Human hand found by man walking dog in NYC; investigators find out who it belonged to

by: Aaron Feis, Shirley Chan, Michael Bartiromo

Posted: Mar 11, 2023 / 10:58 AM CST

Updated: Mar 11, 2023 / 10:58 AM CST

PLEASANT PLAINS, Staten Island (WPIX) — A man walking his dog in New York found a human hand on Thursday, but police have since determined where it came from.

The unnerving find was made on Staten Island, in a wooded area near the North Mount Loretto State Forest in Pleasant Plains around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, the NYPD said.

Officials from the city medical examiner’s office responded and confirmed the body part to be a right hand.

On Saturday morning, officials with the NYPD’s Public Information office confirmed that investigators identified the severed hand’s fingerprints and determined it had belonged to a 63-year-old woman who died in 2011.

The woman had been buried at Resurrection Cemetery, about a mile’s drive from where the hand was found. Police said a plot next to hers had recently been excavated on Feb. 27 for a new burial.

It is believed the equipment used to remove the soil from the plot severed the deceased’s hand, and that soil was later dumped along the tree line near the state forest.

The NYPD told Nexstar there is currently no open investigation into the case.