My foot!

[Moonbiter]

Now this is really creepy, and could make for a nice movie:

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - For the fourth time in less than a year, a human foot in a running shoe has been found along the British Columbia coast.

Police said Friday that they don't know if there are any links between the cases of the four severed right feet found on island shorelines in the Vancouver region.

Authorities say they haven't reached any conclusions about the origin of the feet. But local speculation has been rife with some reports claiming they belonged to victims of violent crimes or a plane crash.

Police said a passer-by found the fourth human foot on Kirkland Island, about 15 miles south of Vancouver on Thursday.

"It's certainly a mystery we intend on solving," Police Constable Annie Linteau said. "It's certainly very unusual."

The first three feet washed ashore about 40 miles southwest of Vancouver on islands in the Strait of Georgia. The first foot was discovered last summer by beachcombers on Jedidiah Island. Days later, a foot was found inside a man's Reebok sneaker on nearby Gabriola Island. The remains of a third right foot were found on the east side of Valdez Island on Feb 8.

There is no evidence to suggest the foot — or any or the previous three — was forcibly removed, Linteau said.

"All four were wearing socks and were in a running shoe," Linteau said.

Two of the feet are size 12. Police have not released the size of the others.

British Columbia chief coroner Terry Smith said DNA profiles have been taken from the first three feet. He declined to comment on the investigation or the new finding.

Linteau said missing persons files were also being examined.

Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a former professor of oceanography at the University of Washington who studies floating objects, said when the third foot was found that the feet could have drifted from as far as 1,000 miles away. Ebbesmeyer said the feet could have been severed or detached from their bodies on their own.

Fourth right foot found off Canada's coast - Yahoo! News

Is this bizarre, or what? Wenchie, what are you up to?

[Kipi]

Now this is really creepy, and could make for a nice movie:

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - For the fourth time in less than a year, a human foot in a running shoe has been found along the British Columbia coast.

Police said Friday that they don't know if there are any links between the cases of the four severed right feet found on island shorelines in the Vancouver region.

Authorities say they haven't reached any conclusions about the origin of the feet. But local speculation has been rife with some reports claiming they belonged to victims of violent crimes or a plane crash.

Police said a passer-by found the fourth human foot on Kirkland Island, about 15 miles south of Vancouver on Thursday.

"It's certainly a mystery we intend on solving," Police Constable Annie Linteau said. "It's certainly very unusual."

The first three feet washed ashore about 40 miles southwest of Vancouver on islands in the Strait of Georgia. The first foot was discovered last summer by beachcombers on Jedidiah Island. Days later, a foot was found inside a man's Reebok sneaker on nearby Gabriola Island. The remains of a third right foot were found on the east side of Valdez Island on Feb 8.

There is no evidence to suggest the foot — or any or the previous three — was forcibly removed, Linteau said.

"All four were wearing socks and were in a running shoe," Linteau said.

Two of the feet are size 12. Police have not released the size of the others.

British Columbia chief coroner Terry Smith said DNA profiles have been taken from the first three feet. He declined to comment on the investigation or the new finding.

Linteau said missing persons files were also being examined.

Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a former professor of oceanography at the University of Washington who studies floating objects, said when the third foot was found that the feet could have drifted from as far as 1,000 miles away. Ebbesmeyer said the feet could have been severed or detached from their bodies on their own.

Fourth right foot found off Canada's coast - Yahoo! News

Is this bizarre, or what? Wenchie, what are you up to?

Why do you blame Wenchie when it sounds more like BS's work...

[dragon wench]

That's one unhealthy foot fetish!!
And no, I have nothing to do with it, my vices tend to be a bit more moderate

Actually, this reminds me of a certain scene from Monty Python....


Seriously, I have to say, that is creepy....
I definitely could see this as a crime book or movie, or a CSI: Miami episode..

Here is the article from the local paper which provides a little more information:

Fourth right foot found on B.C. coastline

B.C.'s chief coroner says DNA profiles are complete from the three other right feet found over the last nine months
Gerry Bellett, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, May 23, 2008

METRO VANCOUVER - When the first disarticulated right foot appeared on a beach in its running shoe last August, it was something of a curiosity.

When the second right foot in a running shoe washed ashore six days later, it was a wonder.

The third in February made it a mystery.

The fourth, found Thursday, puts us in the Twilight Zone.

By now Sherlock Holmes would have told Watson that something was "definitely afoot."

And while there were no oddities that Holmes couldn't explain (given enough pages), the RCMP are still grappling with The Mystery of the Four Right Feet, which, once word is out, will likely have news organizations around the globe calling "E" Division.

"Last time we had a number of calls from the U.S. and Europe," RCMP media official Const. Annie Linteau said Friday, referring to the international media curiosity following the third right foot's discovery.

The latest right foot encased in a running shoe was found on uninhabited Kirkland Island, west of the Massey Tunnel on the south arm of the Fraser River.

It was discovered on the north shore of the island by what police called a "passerby," who reported the find to the authorities.

The other three right feet were discovered on beaches of Gulf Islands: Jedediah (Aug. 20), Gabriola (Aug. 26) and Valdes (Feb. 8).

"We did find the remains of a right foot still in the running shoe," said Linteau.

"The contents of the foot and the running shoe have been sent to the B.C. Coroner's Service for DNA testing and examination.

"We have no information at this time that the foot was forcibly removed and, as well, this is fourth foot that has been recovered and in the three previous instances we have no information to suggest the feet have been severed.

"We are continuing our investigation and we are asking the public if they have any information about this to please call the police. Of course, due to the similar nature of these files, the E Division major crimes unit is coordinating all those files.

"We can certainly appreciate this is very unusual in nature, but we have to be very sensitive that these are victims and it could be someone's loved one we are talking about, and as such we take this very seriously."

Linteau said that although the fourth foot was found in the Fraser River, the tide could have washed it in from Georgia Strait.

Meanwhile, B.C.'s chief coroner says DNA profiles are complete from the three other right feet found over the last nine months.

Terry Smith said experts are now cross-checking the DNA with familial DNA collected from missing persons cases, which is a process he termed time-consuming.

Smith would not say what gender information the DNA testing revealed. However the family of victims of a plane crash off Quadra Island say the remains may belong to four people who have never been found.

Sally Feast, sister of pilot Arnie Feast, said they've provided a toothbrush to investigators in the hope it would match DNA collected from the feet.

Feast and passengers Fabian Bedard and brothers Doug and Trevor DeCock, were never found after the 2005 crash.

Kirsten Kearsley Stevens said her brother-in-law wore a size 12 shoe and police have confirmed that two of the right shoes were that size.

Following the appearance of the third right foot, the Vancouver Sun interviewed an international expert on ocean currents and drifting objects, who said modern running shoes could float for large distances and that when bodies decompose in water the feet often disarticulate.

A disarticulated foot in a running shoe would come to the surface and could float 1,600 kilometres, said U.S. expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer.

On Friday, Ebbesmeyer said the discovery of the fourth foot was astounding.

"When bodies decompose in water they come apart in 10 pieces, two arms, two legs, two feet, the head and the torso. So, given four right feet have been found we have to wonder what's happened to the rest. There should be 40 body pieces, yet all that's being found are right feet.

"It's almost beyond explanation.

"I'm sure when the explanation is found, everyone will say, 'Of course, it's simple.' But for now it's just getting stranger and stranger.

"At the moment, it's beyond imagination what might have happened."

Ebbesmeyer said the best paths to solving the mysteries lie with DNA evidence and the running shoes.

"With DNA they can match it to a family member of a missing person, but every running shoe has a code that will show which container it was shipped in and where it was sold. The police should be able to pin down which country and in what part of that country those shoes were sold."

If he were to guess, Ebbesmeyer said the victims were likely in the Fraser River and that three of the remains were carried downstream into Georgia Strait, where they were dispersed, while the fourth washed up on Kirkland Island.

[VonDondu]

There is no evidence to suggest the foot — or any or the previous three — was forcibly removed, Linteau said.

That is actually the weirdest sentence in the entire article. How does a foot come off a person's leg without being forcibly removed? Is there any evidence that it was voluntarily removed, or is that just the normal assumption for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to make in a case like this?

I know, I know--it might have become "disarticulated" during decomposition. But it still seems like the owner of a foot would not willingly part with it.

[Caden]

One of the feet may have came off in that plane crash they mentioned, but it is still hard to believe that 4 feet came off of people like that.

[dragon wench]

That is actually the weirdest sentence in the entire article. How does a foot come off a person's leg without being forcibly removed?

That was my initial reaction too.
Then after considering it a bit I wondered if what they mean is that there is no forensic evidence to suggest a hacksaw or similar...
But even so, four right feet in running shoes found over the last several months in the same general area.... is just bizarre.

[VonDondu]

But even so, four right feet in running shoes found over the last several months in the same general area.... is just bizarre.

They just found a left foot, so I guess it's not so bizarre anymore.

Fifth severed foot found on Canadian coast - CNN.com

[dragon wench]

Hmmmm..

Still fundamentally disturbing though, left foot or no.

I'm also wondering if this has something to do with gang violence, the area has a lot of them, most notably Hell's Angels and various rival Asian gangs.

[dragon wench]

And then there were six....

globeandmail.com: B.C.'s severed-foot riddle takes on a frightening aura

[fable]

So what we essentially have is an eight-footed human who has shed six feet. I don't see what's so unusual about a biped.

[dragon wench]

So what we essentially have is an eight-footed human who has shed six feet. I don't see what's so unusual about a biped.

lol!

The situation has now become pretty serious.. and at this point there is just no way, in my view, that 6 feet, all in running shoes, can be coincidental....
There is something bizarre going on... a sociopath who works in a mortuary maybe? Who knows?

But still, it is difficult to refrain from the humour, a friend and I were discussing the case last night and we came up with some incredibly awful puns...
Seeing as the area is a draw for tourists... new tagline for a brochure...
"Be Footloose and Fancy Free on Canada's West Coast"

or for those with more exotic tastes, "Indulge your foot fetish in our many fine parlours and boutiques."

And perhaps the worst one, "The game is afoot."


and so on...

What's bad too is that we'll be hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics.... doesn't look good to have nutcase with a thing for feet in runners on the loose...

[Galuf the Dwarf]

DW, what do you think the possibility is of criminal activity? This is definitely starting to sound like cruelty of some sort, seeing the amount of severed feet gradually increasing with time.

Of course, there'd have to be a corresponding record of missing people or such to coincide with that theory.

I don't know why, but my inner conscience claims foul play above all else. *Edit* Granted, the feet were mentioned to not "have been forcibly removed", so it only seems all the more mysterious.

[Tricky]

Brutality + running shoes. I was reminded of [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Walk"]this book[/url].

[dragon wench]

@Galuf,
Well it's all guesses at this point.... I mean I'm no forensic expert or anything and I lack the qualifications to come out and say this is definitely criminal activity. But if you are asking for my personal opinion... then yeah.... I'd hazard the likelihood of foul play being at work is pretty high. At the very least, I figure there is something illegal going on...

Like I said.... six feet in running shoes discovered up and down the same coastal area just seems to be too much for simple coincidence.
*shrugs* But like I said I'm no expert and the police are staying pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing.

@Tricky,
ah yes.. I've read that book.... *shudder*
Makes you wonder if somebody out there is inspired by it.

[Maharlika]

I'm sure the CIS team have checked their DNA and are finding matches...

... likely missing people.

Imagine people reporting a lost foot.

I think authorities are keeping mum about it to avoid mass hysteria. I mean, c'mon now. X number of feet in the same area?

Must be something.

Hmmm... speaking of public reaction, how do the locals feel about it?

[VonDondu]

According to the coroner's report, the sixth "foot" is actually an animal paw that was stuffed inside a shoe along with some seaweed. In other words, it's a hoax.

Sixth British Columbia stray foot a hoax | The Register

[dragon wench]

yeah... I briefly heard about this, but I didn't have a chance to post..

Honestly, in some ways this is as bad... Somebody with a truly sick sense of humour.

[Tricky]

Wouldn't anyone be able to tell the difference between a foot and a paw at a glance? It's been going on and on for days on the news now.

[VonDondu]

Wouldn't anyone be able to tell the difference between a foot and a paw at a glance?

Not if it's covered with a sock and stuck inside a shoe with a bunch of seaweed.

Not unless you have X-ray vision, anyway.


(By the way, the coroner was able to tell very quickly what was going on, once the examination was underway. Just like on CSI.)

[C Elegans]

I haven't read the entire thread and not the links, so sorry if I point out the obvious, but:

1) It is not surprising that feet in running shoes are the only remains washed ashore from a decomposed body, since running shoes float and preserve the foot in one piece.

2) Due to the process a body goes through when it decomposes in water, it's not easy to immediately identify an animal paw stuffed in a sock and a shoe just by visual inspection.

3) If there is no evidence that the feet were forcibly removed, it is - statistically speaking - more likely that the feet belong to victims of a plane crash or similar, rather than victims or murderer.