Wednesday evening, police reported a plastic bag, with a severed arm in it, was discovered on a ledge beneath the Chapel Street bridge.
“Today, it was discovered that within that bag there are in fact two arms. Both arms are missing their hands,” said New Haven police spokesman David Hartman.
The arms were full-length unlike the two severed human legs discovered Wednesday, a block away, beneath some heavy brush. Hartman says he would be very surprised and disturbed if the investigation reveals that these two discoveries are unrelated.
Thursday morning, a team of five state police cadaver dogs methodically searched the train tracks and adjacent hillside for additional remains, covering an area of approximately six blocks.
Nothing new was recovered.
Now, the investigation is in the hands of the chief medical examiner's office and the state forensics lab, which could release preliminary results within a week or two, according to Hartman.
World renowned forensic scientist, Dr. Henry Lee, said investigators finding two severed arms, inside a plastic bag, could provide excellent information.
“With a plastic bag, we have to look at what color, size it is and whether it is an industrial bag, commercial bag or cheap plastic bag,” said Lee.
The severed legs and feet had socks on them.
“On the socks, we will usually look for hairs, for fibers or other material that may have adhered to the socks,” said Lee, who said any additional material on the socks can give scientists a geographic profile as to where this victim might come from.
New Haven police has received calls from several area departments, regarding possibly related cases from their jurisdictions. Even with the little information they have on this case, Hartman says they have determined there is no relation between those cases and the grisly New Haven discovery.