Human leg found in Des Plaines River near Lockport

A human leg was recovered Wednesday night from the Des Plaines River near southwest suburban Lockport.

Dock workers at the Lockport Lock and Dam were assisting a ship through the lock at 10:13 p.m. when a deckhand told them he saw what appeared to be a leg floating in the water, according to a statement from the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

There were no identifying marks on the appendage, and DNA samples were collected for testing in order to determine the person’s identity, the Will County Coroner’s Office said. An autopsy will not be conducted unless additional body parts are discovered.

The sheriff’s office said the leg is that of a white male, but declined to release further information “until lab results are completed and further information is collected.”

A SWAT boat conducted a sonar grid search of the north and south ends of the lock Thursday but did not find further remains, according to the sheriff’s office.

Authorities said three teams of boats from the sheriff’s office and the Lockport and Plainfield fire departments will conduct a visual and sonar search of the Des Plaines River and surrounding waterways on Friday afternoon, weather permitting.

The sheriff’s office was handling the death investigation. Lockport police were involved in the investigation only as it possibly pertains to an open missing persons case.

The Lockport Lock and Dam is located 2 miles southwest of Lockport and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.