The BC Coroners Service has confirmed that two human feet found on a Vancouver Island beach belonged to the same person.
The first foot was found on Botanical Beach by a hiker on Feb. 7. Then, on Feb. 12, a person walking on the same beach found a second running shoe and contacted authorities.
The shoes involved are men’s New Balance runners, size 12 and blue and black. This type of shoe was first sold in North America in March, 2013, which suggest the shoe’s owner died at some point between March, 2013, and December, 2015.
The coroner says after examining the feet, it appears both disarticulated naturally from the rest of the body due to prolonged immersion in water.
There is no indication of trauma or of mechanical severance of the feet.
The Identification Unit of the BC Coroners Service will now continue to support the regional coroners and community and police partners in determining the identity of the individual concerned and a cause of death. Final confirmation in these circumstances must come from DNA testing.
These are the 13th and 14th feet that have washed up along the B.C. coastline since 2007. The BC Coroners Service has been able to identify 10 of the previous 12 feet, belonging to seven individuals. In none of the cases was any foul play involved.
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