Watch CBS News

Shocking Discovery On Long Island: Police Find Arm In Hempstead Yard

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork/AP) -- Police on Long Island Wednesday night were investigating a report of a body part found in the yard of a home in Hempstead.

Hempstead police said they got a call of a possible body part at a Webb Avenue home at about 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Jose Diaz told 1010 WINS reporter Holli Haerr that he and his family started smelling something in their front yard on Tuesday. When the smell persisted on Wednesday, his brother-in-law Noel Rivera went to check it out.

With Diaz interpreting, Rivera told WINS' Haerr that he initially thought it was a dead animal, but that he nearly passed out when he saw fingernails and realized that it was a person's arm.

"He saw a lot of flies on top and around," Diaz explained.

Shocking Discovery On Long Island, Police Find Arm In Hempstead Yard

Police said homicide detectives are trying to determine if the possible body part is connected to a partially dismembered body found in a municipal parking lot in Bay Shore on Tuesday. Those remains were found by two people who were walking to the terminal.

Tuesday's discovery prompted Suffolk County police to search the nearby Gilgo Beach area where 10 sets of human remains were found in 2011.

Police say there are no known links between the Bay Shore body and Gilgo, but were investigating as a precaution.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.