Search:
StoriesVideos
Home News 

Story

Firefighter Resigns After Stealing Foot From Crash Victim

Friday, October 3, 2008 – updated: 10:32 am EDT October 3, 2008

A St. Lucie County firefighter accused of taking a crash victim's foot has resigned after telling investigators she would use the foot to train her cadaver dog.

Cindy Economou trains cadaver dogs used to locate and follow the scent of decomposing human flesh.

Economou claims she asked a supervisor if she could take the foot and the chief told her, "I don't want to know."

The details from a Fire District internal investigation were released Thursday. The report says she told investigators she took the foot belonging to a car crash victim from Melbourne on Sept. 19 and was storing it in her home freezer.

It's the Fire District's policy to take a severed body part with the patient to the hospital if there is any chance of reattachment, or the body part goes to the medical examiner's office.

The 38-year-old Economou resigned on Wednesday. She joined the agency in 1994.

More Headlines

Strange News Photos

From brilliant to bizarre, this 99-photo slideshow captures a variety of strange news. Photos are added often, so prepare to be shocked and amused. Take A Look!

Submit News Video And Photos

Send Us Your Video And Photos!
If you're there when news happens, Eyewitness News wants to know! Send us your video or photographs of news events in the Central Florida area. Use your computer or cell phone, attach them to an email and send it to news@wftv.com.

By submitting photos, you agree to the terms of our license agreeement. READ THE AGREEMENT

Please note the following file requirements:
Video: No larger than 2 MB, mpg, .avi, 3GP
Photos: .Jpg or .Gif, No Larger than 500k

Eyewitness News Tipline
If you see news happening, give us a call. Or send a text to by going to News Tips on WFTV.com on your web-enabled cell phone. You can also email us at news@wftv.com.