Foot found on Richmond beach is seventh foot found on B.C. coast

Vancoiver (Canada) Sun ^ | 10/29/09

[llevrok]

RICHMOND - A right foot has been found inside a running shoe on a beach in Richmond, the seventh foot found along B.C.’s coast in two years, RCMP said Wednesday.

Two men walking on the beach Tuesday evening found the foot in a white size 8.5 Nike running shoe on the beach at No. 6 Road and Triangle Road, the RCMP said.

The BC Coroners Service confirmed the remains were human through a forensic autopsy and will conduct more forensic tests in its investigation with the RCMP.

Exams by forensic pathologists and anthropologists will help determine physical characteristics, which, combined with DNA analysis, will help the police and coroners service build a profile to identify the person.

The feet have separated from the body through a natural process, the RCMP said.

The first severed foot, discovered in August 2007, was associated with a deceased man whose name police withheld at the request of his family.

A man’s right foot found on Gabriola Island in August 2007 remains unidentified.

Two feet found on Valdez and Westham islands in July 2008 belonged to the same man.

And two feet found in Richmond in December 2008 belonged to the same woman.

Anyone with information about the identity of the victims may call their local police department or the BC Coroners Office identification tip line at 1-877-660-5077.

[Graybeard58]

What’s afoot?

[1rudeboy]

Ok, this is starting to creep me out.

[Jeff Chandler]

No hands? No torsos? No heads?

What’s with the feet?

[Buckeye McFrog]

Nike shoes must somehow be in violation of Sharia law

[Jeff Chandler]

Ok, this is starting to creep me out.

I'm two years ahead of you.

[Hodar]

I just hate it when I do my laundry, and I have all my socks; but I misplace a foot.

[ClearCase_guy]

Somebody is doing the Hokey-Pokey waaaaaay too seriously.

But maybe that really is what it's all about.

[sofaman]

the authorities should take steps to stop this.

Thank YOU!

How you doing big guy? It's been ages.

[nascarnation]

The feet have separated from the body through a natural process, the RCMP said.

Can anyone explain this?

I've never heard of it.

[Paladin2]

shhhAAAARK!

[GeronL]

Is this a cult thing?

[ArrogantBustard]

Matthew 5:
29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Hmmmm....

Maybe some peoples' feet were causing them to sin ...

[Jewbacca]

I really don’t think you should let fear take a foothold.

There is bound to be a logical explaination, if you follow this mystery step-by-step, putting one foot after the other.

[edcoil]

I was thinking fish eating body away - could be from airplane crash off Brazil but some found two years ago.

Not sure.

[dawn53]

I read that “natural process” to mean shark bite, LOL. I know of no other “natural process” whereby one’s feet are separated from one’s body.

[originalbuckeye]

Where's the BAU when you need them?? We should offer to help our neighbor to the north!

[AnAmericanMother]

Without being too gruesome, here's what's going on, I think.

You've got drowning victims, boating accident victims, and such like folks floating around in the sea. The currents on the North Pacific coast are particularly strong and push a lot of stuff on shore.

Note that the Mounties said that the feet became detached 'through a natural process'.

And running shoes FLOAT.

What's happening here is that during the natural process of decomposition, feet and hands are the first things to go. Not much in the way of flesh, very complicated joints, plenty of access for fish and what not. And the feet being encased in the opposite of concrete overshoes, they float near the surface and are pushed onshore by the currents.

Still creeps me out, but at least there's not some crazed serial foot-chopper out there with a boat.

[Disambiguator]

If the shoe fits...

[Jewbacca]

“The feet have separated from the body through a natural process, the RCMP said. Can anyone explain this?”

They have very aggresive athelete foot fungi in Canada.

[pgkdan]

This is really weird. I remeber reading about this here a year or two ago.

[AnAmericanMother]

Nope, the Mountie was trying not to gross people out. These are feet that have become detached through decomposition, not some external means. Shark bites would show damage to the bones.

[WakeUpAndVote]

No hands? No torsos? No heads?

What’s with the feet?
______

They aren’t as tasty as the rest.

[Roccus]

Saw something about this on Nat Geo or the Hist channel the other day. Seems that feet are the first things to disarticulate from a body in the ocean. Tightly laced sneakers preserve feet from deterioration in the ocean, plus they float, which is why they are found washed up on beaches.

[Jewbacca]

I suspect pirate initiation ceremonies.

[SunnyUsa]

good one! lol

[Robert357]

Can anyone explain this?

The feet are encased in a bio-indestructable casing of tennis shoe. The rest of the body separates from a combination of decomposition and predation by marine organisms. Crabs, fish, worms, etc. eat those parts of the body that they can get to. The feet encased in the shoe are pretty well protected on most sides from being eaten.

[Roccus]

I type too slow ;)

[Jewbacca]

“No hands? No torsos? No heads?”

No motorcars, either. Not a single luxury.

[DannyTN]

There are 26 bones in the human foot.

What would want to eat that?

[AnAmericanMother]

It's enough to make you never want to eat another crab cake.

On second thought, I just won't think about it. I LOVE crab cakes!

[jboot]

No hands? No torsos? No heads?

Natural decomp. When a body is in water it tends to break apart at the joints, staring with the wrists and ankles. The hands and other body parts tend to sink after they have outgassed, but the feet will float around indefinitely if they are encased in bouyant running shoes.

[AnAmericanMother]

No, I type too ()*((&^%$ fast!

[CurlyDave]

The feet have separated from the body through a natural process, the RCMP said.

The natural process involves a chain saw...

[dfwgator]

"THERE'S EVIL AFOOT!"

[stormer]

"I know of no other 'natural process' whereby one’s feet are separated from one’s body."

Former forensic photographer here. Bodies that spend enough time in water rather unpleasantly go through a process called “disarticulation”.

[fanfan]

Thanks for the ping, 1rudeboy.

[Broker]

More not found than found for sure.. Foot loose and fancy free.

[fanfan]

Ok, this is starting to creep me out.

You don't get a kick out of it?

[nina0113]

Maybe some peoples' feet were causing them to sin ...

Were they kicking cats or dogs?

[HD1200]

I read a report a long time ago that explained this.

Very often drowning victims are wearing tennis shoes (deck shoes, etc) that 1) protect the drowned’d victims feet from predators and 2) float.

When ligaments holding fee to the bones decay the foot floats up and ends up on a beach. Most reports fail to disclose that the feet they find are in a tennis shoe and that is just bad reporting.

[WellyP]

Chinese that didn’t make it?

[jboot]

What would want to eat that?

Lots of stuff, especially seafloor creatures. The casualties of the Titanic were completely consumed; even their clothes and bones were dissolved by bacteria. If you look at the seaflor around the wreck it is littered with neat pairs of shoes, each marking where a body once lay. The tanning process makes leather inedible even to seabed critters, but everything else was munched.

[MrB]

Like Robinson Cuh Ruso, it’s primitive as can be.

[swain_forkbeard]

It’s the work of an arch enemy.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

What’s afoot?

[charles1252]

When politicians say “vote with your feet” I don’t think they had this in mind!

[swain_forkbeard]

This isn’t going to turn into one of those Marianne vs. Ginger threads, is it little buddy?

[dawn53]

Yuck...but if the body deteriorates enough to break apart at the joints...how come the feet stay intact enough to keep the shoes on. Is it the bones that keep the shoes from floating of the feet?

[Jewbacca]