Dog Fetches a Human Thigh While Swimming in a Canal

A shocking discovery was made on Saturday evening near the Folien lock in Valenciennes, France. A man was walking along the Escaut Canal while his dog played in the water. Moments later, the dog emerged carrying something in its mouth—what turned out to be a human thigh. This gruesome find comes just two weeks after a human torso was discovered in the same area.

A Walk That Turned Into a Nightmare

The man was strolling along the Noir-Mouton path, an area that leads to the B2S call center, when his dog dove into the canal to swim. Around 7 p.m., the dog resurfaced with an object in its jaws. It only took a few seconds for the owner to realize the horror of the situation. Without hesitation, he immediately dialed the emergency number 17.

The body part was found just meters downstream from the Folien lock—precisely where the dismembered torso of a man had been discovered on February 19. The immediate question for investigators is whether these remains belong to the same individual.

The human thigh was promptly transported to the Lille Forensic Institute, where an autopsy was performed on Monday. DNA samples were taken to determine whether they match those of the torso found two weeks earlier.

A Tattoo That Might Hold the Key

Since the initial discovery of the torso, police had launched an investigation to identify the victim. However, the process proved challenging, as no missing person reports matched the found remains. The only confirmed detail was that the torso belonged to a man, but forensic examinations could not establish whether he was young or elderly.

If the DNA analysis confirms that the thigh and torso belong to the same person, investigators might have a new lead—there is a visible tattoo on the recovered thigh, which could provide a crucial clue in identifying the victim.