An investigation continued Thursday into the theft of a human leg from a vehicle belonging to One Legacy, a nonprofit organ and tissue donation organization that works with the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
Los Angeles Police spokesman Officer Jack Richter confirmed an investigation was being conducted, but he declined to elaborate other than to say the leg had not been recovered.
Coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter released the following statement: “The office of Medical Examiner-Coroner is aware of — and distressed by — the theft of a body part after its transfer from the county to One Legacy, our organ and tissue procurement organization. This harvesting was done with the permission of the next of kin. At this time, as we continue to gather details, the department will have no additional comment.”
Mark Fajardo, the county’s chief medical examiner-coroner, sent a memo to members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors notifying them about Monday’s theft.
According to memo, a copy of which was obtained by the Los Angeles Times, staff members at One Legacy had picked up the leg about 3 a.m. Monday and then decided to eat at a downtown Los Angeles restaurant. When they came back to their vehicle, the leg was gone.
The limb had been wrapped in blue-and-clear plastic and was chilling in a cooler, making it difficult to spot from the outside, Fajardo told the board.
The theft was reported to the LAPD, and officials obtained a DNA sample from the donor to identify any limb that is recovered. Family members of the late donor were notified, Fajardo said.
Confidentiality laws prevent the coroner from releasing any information about the donor’s identity.
The probe took a turn on Wednesday, when One Legacy spotted a “potentially libelous statement” online regarding the theft, suggesting the coroner’s office and One Legacy were trying to cover up the theft, Fajardo said. The leak led to various media inquiries about the missing leg.
Fajardo said coroner’s officials and One Legacy are trying to find out who leaked information about the theft to the media.
“As it stands today, we do not know who ‘leaked’ the information, but it appears at face value to be one of my employees,” Fajardo wrote in his letter to the Board of Supervisors.
—City News Service