Gardaí in west Dublin are investigating the discovery of a severed finger earlier this week in the Clondalkin area.
The section of finger, from the knuckle to the tip, was discovered by a passer-by on a footpath in Neilstown last Tuesday, just off the Neilstown Road.
Gardaí, who are following "a definite line of inquiry", have appealed to anyone with information in connection with the discovery to contact them at Ronanstown Garda Station on (01) 666 7700 or any other station.
A medical source said that it was highly unlikely that the finger could be reattached at this late stage. For reattachment to be successful the victim would have had to have put the severed finger on ice immediately and got treatment within a few hours at the most.
The injured party would have lost a certain amount of blood, but not a critical amount.
However the victim would have experienced a good deal of pain given that the bone was cut through.