Update: Coroner confirms ID of foot found on Richmond beach (Vancouver Sun, November 5, 2009)
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Another human foot has washed ashore in British Columbia.
According to a story filed on CTV’s website late this afternoon, foot number 8 was found on Tuesday by two men walking along a beach in Richmond, B.C.
The foot was inside a white, size 8.5 Nike running shoe, according to Cpl. Annie Linteau of RCMP E Division. –CTV
CTV reports that an autopsy performed today confirmed that the foot is human.
The case of the “mystery feet” began with the discovery of foot number 1 in August, 2007.
Interestingly, the latest CTV report uses the words, “…another severed foot has washed up.” To my knowledge, there is no proof that any of the feet in this case were severed. As previous reports on this blog have stated, researchers have said that it is possible that the feet simply “disarticulated” as a result of the predictable patterns of decomposition beneath the sea.
Media around the world have followed the mostly unsolved cases of the “mystery feet” (investigators have identified one foot).
Still unanswered: Are any of these cases the result of foul play?
And one must wonder if another foot will wash ashore? Unless it’s a match (providing helpful evidence) to this week’s discovery, let’s hope not.
Eight is enough.
**Additional stories concerning foot number 8
***Pig video lends insight into B.C.’s human feet mystery (One of my favorite posts to date, but please be warned that it includes pictures and videos of dead pigs)
Mark –
Any chance you could do a timeline on these feet?
Or a map?
🙂 Fascinating – eerie – but fascinating.
CTV continues to provide a nice interactive map. And it’s been updated today so that it now includes “foot number 8”). Click on the shoes in that map and you’ll get details such as dates and locations.
Hope this helps.
This is just creepy!
Six of the eight feet had a running shoe on. Two of the eight feet matched. No evidence of trauma or tool markings. Feet were in natural process of decomp. I’m sure they have looked at the shoes to see when or where they were produced or even if they could tell where they were sold. If they can track breast implants, I’m sure they can track shoes. At least I hope so!
I know I’m dreaming here but I wish we could have a world-wide National DNA data base. They have DNA from the feet but they can’t identify them but if there was some type of DNA database, they could. : )
Interesting take, Diane. I’d like to think Canadian authorities are sharing the known DNA profiles with US authorities, but you never know. There’s already been one instance in this case wherein it seemed there should have been better communication between the RCMP and Washington state authorities.
My first thought on these feet are that they would have come from airplane crashes, particularly after Mark’s post about “Fly at your own risk” and Canadian air safety (or the lack of it).
But, it is strange that’s it just the feet in running shoes. Maybe the material of the shoe withstands water for a longer period than other material.
Drug runners in below radar airplanes could crash and no one would ever know about it. Perhaps there’s more below the surface than the washed up shoe. Has anyone gone diving or used an underwater camera/robot to see what else is at the bottom of the sea where the shoes washed up?
Probably not feasible due to currents but I think it would help the investigation if somewhere in the area of the shoes (referring to the map) they were to locate the wreckage of an airplane.
Curiouser and curiouser!
It’s interesting too that foot number three and five are from the same person yet they washed up on opposite sides of the Strait of Georgia.
Someone please explain to me how that can happen?
My understanding is that this is not at all unusual. Running shoes are relatively buoyant and also tend to hold the foot together as the rest of the body decomposes. They have been known to be carried vast distances by ocean currents.