UPDATE: Coroner Graham Hetrick says case of sawed-off legs found in Susquehanna River is far from unsolvable

WILLIAMSPORT – Parts of two human legs were found along the Susquehanna River in Williamsport in May, and investigators are trying to identify the person.

The legs were cleanly cut near the knee joints by what’s believed to be a thin-blade, hand-held saw. The information is contained in a case that state police opened in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as part of their effort to identify the individual.

It is assumed the legs belong to a female because the toenails were painted pink, Lycoming County Coroner Charles E. Kiessling Jr. said Tuesday.

It is not known if the individual was white or black, he said. It is estimated the death occurred up to six months before the legs were found, Kiessling said.

Since there are no reported missing persons in the Williamsport area, investigators say they are looking into the possibility the legs belonged to a person who was killed elsewhere.

White socks labeled “polo jeans” with “R.L.” above a red, white and blue flag were on the legs, according to the missing persons file. R.L. is believed to stand Ralph Lauren.

The remains that included soft tissue were sent to a forensic anthropologist at Mercyhurst University in Erie to try to learn more about the individual, but a full report has not been received, Kiessling said.

State police entered DNA from the remains in the missing persons system in hopes it might match that of a missing person in its file.

The legs were found by fishermen along the north bank of the river just west of the Hepburn Street dam the evening of May 11.

Nothing else was recovered during an extensive search of the river and bank in that area, Kiessling said.

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