A severed leg that washed ashore from Tampa Bay behind a St. Petersburg beach home belongs to a missing Bradenton woman, according to officials.

According to Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies, the leg belongs to Kelly M. Moriarty, 38, who has not been seen or heard from since Thanksgiving.

She was reported missing by her family January 27.

Hillsborough Co. Sheriff's detectives supplied DNA samples to the Pinellas County Medical Examiner's Office for comparison to the severed leg found in St. Pete.

On March 23, Pinellas Medical Examiner's Office notified their counterparts that, based on DNA evidence, the leg belonged to Moriarty.

Detectives have not determined an initial crime scene of where the leg may have been severed.

Officials are also looking for Doris Wade Carter, 62, who was last seen with Moriarty in Plant City on Dec. 16.

A few days later, Moriarty's car was found abandoned on State Road 62 in Parrish and she stopped paying rent at her Bradenton apartment.

Deputies say the two women have been romantically linked for the past two years.

Carter's live-in daughter reported her mom missing on January 29. She told detectives it wasn't uncommon for both of them to be away for extended periods of time.

The daughter says she's distraught at the latest developments. She said she's cooperating with the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at 813-247-8200.

Severed leg washes ashore from Tampa Bay

Police said they responded to a call about 7:40 a.m. on Dec. 27 regarding a report that a severed human leg had washed up behind a house in the 6900 block of Fourth Street South.

Homicide investigators responded to the scene and confirmed the leg was that of a human, police said.

The leg was discovered by members of a Canadian family that was staying at the home while on vacation.

Detectives said the right leg was mostly intact, with the foot missing at the ankle, and it didn't have any scars or tattoos.

They said it appeared to belong to a heavy-set individual, and that it was clean-shaven, which suggests that it may be that of a woman -- as it was determined to be, according to the report.

Investigators said they don't think the leg was in the water for more than one or two days.

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