Police look for origin of foot found by dog

RUSSELLVILLE - Police and other rescue personnel using cadaver dogs were unsuccessful in trying to locate where what appears to be a child's foot may have come from, or any other remains, authorities said.

Russellville Police Chief Chris Hargett said the search began early Sunday morning and lasted until around 7 p.m.

"We were doing a grid search, but we didn't find anything that could be useful at this point," Hargett said.

Department officials said dogs from HEMSI in Huntsville and the North Alabama Search Dog association in Madison were called to Russellville Sunday morning to begin the search in a wooden area in the northern part of Hester Heights Subdivision, which is just off U.S. 43.

He said the dogs were scheduled to return Tuesday and resume the search. Hargett said search and rescue personnel said the scent should be stronger by then.

He said the foot has been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences to be tested.

"All we know at this point is that (the remains that were found) are human and it appears to be a child's foot," said Hargett. "The foot was not badly decomposed, but as far as the gender or the age of the person, we can't be sure until the remains are tested by forensics."

Hargett said police were called to a residence on Circle Drive in Hester Heights subdivision around midnight Saturday when a home owner discovered what he described as a foot that was dragged up by a dog.

The chief said the foot was taken to Russellville Hospital Emergency Room, where a doctor said it was "probably human."

"We then contacted the orthopedic surgeon on call, who confirmed it was a child's foot," Hargett said.

The chief said authorities have been trying to find any kind of evidence that could help them determine if there are other remains in the area, if the foot had been dragged a long distance by the animal or where the dog may have found the remains.

"We've got a lot of questions and no answers at this point," he said. "We need to find out where the remains came from, but at this point, we haven't been able to pinpoint that.

"We're hoping the forensics report will help us at least know the age and gender of the person we're looking for."

Hargett said his department doesn't have any open cases involving missing children.

He said the Alabama Bureau of Investigation was contacted and is working with his department in the investigation.

"We're checking with agencies in surrounding counties to see if they have any active missing children cases," Hargett said. "We're trying to look into every avenue we have at this point, trying to come up with the answers to these questions."

The chief said anyone who knows anything about the remains or about a missing child or small adult that has not been reported is asked to contact Shoals Area CrimeStoppers at 386-8685 or any local law enforcement agency.

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@TimesDaily.com.