Yet another detached foot has washed up on a beach in the Pacific Northwest, according to police in Washington State.
The latest foot was discovered Friday by someone walking along a beach on the east side of Whidbey Island near the tiny town of Greenbank, Island County Det. Ed Wallace told ctvbc.ca. The foot was not inside a shoe.
"Based on the size, we believe it's from either a juvenile or a female," he said.
Police believe that the foot was in the water for less than two months. "It's almost complete, with muscles and ligaments," Wallace said, although he added that there is no skin, making ethnicity difficult to determine.
He said that a forensic pathologist is being called in to examine the foot, and DNA samples will be taken. Police are now checking missing persons reports.
This marks the ninth foot to wash up in the coastal region from B.C. to the northwestern tip of Washington since August 2007.
Related: View a map of locations where detached feet have been discovered.
The most recent discovery was made in the Triangle Beach area of suburban Richmond in October. The foot was inside a white, size 8.5 Nike running shoe, and was matched to a a man reported missing in January 2008.
The first foot to appear matched the DNA of a man who was depressed and likely took his own life.
Two feet found separately in New Balance running shoes in Richmond belong to the same woman, but she remains unidentified.
A matching pair of men's Nikes also remains unidentified, as well as a right male foot found in summer 2007.
There is no evidence of foul play in any of those cases.
RCMP Cpl. Annie Linteau said that B.C. Mounties will be in touch with Washington police on Monday to offer assistance with the latest discovery.
"We've certainly had lots of experience in dealing with these sorts of remains," she said.
Linteau added that the RCMP is still trying to identify the three people connected to the remaining feet.
"We're still working hard at trying to identify who these feet belong to," she said.
