By Aarthi Sivaraman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For the second time in three months, a 16-year-old California girl who lost a leg in an accident has had her artificial limbs stolen.
Melissa Huff, an Arcadia High School student who uses a $16,000 prosthetic limb to play softball for the school team and another one, valued at $12,000, for everyday use, said both were taken from her bedroom Tuesday.
"I was picking up my little brother from school when my mom called me and asked where I left the two prosthetic legs," Huff, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Temple City, told Reuters in an interview.
"I knew right then that it had happened again."
Lisa Huff, her mother, said she came home around midday on Tuesday and found the room shared by Melissa and her older sister a mess. Only the prosthetic limbs were missing.
Police say they were talking to the girl's friends, neighbors and relatives for information about the missing legs.
In November, thieves broke into the Huff residence and took just her prosthetic limb. After that incident, Melissa's prosthetist and a local real estate company donated about $16,000 for a new limb.
The stolen limb was discovered in the teenager's backyard about a month ago, apparently thrown there by the thieves.
Melissa lost her real leg two years ago when a driver accidentally ran into her as she stood in front of her middle school.
She said she intends to get back on the field this week and just practice throwing until she gets another prosthetic limb.
