US: Human leg found washed up on California beach amid search for missing fishermen

A human leg was discovered washed up along the rocks of Bluff Cove Trail in Palos Verdes Estates, Southern California, on Christmas morning. Authorities are investigating whether the remains are linked to two fishermen who went missing after setting out from Cabrillo Beach the day before, reports said.

The leg was the only body part recovered, and efforts to locate additional remains were unsuccessful.

“We’re not ruling anything out, but that has not been determined at this point,” said Captain Aaron Belda of the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department. “No identification has been made, and we don’t have any supporting information to believe that they are connected.”

The discovery occurred just a day after two fishermen in their 50s departed Cabrillo Beach, about 13 miles south of Bluff Cove, on a small boat but failed to return. The US Coast Guard, along with local agencies, launched a search operation on Tuesday and found the vessel overturned.

“The [boat] was completely overturned,” said a beachgoer who spotted the wreckage. “There were holes in the hull and stuff scattered across the beach, a couple of life jackets, a propeller, coolers, and kids’ life vests.”

The Coast Guard searched for nearly 34 hours with drones and a helicopter before suspending operations on Wednesday. However, the agency described the halt as an “active suspension,” meaning the search could resume if new evidence or signs of distress are reported.

Captain Belda emphasised that investigators are keeping all possibilities open while waiting for identification of the remains. “We’re not ruling anything out,” he reiterated, underscoring the lack of definitive connections between the missing fishermen and the leg found on the beach.