Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Severed leg spouts custody battle

Remember this story of the severed leg that was found in an auctioned-off smoker?


Turns out there is now a custody battle over the leg:


MAIDEN, N.C. - A South Carolina man who stored his severed leg in a barbecue smoker that was later auctioned off is locked in a custody dispute with the North Carolina man who found it.

John Wood's leg was amputated near the knee after a 2004 airplane crash. He asked doctors to give it to him so he could be buried as a whole man when he died.


The limb, which Wood had kept in the smoker in a storage facility after he lost his home, was bought by Shannon Whisnant last Tuesday in an auction held by the storage company because Wood had missed his monthly payments.





Now I'm thinking that if I am storing a leg (or any other body parts) in a storage facility, that I will make that payment first. The hell with rent...



But now Whisnant wants the leg. He has a profit motive:



Whisnant, who put a sign on the empty smoker charging adults $3 and children $1 for a look, now wants the leg back.


"He's making a freak show out of it," Wood told The Charlotte Observer for a Monday story. "He wants to put money in his pocket with this thing."


Whisnant, who was unsuccessful in his bid to get the leg from the funeral home, consulted with a lawyer and decided his best move was to persuade Wood to share custody and profits.


"It's a strange incident, and Halloween's just around the corner," Whisnant said. "The price will be going up if I get (a stake in) the leg."


Update: Ace of Spades linked to this story (thanks, Ace). Go here to read the completely tasteful comments left by the nuthouse denizens of Ace's comment section.

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