Human leg stolen from tissue transport van in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES -- A human leg was stolen from a tissue transport van while the limb's caretakers grabbed a bite to eat in downtown Los Angeles, CBS Los Angeles reported.
The leg was in the care of non-profit organ donation organization OneLegacy, which provides services including organ transportation for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Employees of the non-profit stopped at the Original Pantry Cafe in downtown L.A. for a meal at around 5 a.m. on Monday. During that time, a thief allegedly broke into their unmarked van and stole a cooler containing the leg. The leg was wrapped up, CBS LA reports, making it possible the thieves did not know they were stealing a human body part.
OneLegacy said it notified the donor's family and is taking a look at its security measures in the wake of the theft.
"OneLegacy regrets the loss of the opportunity to fulfill the donor family's wish to heal and save lives with this donation," the non-profit's chief executive, Tom Mone, said in a statement. "[OneLegacy] is reviewing its security procedures to identify ways in which we can prevent such occurrences in the future."
The coroner's office said it was concerned that a staffer had leaked news of the limb theft to the media, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"As it stands today, we do not know who 'leaked' the information, but it appears at face value to be one of my employees," Mark Fajardo, the county's chief medical examiner-coroner, wrote in a letter addressed to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, according to the newspaper.