Human Foot Found in Dumpster by Maryland Couple

A Maryland couple have found a severed human foot in a dumpster, according to local media.

The Baltimore Sun reported that a homeless couple were "dumpster diving" in a container in west Baltimore on Tuesday morning when they found parts of a human foot.

The woman told officers that she and her boyfriend had been searching the container in the 1000 block of W. North Avenue at around 10a.m. on Tuesday.

They found a bag, she said, and when her boyfriend looked inside he saw it contained body parts.

The Baltimore Sun said officers had searched the dumpster and found no more human remains.

They took the foot away for examination, to find out whether the person it belonged to had been dead or alive when the foot was removed from the leg, according to a police spokesperson.

The examination will also investigate whether the person can be identified through DNA samples and whether the discovery is connected to other cases of human remains found in the city and further afield.

Officers found a woman's torso, wrapped in tarp, in the Morrell Park neighborhood of southwest Baltimore on November 30, 2020.

According to the Baltimore Sun, detectives said in January they were working to establish whether those remains were connected to the discovery of a human foot in Brandywine, about 50 miles from Baltimore, on September 3, 2020.

Newsweek has contacted the Baltimore Police Department for comment.

Similar grisly discoveries have been made across the U.S. in recent months.

In February, hikers found human remains in the city of Santee, in San Diego County, California.

San Diego County Sheriff's Department said in a statement: "On February 3, 2021, just after 4:00 p.m., sheriff's deputies responded to the 11000 block of Summit Avenue in the city of Santee for found human remains. The remains were found by hikers on a trail nearby.

"The Sheriff's Homicide Unit has assumed responsibility of the investigation. The Homicide Unit will coordinate with the Medical Examiner's Office who will ultimately be responsible for identifying the remains and determining cause and manner of death."

In December, human remains were found in two suitcases that were left on the side of a road in Denver.

The discovery was made by Denver Parks and Recreation workers who were plowing snow from the sidewalk along the Sanderson Gulch Trail in the southwest of the city.

After an investigation, the Denver District Attorney's Office announced that it had charged Benjamin Satterthwaite with the murder of Joshua Lockard, 33.

It said in a press release: "Satterwaite is accused of killing Mr. Lockard and then dismembering his corpse."

According to the Denver Post, the suitcases contained Lockard's remains.