Arrest made in Arizona missing leg hit-and-run

[June 22, 2011]  MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- Police in suburban Phoenix say they have made an arrest in a hit-and-run that left a fatally injured man's severed left leg missing.

Police said Tuesday they arrested 26-year-old Jose DeJesus Padillla-Rodriguez, who they suspect was behind the wheel during the weekend crash that left one pedestrian dead and another fatally injured.

Mesa police say they received a tip that the car they were looking for was parked at an apartment complex in the area.

Police said the vehicle had windshield damage and both mirrors were broken off. Police managed to track down the owner who said he loaned the car to Padillla-Rodriguez.

It is unclear whether Padillla-Rodriguez has a lawyer and a call was placed with Mesa police, who still have not recovered the dead man's missing limb.

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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.
AP's earlier story is below.

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MESA, Ariz. -- Police in suburban Phoenix are investigating a hit-and-run accident that left one man in critical condition and another dead -- and authorities say the dead man's leg is missing from the crash scene.

Police say the two pedestrians were struck early Sunday as they were crossing the street.

Witnesses say a person driving a teal Honda didn't have the car's headlights on when the vehicle crashed into the two unidentified men.

Skid marks show where one man was fatally struck and the other was left in critical condition with a head injury.

Police say the car severed the left leg of the man who died.

Officers say it's possible the missing leg could be attached to the vehicle, or may have been disposed of by the driver.

(The Associated Press -- from Broadcast News Ltd.)

[Associated Press]

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