Maisy, the old homeless woman, found the hand in a dumpster behind an apartment complex on South Street in Lakewood. The hand was human, severed at the wrist, and the purple polish on the nails was chipped. The fingers were curled inward, giving the hand a claw-like appearance. Maisy ran from the dumpster screaming.

Sergeants Laura Sanchez and Don White, homicide detectives of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, arrived at the crime scene about an hour after the patrolling deputy had called in the hysterical woman's report of the hand in the dumpster. This he had done after verifying her story and throwing up. The detectives ducked under the tape and walked toward the deputies milling around the dumpster.

"What we got here, men?" Detective White asked.

"Just a hand missing a body," one of them answered, grinning.

The detectives took a look as the deputies tried to stifle their snickering.

"Whew," Sanchez exclaimed as she turned away from the dumpster, wrinkling her nose. "Y'all touch anything?" she asked the deputies. A couple of them muttered "Nah," while the rest shook their heads. White joined her.

"This is one for the Crime Lab. I'll call it in. Why don't you talk to the old lady." He motioned toward the end of the alley. "Then we'll both tackle the crowd."