Amputee's leg sets offownership dispute

S.C. amputee: Profiting off limb 'despicable'

Monday, Oct. 1, 2007

By Cleve R. Wootson Jr.
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

Shannon Whisnant spent the weekend trying to get custody of John Wood's severed leg.

Whisnant found the leg in a used barbecue smoker he bought last Tuesday, and gave it to the Maiden police. Ever since the police said the leg wasn't evidence of a crime, he's been trying to get it back.

Today, Whisnant hopes to make his case in person.

Wood, who lost the leg in an airplane crash three years ago and ultimately stored it in a barbecue smoker, said he plans to travel from Greenville, S.C., today to pick up the leg, stored at a Maiden funeral home.

Wood said they can meet, but he's not interested in using the leg to make money.

"I just think it's despicable," he said. "I don't mind having the 15 minutes of fame, but I'm not looking to really profit off this thing."

The story of Wood's leg goes back to 2004 when it was shattered in a plane crash that killed his father and injured two other family members. Doctors tried to save the leg but had to amputate it. Wood told them that when he died, he wanted to be buried a whole man and asked if they could ship the leg to him.

They obliged. The leg -- foot, ankle and most of the calf -- spent time in Wood's freezer until his electricity was cut off. Wood then hung it on a fence post in his front yard to dry.

He was later evicted from his home and spent time living in his van. His mother said she'd pay to store his belongings for a couple of months, but after that, the $42 payments were his responsibility.

The leg, carefully wrapped in paper and stored inside the smoker, went into storage. But Wood wasn't making the payments, and last Tuesday the owner of the storage facility included the smoker in a sale of items from people who fell behind on their rent.

Whisnant bought the smoker, opened it and "thought it might have been part of a missing person or someone's ex-wife." He contacted police.

Whisnant feels he has a stake in the leg.

The leg has brought both men some fame. Both have done interviews. Wood said he became a celebrity at a charity golf tournament that benefited amputees. Whisnant put a sign on the empty smoker charging for a look: adults $3, children $1.

Whisnant figures there could be more opportunities if he had the leg in hand. He's Googled the phrase "man finds leg in smoker" and got close to 2 million hits.

He took his receipt from the sale of the smoker to the funeral home. The staff there wouldn't budge, but did give him Wood's cell phone number.

Wood said he was livid after talking to Whisnant.

"He's making a freak show out of it," Wood said. "He wants to go on `The Tonight Show' and he wants to sell it to the National Enquirer ... He wants to put money in his pocket with this thing."

After talking with a lawyer this weekend, Whisnant decided his best move was to convince 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."


All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.