Continuous News

Severed Legs: Montana State Crime Lab Continues Investigation

Posted: Jul 18, 2012 5:56 PM by Jamie Leary
Updated: Jul 18, 2012 6:33 PM

The Montana State Crime Lab is using an online database to aid them in their investigation on the pair of severed legs discovered on the Moulton Reservoir Road, north of Butte.

The database, called Montana's Missing Persons Clearing House, will help them identify their victim as they develop a profile.

"We can get DNA from the legs," said Walter Kemp, Deputy State Medical Examiner. "Then as well we can examine the legs for any type of physical identifying marks, scars, tattoos. We can also examine the bones within the legs for features that may help indicate male versus female."

Once a profile is developed they can attempt to coordinate it with the database. It lists over 122 missing people in Montana, a small number compared to other states, Kemp said.

Although this is one more step made toward solving this crime, this case still requires extensive work.

"Like I said it's not like on CSI," Kemp said. "We don't do things overnight...we have to take our time and hopefully that time is being taken so that in the long run we will identify this individual and also find the person that did that to them."

Although it is likely to be a homicide, Kemp said in these situations you have to be careful.

"It is known that when people are doing drugs together and one person dies, it is known for people to move the body, try and hide the body, try and hide the death," Kemp said. "So just because a death has been hidden, does not mean the cause of death is trauma and does not mean the manner of death is homicide."

Kemp says he is confident he will be able to identify the victim. From there, he will pass his findings onto law enforcement so they can finish the investigation.