Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Los Gatos police officer Randy Villata takes notes as he walks past the dumpster where investigators look for clues.

Severed leg found in dumpster

By Shari Kaplan

Los Gatos police are continuing an investigation begun May 28 to determine how and why the severed leg of a woman ended up in a dumpster behind a technological firm on Knowles Drive in Los Gatos near the Campbell border.

A call came to the police department at 1:40 p.m. that day from a man searching dumpsters in the area for recyclable aluminum cans. Upon discovering what looked like part of a human body, he called police.

The Medical Examiner's Office has determined that the leg belonged to a light-skinned African American or Hispanic woman under the age of 50. There were no tattoos or any identifying marks on the leg. The leg was not in an advanced state of decomposition and may have been there from only days to a few weeks, according to LGPD Capt. Jeff Miller.

Police searching farther in the dumpster also turned up four articles of clothing: purple, bikini-style women's underpants; a "David Wayne Petites" brand woman's blouse with tiny white roses on a navy-blue background; an "All That Jazz" brand floral print dress in colors of rose, brown, tan and aqua; and a size 40 black-and-white jogging suit jacket.

Over the weekend, police recovered additional items from the dumpster, including a cream-colored zippered canvas bag; women's athletic shoes, L.A. Gear brand, size 5; a brown velvet headband; and a bottle of Poison brand perfume. A connection has not yet been established between the items and the body part.

The police department's Disaster Aid Response Team searched the area around the dumpster, other nearby dumpsters and portions of the Los Gatos Creek Trail--which runs behind the Knowles Avenue business complex--but did not find any related evidence. Members of the DART dive team and swift-water rescue team searched areas of Los Gatos Creek and percolation ponds along that part of the trail but found no evidence.

Police officers interviewed some employees of nearby businesses but cannot yet release information on that part of the investigation.

The LGPD has contacted other local law-enforcement agencies to determine if the articles of clothing are associated with any missing person, or if there are any current cases involving a missing African American or Hispanic female.

Anyone with any information on this case should call the LGPD investigations bureau at 354-6825 or the 24-hour dispatcher at 354-8600.

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