4th right foot washes ashore.

Westham foot matches another
(Jessica Kerr, The Delta Optimist, July 12, 2008)

Investigators shed a little light Thursday morning on the mystery surrounding the five feet that have washed up on various B.C. shores over the past year.

B.C. RCMP, Delta police and the B.C. Coroners Service announced the most recent discovery, a left foot found on Westham Island near Ladner last month, matches the remains of a right foot found on Valdez Island earlier this year.

The B.C. Coroners Service also confirmed the foot found on Kirkland Island near Ladner on May 22 is from a female.

"DNA profiles are now completed for the matched feet, as well as the right male feet found on Jedidiah Island and Gabriola Island," said Jeff Dolan, executive director regional operations with the B.C. Coroners Service. "Work to obtain a complete DNA profile for the foot found on Kirkland Island continues."

Over the course of the investigation, police have reviewed all relevant missing persons reports, said RCMP Const. Annie Linteau, using a number of criteria, including the age of the missing person, and when and where they were last seen.

Investigators started with a list of 243 missing men from B.C. and Alberta and have so far eliminated 130. Police also looked at a number of missing women cases and have narrowed that list down to 159 females who could possibly match the foot found on Kirkland Island.

Investigators were also able to rule out two of the still undiscovered victims of a 2005 floatplane crash near Campbell River. Through DNA testing, investigators were able to determine that none of the feet belonged to pilot Arnie Feast or Fabian Bedard. Linteau said police and the B.C. Coroners Service are still trying to determine if any of the feet found could be linked to brothers Doug and Trevor DeCock, who were also on the plane.

"During the course of our investigation we have received many tips from the public. Many of those tips include theories as to the origin of the recovered feet," Linteau said. "When received, all tips are reviewed, processed and prioritized or eliminated by investigators based on information yielded through our investigation."

In an effort to narrow the field of possible matches further, investigators released information and photos about all the shoes found with the feet. All the feet were found encased in running shoes.

The first foot, which was discovered on Jedidiah Island on August 20, 2007, is a Campus brand that was produced in 2003 and mostly distributed in India. It is a men's size 12 and is primarily white with blue mesh.

The second foot and shoe was located on Gabriola Island about a week later. That shoe is a men's Reebok that is primarily white and is a size 12. It was produced in 2004 and is no longer available for purchase.

The third foot was found in a men's blue and white Nike running shoe on Valdez Island. It is a size 11 and was available in Canada and the U.S. between Feb. 1 and June 30, 2003. It matches the fifth shoe and foot found on Westham Island.

The fourth discovery was made on Kirkland Island. It is a women's blue and white New Balance running shoe. It is a size 7 and was produced in June 1999 and distributed through major retail stores.

Linteau said police decided to release information about the shoes in an effort to help the investigation. She encouraged anyone who knows someone who has gone missing and may have been wearing one of these types of shoes to contact police.

Delta police Const. Paul Eisenzimmer announced that a central information line has been set up to collect tips regarding this case.

"We have created an information line to assist us by having a co-ordinated central location for collecting information so that nothing is lost or overlooked," he said. "Every call will be reviewed and processed. We invite anyone who has any inquiries, any information, or who may recognize one of the shoes as belonging to a missing loved one to call 1-866-504-3888."

Linteau said both the RCMP and Delta police have received many tips and possible theories from the public, adding investigators are keeping an open mind about how the feet ended up where they did.

"Until those remains are identified, we will explore all possibilities," she said.

"There has been a lot speculation and public discussion surrounding the discovery of these human remains. Much of that discussion has referred to these feet as having been severed," she said. "Let me be clear, the forensic examination of the feet showed no evidence these feet were severed or mechanically removed from a human body... the evidence shows that the feet were separated from their bodies by a natural process of decomposition."

RCMP also revealed this week that after consulting with oceanographers they believe the feet all originated from the southern portion of the Strait of Georgia.

RCMP also revealed this week that after consulting with oceanographers they believe the feet all originated from the southern portion of the Strait of Georgia.

Police identify first B.C. foot
(Canwest News Service, July 21, 2008)

BURNABY, B.C. - Police confirmed on Monday that they have positively identified the remains of the first foot that washed up along British Columbia's coast, setting up a macabre mystery that puzzled police and drew international attention.

At the request of the family, the identity of the victim will not be released, but the RCMP did confirm he was from the B.C. Lower Mainland. Police also say the cause of death remains unknown but no evidence of foul play exists.

Previous media reports speculated that the victim was a depressed man who went missing about a year ago.

The case began in August 2007 when two feet were found along the B.C.'s shoreline. Over a 10 month period, an additional three feet were found, bringing the total number of detached feet to five.

All of the feet were found still enclosed by running shoes.

The foot identified by RCMP on Monday was found in a blue and white Adidas running shoe, size 12.

Police have said there is no evidence the feet were severed - for example, there are no tool marks on the feet.

Prompted by the strong interest in the case, authorities held a news conference earlier this month, revealing that DNA had matched two of the five feet belonged to the same person, a man.

DNA testing also revealed the foot found on Kirkland Island in May belonged to a woman.

Investigators also ruled out the possibility that the feet could belong to the victims of a 2005 plane crash that occurred in the Quadra Island area.

Now there's a body with no feet
(Torstar News Services, July 20, 2008)

MAYNE ISLAND, B.C.-RCMP have solved part of the mystery of the severed feet after matching one pair with a missing Vancouver man, but a new twist emerged this weekend with the disclosure that a footless body was found 16 months ago in Washington state.

Five feet, all in running shoes, have washed up on B.C. shorelines since last August. Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre said yesterday DNA samples confirm two of those feet belonged to a man from the Greater Vancouver area.

His family, who asked for privacy over the weekend so they could inform other relatives, had submitted the samples to the B.C. Coroner's Service. The man was apparently depressed, family members told RCMP.

"At this point, the major crime investigators feel that this is not as a result of foul play," Lemaitre said. The RCMP will release more information about the man tomorrow, he said.

The other feet belong to two men and one woman, according to DNA samples, police say.

But in an unusual turn, RCMP and the coroner's office are now awaiting FBI data on a body found with no feet just south of B.C. in the San Juan Islands of Washington state.

Coroner Randall Gaylord said yesterday that a hiker on the remote shores of Orcas Island found human remains on the shore in March of last year. The nearly intact skeleton belonged to a man at least 30 years old and 5-foot-9. Missing were the right arm and hand, the left hand and both feet.

Tidal currents in the area have deposited human remains from the Vancouver area on the San Juan Islands before. Gaylord, coroner for the past 14 years, recalled investigating one such case in the 1990s. The nearly intact body of a Vancouver mechanic, still wearing his blue coveralls, who had jumped off a bridge in the Fraser River, floated all the way to the islands.

Gaylord said the body found in 2007 on the San Juans' Orcas Island was sent to the FBI crime lab to see if dental records could provide a match. He didn't think to check with the B.C. coroner and RCMP until a week ago, when Canadian police released pictures of the shoes that had washed ashore.

"It's possible this is just a coincidence," said Gaylord. "Once our DNA profile is done, we can meet with them and compare results."

Gaylord said a black Merrell athletic shoe was found near the skeleton, but no one knows whether it belonged with the human remains. A red and white argyle sock with the brand name of London department store Harrods was inside the shoe.

DNA results have also confirmed none of the feet washed ashore in British Columbia match the four missing victims of a 2005 Quadra Island plane crash.

Early this month, investigators told relatives of two of the victims, Arnie Feast and Fabian Bedard, the DNA was not a match. This week, relatives of brothers Doug and Trevor Decock were also informed that the remains in the shoes were not a match.