Charlotte Stephens and her family were visiting the west coast of Vancouver Island over the weekend, and while they were strolling along Botanical Beach her husband made the gruesome discovery.
“He picked it up and brought it out onto the beach, and we had a look at it for about five minutes and we thought, it almost looks like there is an actual foot bone in it,” she was quoted as saying by CBC News Canada. She says they reported their find to the Sooke RCMP.
The National Post is reporting the B.C. Coroners Service has confirmed the foot is human and an investigation is under way to identify whose foot it is and the cause of death.
Investigators said it can be difficult to determine whose remains were in the shoe or how long the shoe was in the water. Ocean currents can also be a factor. But they do have at least one clue, based on the shoe’s style and manufacturer.
Regional coroner Matt Brown says the shoe in question came on the market sometime in March 2013. “So I think it’s fair to say we are looking for someone gone missing from March 2013 and December 2015,” he said.
“That’s why we’re working with our police counterparts and through our own information to determine who may be missing in the area to perhaps use that as a starting point.”
The B.C. Coroners Office spokeswoman, Barbara McLintock said that at this time there is no indication of foul play, according to VanCity Buzz. Since 2007, 13 dismembered feet have washed up on British Columbia’s shores. Ten of those feet have been identified as belonging to seven people. Most of the cases turned out to be suicides.
