Kayaker finds human leg inside plastic tote floating in Ohio lake

Joe Clark, Nexstar Media Wire

Updated: Jun 28, 2021 / 06:24 PM CDT

DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) – A kayaker made a grisly discovery Monday after stopping to pick up a plastic container while paddling along an Ohio lake.

“As he approached the floating tote, it appeared to have a human leg exposed,” said Delaware County Sheriff Russell Martin.

Multiple law enforcement agencies responded around 8:30 a.m. to Alum Creek Lake State Park after the kayaker reported what he found.

Hours later, the tote was recovered and a full body was found inside.

Officials identified the person as a male, likely Caucasian, and sent the remains to the Montgomery County coroner’s office for further testing.

“It’s just too early to determine how long that tote has been in the water and I wouldn’t even want to speculate on that, too,” Martin said. “It’ll take a while to put those puzzle pieces together, but hopefully as the coroner [and] the investigators take a closer look at it, we’ll be able to answer some of those obvious questions.”

Involved in the search were the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the state Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and the Department of Natural Resources.