Dog discovers human hand while being taken out on a walk with owner

A dog discovered the remains of a human hand while out for a walk with its owner, with police believing they have pinpointed where it came from.

The gruesome discovery was made by a dog walker and his pet in the North Mount Loretto State Forest, Staten Island, New York City.

Locals feared the pair had unearthed a long-forgotten crime in the local area.

However tests by the New York Police Department showed the owner of the hand - a 63-year-old woman - had died in 2011.

She had been buried in a nearby cemetery where the burial plot next to hers had been excavated in February, ABC7 reported.

Police believe the work damaged her casket, causing her skeletal hand to fall out.

The owner of the hand had died in 2011 (ABC News 7)

Officials believe the animals had then taking the gruesome remains, forcing it to end up in the local park where dog had found it.

It had initially sparked panic in the local community with people believing it was the result of a grizzly murder in the local area before it pointed to a natural death from more than a decade before.

Meanwhile in the UK Police launched an investigation after the discovery of what could be human bones in woodland.

Officers were called to an area near Cottingwood Lane, in Morpeth, Northumberland, just after 3pm on Thursday, after workers from Northumbrian Water made the find.

Inquiries are still being conducted on Friday and police cordoned off a section of the woodland, reports Chronicle Live .

Northumbria Police has appealed for people with information to come forward.

The community was relieved to know the hand was from a cemetery (ABC News 7)

A dog walker in the area in Morpeth, who used to go to the nearby King Edward VI School, said they were surprised by the news of a suspicious find.

Another dog walker said he walks both of his dogs around the nearby fields every day and was surprised to hear bones had been found in the area.

He added that he rarely ventures into the field where the discovery was made but added that it was close to his former school.

Northumbria Police said in a statement: "Shortly before 3pm yesterday (Thursday) we received a report of potential human bones being found in a wooded area near Cottingwood Lane, Morpeth.

"Officers remain at the scene to carry out enquiries and an investigation has been launched into the discovery.

"Anyone with any concerns is advised to speak to an officer on duty.

"Anyone with information can report to police using the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or call 101 quoting reference NP-20230309-0647."