Dog’s gruesome find leads cops to body in a creek bed, South Carolina coroner says

A dog made a gruesome discovery, leading deputies to a body in a South Carolina creek bed, officials said.

Now, mystery lingers as officials try to determine the identity of the person who was found dead Wednesday, March 29.

The Oconee County Coroner’s Office said the human remains of a female were discovered at about 4:45 p.m. near the town of Salem. They were found about 10 miles south of Lower Whitewater Falls, a popular hiking spot.

Deputies were called to the scene “after the property owner found a human forearm and hand apparently brought onto the property by a dog,” the coroner’s office wrote in a news release.

Then, deputies reportedly searched the area and spotted human remains nearby. While officials hadn’t confirmed the person’s identity as of March 30, an autopsy scheduled for the following day could help provide clues.

“Based on the preliminary examination of the deceased, the coroner’s office and sheriff’s department has been in contact with the family of a missing Salem woman,” officials wrote. “The family has provided additional information which will be helpful in establishing a positive identification.”

Salem is roughly 40 miles west of Greenville.

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