Fisherman finds hand sitting at the bottom of Florida canal. But it wasn’t human

If there’s one thing worse than finding a human hand in a canal, it’s being sent to fish it out.

That scenario took an odd turn when deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a fisherman’s claim he’d seen a hand in a Matlacha canal in Southwest Florida.

“It was believed there was a hand resting on the canal bottom that was about three feet deep,” the Lee County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.

“Deputies responded and observed the object, making attempts to retrieve it from the dock. Cpl. Jay Brett was able to acquire a mini barge so the item could be retrieved.”

That’s when Brett discovered it wasn’t human.

“It turned out the item was a mannequin hand,” the sheriff’s office says.

A photo shows the sickly looking shell looked like an adult hand drained of blood, with its pinky finger broken off at the knuckle.

Department officials took the strange revelation with a sense of humor, noting the call was “handled seriously and professionally.”

“We are ready for every matter at hand,” officials wrote.

Even more puns were offered by hundreds of people reacting to the post on Facebook. Others expressed relief it wasn’t a tragic discovery associated with Hurricane Ian. (The Category 4 storm made landfall in late September and killed more than 70 people in Lee County.)

“Finally... an Ian happier story,” Deborah Belford wrote on Facebook.

“High five, well four ... Give them a hand for all their effort!” Melanie Gator-Country posted.

“Best sheriff’s office — hands down,” Brad Bothwell said.

Matlacha is a coastal community about 125 miles south of Tampa.

This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 11:58 AM with the headline "Fisherman finds hand sitting at the bottom of Florida canal. But it wasn’t human."