More on found feet

Here at BB, we've been carefully monitoring the story of the unattached feet that keep turning up on British Columbia shores. Five have washed ashore so far since last August. Last night, police reported on DNA tests revealing that two of the feet once belonged to the same male and one of the feet was from a female. All of the feet found seem to have disconnected from their owners' bodies via natural decomposition. From CNN:

The five feet were found in running shoes. Four of the shoes were made between 2003 and 2004, according to police, and the other was made in 1999. The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) released photos of the shoes hoping someone can help identify the remains.

"We are asking anyone who may have had their loved one last seen wearing this particular pair of shoes to contact us immediately," (RCMP Constable Annie) Linteau said.

Feet found at shore (CNN)

Previously on BB:
• Severed feet washed up in Canada
• More severed feet in British Columbia
• 5th Foot Found Washed Up In BC
• 6th Foot Found Is A Hoax

[#1 posted by Beryllium , July 11, 2008 1:40 PM]

There was also a foot found in Sweden recently.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=d8d10023-9fde-4831-b9b6-eaf668023721

[#2 posted by Hagrid , July 11, 2008 2:24 PM]

CBC has an interactive map for where the feet were found:

http://www.cbc.ca/bc/features/found-feet/

[#3 posted by toolbag , July 11, 2008 2:37 PM]

Makes me wonder if they shouldn't consult some oceanographers or someone who specializes in ocean currents give to them a list of probable entry points.

[#4 posted by gene , July 11, 2008 2:38 PM]

Moral: don't jog in BC!

[#5 posted by IWood , July 11, 2008 2:49 PM]

Podiatric pun.

[#6 posted by Takuan , July 11, 2008 3:04 PM]

I'm leaning more to crashed plane/sunken boat now.

[#7 posted by toolbag , July 11, 2008 3:27 PM]

takuan: Yeah, or more morbidly (since I've had a few gnt's) the trunks of several bodies weighed down with something.

[#8 posted by Anonymous , July 11, 2008 4:00 PM]

Feets don't fail me now.....

[#9 posted by mdhatter , July 11, 2008 4:06 PM]

Nobody is backing the Great White Whale theory?

[#10 posted by Kaden , July 11, 2008 4:58 PM]

Oddly, the recovered body parts which originated on the same unfortunate male were both left feet. Local constabulary questioned patrons of The Roxy concerning any missing really bad dancers, and have assembled a list of over 8,000 possible victims.

[#11 posted by Valacosa , July 11, 2008 5:28 PM]

#3 Toolbag: from here...

The RCMP have solicited expertise from a forensic anthropologist, a forensic pathologist, oceanographers and a forensic entomologist to help their investigation.

Talking to oceanographers is a pretty obvious thing to do in this case.

[#12 posted by Pipenta , July 11, 2008 5:46 PM]

If anyone turns up a pair of sea legs, I've been looking for them.

[#13 posted by Anonymous , July 11, 2008 10:53 PM]

My theory: the boxing day Tsunami created many victims that were washed to sea ....

--Fred K

[#14 posted by insomma , July 11, 2008 11:38 PM]

"All of the feet found seem to have disconnected from their owners' bodies via natural decomposition."

Ugh, that paints a different picture, doesn't it?

Is it the buoyancy of the sneakers that brings the feet to shore?

Plus, it's not like this is happening along the north Atlantic current- they've all been found within a sound. Makes it more local and creepy. I think I'm going with the sunken boat theory too.

Ok, how many of you Canadians wear sneakers on boats?

[#15 posted by Flashman , July 12, 2008 10:12 AM]

I worked for a summer building houses on a Chilcotin native reserve deep in interior B.C. That August one of the guys I was working with was dip-net fishing (a traditional Chilcotin technique) on the Fraser River. He slipped and fell in, and disappeared immediately in the strong, turbid current; his body was never found.

While that was back in 2000 and so it's unlikely that any of these feet are his, I think it is likely, since all of the findings have been around the Fraser Delta, that that is their origin: people who, either through accident or malice, were swept out by the deep and frighteningly powerful Fraser River.

[#16 posted by dainel , July 13, 2008 5:52 AM]

You know there one sure way to find out who it is. Grow clones out of the cells from the feet. Then take photos and finger prints. :)

Speaking of which ... the US and UK have already started building large DNA databases. Can we assume they've already run it through those?

[#17 posted by Kevin , July 13, 2008 8:09 PM]

Grow clones out of the cells from the feet. Then take photos and finger prints.

Identical twins and other clones have strikingly similar, but not identical, fingerprints.

[#18 posted by retropc , July 14, 2008 10:24 AM]

I have to relay the quote from our local radio host, who was talking to a forensics prof about the found feet. She quickly corrected herself after commenting that "...at least two of the feet came from the same person...".

[#19 posted by Takuan , July 14, 2008 10:28 AM]

not necessarily. One of the victims could have been in possession of extra feet. Ain't English great?

[#20 posted by piltdownman , July 14, 2008 9:04 PM]

This appears to be a global phenomenon. Where are Scully and Muldaur when we need them?

http://www.kxan.com/global/story.asp?s=8673939

[#21 posted by nehpetsE , July 21, 2008 2:09 PM]

One down, four to go.

One foot apparently matched to "depressed man"

http://www.ktvb.com/news/regional/stories/ktvbn-jul1908-missing_feet_link.6fec0091.html