Sixth foot found in B.C. leaves everyone baffled and at loss for explanation
By Greg Joyce, The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER - Experts from police to forensic pathologists are at a loss to explain, or even identify, who belongs to six different feet that have washed ashore in British Columbia since last August.
Another foot was discovered Wednesday near Campbell River, on Vancouver Island, bringing to six the number of feet found, disembodied and still encased in a running shoe. So far, DNA testing hasn't helped identify the remains and the absence of explanation has fed wild rumours.
In addition predictable puns and endless parade of off-colour jokes, followers of the case online have offered up imaginative theories and genuine sympathy for the victims and their unknown families.
"Please people, quit the tasteless jokes about the feet," said a comment posted by "Anonymous Anthropologist" on one media website.
"These are real people with real families and loved ones. People are really hurting over their lost loved ones, so have some modicum of human decency."
Still another urged readers to ditch the puns and show some concern.
"Foot puns aside (and who could resist), it sounds as if we got another damned serial killer loose in the Lower Mainland. Watch out for creeps in speedboats hanging around local islands in the middle of the night."
Some are convinced the feet are the work of organized crime and still others believe the victims were illegal stowaways thrown overboard at sea.
The story has generated growing interest worldwide with the discovery of each succeeding foot. Stories have been written for or picked up by the BBC, Fox News, CNN, the Associated Press and many others.
The six feet, while not yet identified, do have some common characteristics: All have been found inside running shoes, buoyant because of their thick, air-filled soles.
Police have released few details on the sixth and fifth feet, but the other four showed signs of disarticulation, which means the foot separated naturally from the leg, not through severing that would prompt speculation of foul play.
The location of the finds has prompted ocean current experts to suggest that the feet all could have been washed down the mighty Fraser River.
There has been rampant speculation that at least some of the feet might belong to the four victims of a light plane crash off the B.C. coast more than three years ago. Four of the five people in the plane were never found.
The coroner has taken DNA samples from relatives of those four men but no matches have been made so far.
There is no shortage of possibilities. The latest statistics from the RCMP in B.C. show more than 2,300 people have been reported missing.
The first right foot was found Aug. 20 on Jedidiah Island in the Strait of Georgia. On Aug. 26, another right foot was found inside a man's size 12 Reebok sneaker on nearby Gabriola Island.
A third was found in the same area, on the east side of Valdez Island, on Feb. 8.
The fourth foot was found May 22 on Kirkland Island in the Fraser River, only a kilometre away from the site in Ladner, along the same river where the fifth foot was found on Monday.
The fifth foot - the first left foot - was inside a size 10 black Adidas running shoe.
RCMP Sgt. Mike Tresoor said the latest foot was found on Tyee Spit in a size 10 black Adidas running shoe.
"The object will ultimately be examined by a forensic pathologist in attempts to determine the source of the foot and if it is related to other feet recently found," Tresoor said in a statement.
Earlier this week, chief coroner Terry Smith said his office has DNA profiles from the first three of the feet.
But Smith said that so far the DNA samples taken from the feet have not been able to be matched with any known samples to determine identities
