Human leg discovered in Wisconsin park, police investigating as homicide

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Human leg found inside Milwaukee area park

Investigators are calling it a "suspicious death" after a human leg was found in a park. Credit: Fox 6

The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office has opened an investigation after a gruesome discovery was made when a resident found a human leg inside a community park.

Officials said the leg was discovered at Warnimont Park on Tuesday, April 2, just before 5:30 p.m., "in or near the water" along Lake Michigan east of the golf course by the pump house. 

James Burnett, acting Chief of Staff with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, told Fox News Digital that authorities are investigating the severed leg as a homicide. He said a person of interest was in custody. 

Burnett said the Milwaukee County Dispatch Center was notified about a human leg being found when a park patron walking in the park called in to report the grotesque discovery. 

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Investigators in Wisconsin are calling it a "suspicious death" after a human leg was found inside a park.

John Hemmer, a frequent visitor of the park, told Fox 6 that the discovery was very disturbing.

"Very shocking. This is such a quiet area," Hemmer said. "It’s just amazing to me. In a quiet area like this, something so heinous could happen."

The park is located in Cudahy, Wisconsin, a small suburb about eight miles southeast of downtown Milwaukee.

Concerned residents are questioning how this happened and where the leg came from. 

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The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said a human leg was found at Warnimont Park in Cudahy on Tuesday, April 2. (Fox 6)

"We come here often, and we regard it as a safe place for the family to go walking, and to hear about something like this is quite a shock," Eric Ruckstadter, another park visitor told Fox 6.  

Despite the gruesome discovery, Ruckstadter told Fox 6 that it won't keep him from going to the park, but he said he is staying aware of his surroundings.

"As long as there are other people around like there is frequently, I’ll feel safe," he said.

Burnett said that there is very limited information at this point to share as to not disrupt the investigation, but he could confirm the leg was human.

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Deputies have not disclosed the process of how they will identify who the leg belongs to or where it came from.