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Partial human leg may belong to pedestrian

Two people have been charged after part of a leg was found on the Stuart Highway near Darwin.

Two people have been charged after part of a leg was found on the Stuart Highway near Darwin. Photo: AAP

The mysterious case of the partial human leg found on a major Northern Territory highway has deepened.

But police think they know how the lower section of the limb came to be on the Stuart Highway near Darwin on Tuesday.

It was the result of a “vehicle versus pedestrian collision”, Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Morrissey said on Wednesday.

But police still don’t know where the victim is, or if the person is dead or alive, and haven’t ruled out foul play.

“At this time, the owner of the leg has not been identified nor the rest of the person,” Detective Senior Sergeant Morrissey said.

“We’ve got no one in hospital with those sort of injuries.”

Passersby have told police they witnessed an incident about 8pm on Monday night on the section of road where the leg was found.

Major crash investigators have also found evidence to support the conclusion a vehicle hit a pedestrian.

Detective Senior Sergeant Morrissey previously said the remains were from “a dark-skinned human being”.

A forensic pathologist has determined the victim was either a teenager or an adult.

It’s understood the lower section of the leg had a foot attached.

The limb was spotted by a traveller who was driving on the highway in Coolalinga, 30 kilometres south of Darwin, about 9am on Tuesday.

A passing motorist told the NT News they spotted what looked like “most of a leg and foot” on Monday night.

“I thought for sure that I didn’t just see part of a human leg and didn’t actually believe myself until this morning, when I saw they found human remains on the highway,” he said.

A crime scene was declared on the highway linking Darwin to Alice Springs and Adelaide about 10.30am.

An extensive search of the area by officers, drones, police on motorbikes and the dog squad failed to find the victim or any other body parts.

Police are examining missing person reports, and dashcam footage and CCTV from the area.

– with AAP

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