones will be DNA-tested, but said it could take weeks, even months, before they find out who that hand belongs to.
