Missouri police diving team locates rafter's prosthetic leg

July 29 (UPI) -- A Missouri man who lost his prosthetic leg during a rafting trip was reunited with his lost limb thanks to a Missouri State Highway Patrol diving team.

Mike Evans of Woodson Terrace said he and some friends were rafting on the Meramec River on Saturday when he and a friend decided to walk in the water for a while.

Evans said they came upon some deeper water and had to swim back to the raft, where he noticed his prosthetic leg was missing.

"When I pulled myself onto the raft, I noticed immediately that my leg felt lighter," Evans told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Then I realized it was gone."

Evans said he and his friends searched the river, but were unable to locate any sign of his lost limb. He said the leg would cost $27,000 to replace, and would be too expensive for him even with insurance paying a portion of the cost.

A Missouri state trooper heard about Evans' situation and contacted him via Facebook on Sunday night to request more information so he could send a dive team to search for the leg.

Troopers said the dive team arrived at the river about 9:30 a.m. Monday and had located the leg by noon.

"It was a happy ending to a stressful few days," Evans said.