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A grisly Canadian mystery has been solved after a human toe went missing from a bar

The remains were stolen from a Yukon hotel over the weekend.
The remains were stolen from a Yukon hotel over the weekend. The remains were stolen from a Yukon hotel over the weekend.

A mummified toe has been returned to its rightful owners after it was stolen from a Canadian bar.

The human remain – which is used in a popular “sourtoe” cocktail – was stolen from Downtown Hotel in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Downtown HotelWe would toe-tally appreciate your help!

The toe itself is a replacement for the original, introduced to the bar in 1973, which was thought to have originated from a miner, Louie Liken, after he lost the digit to frostbite in the 1920s.

Liken preserved the toe in alcohol and it lay untouched until its redicovery 50 years later by another local, Captain Dick Stevenson, who decided he would take it to the Downtown Hotel and introduce it to the drinks of foolhardy customers as a stunt.

Thus, the Sourtoe Cocktail Club was born, and all new patrons are bound to drink the sour-toe concoction if they desire membership. Unfortunately, toe number one was swallowed by an over-enthusiastic customer in the 1980s and never recovered.

Dawson City Police were notified of the theft and were soon able to identify a male suspect, although they were unable to locate him.

Downtown HotelDowntown Hotel, Dawson City. 569 likes · 692 talking about this · 1,401 were here. With a lineage dating back to the Gold Rush, the Downtown Hotel is located in the heart of Dawson City and is home…

On Tuesday, police received a call from the alleged suspect notifying them he’d sent the toe back to the Downtown Hotel in the post. He also called the hotel to relay the message, adding a verbal apology for the inconvenience caused.

Police dropped by the hotel after it had received the envelope to ensure there was nothing nefarious enclosed. Luckily, the package only held the toe – which was said to be in good condition – and a letter further apologising for the incident.

No charges are expected to be filed.