By Jonathan Shorman, The Springfield News-Leader
Springfield, MO - The circumstances around a severed arm found Monday at the BNSF rail yards remain a mystery as police continue to search for who lost the limb, which was apparently amputated by a train.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the person had not been located, Cpl. Matt Brown, police spokesman, said, despite checking with area hospitals.
"You would think if the person it belongs to was also in the rail yard, they would have shown up at a local hospital," Tom Van De Berg, Greene County medical examiner, said.
BNSF employees found the arm by train tracks in the 1700 block of North Kansas Expressway just after 1 p.m., according to a police report.
The arm had probably been severed for a couple of days when it was found, Tom Van De Berg, Greene-County medical examiner, said. When asked how the cut appears to have been made, he said, "Nothing that looks like it was a sharp object."
Van De Berg could not say whether the arm belonged to a man or woman or estimate the age, but he described the limb as a Caucasian person's right arm severed below the elbow. Fingerprints have been obtained.
The injury is survivable with prompt medical attention, Van De Berg said.
Andy Williams, BNSF spokesman, confirmed that the arm had been found but referred further inquiries to police.
"We just found it, called the police and they took it," Williams said.
The Springfield News-Leader