STPSO Investigating After Human Finger Found

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office received a report Monday (June 11, 2018) of a human finger found   inside of an alligator snapping turtle. A man from Bush called deputies after he located the finger as he was cleaning and processing a large alligator snapping turtle for consumption. The turtle had been caught on a trout line in a river in Western St. Tammany Parish.
Attempts to obtain a fingerprint were unsuccessful and inquiries at hospitals in St. Tammany Parish and Washington Parish yielded no results.
Members of the STPSO Marine Division along with representatives from the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office are currently canvassing the area where the turtle was caught. STP Coroner’s Office K-9 “Maggie”, a human remains detection dog, as well as LASAR (Louisiana Search & Rescue) dogs will be utilized in the search.
If anyone has information about this case, please contact the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office at 985-898-2338 or the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office at 985-781-1150.