Authorities say there is nothing to suggest the bare foot that washed up in Washington State on Friday was cut off or injured.
Det. Ed Wallace of the Island County Sheriff's Office said the foot is almost complete, despite a few bones missing from the toes.
"There's no trauma to it," he said. "It does not look like it's been severed."
It was discovered by a tourist walking on a beach on Whidbey Island, about 50 kilometres north of Seattle. Police estimate it had been in the water less than two months.
Based on the information police have gathered, they don't believe it matches any missing persons cases in the area.
"Based on the size, we believe it's from either a juvenile or a female," Wallace said.
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.
Despite the high concentration of discoveries in the area, Dr. Lynn Bell says it's not uncommon for feet to wash up on beaches.
"It does happen on other coastlines around the world, it's not unusual," she said. "Although it sounds somewhat gruesome, it's a very natural process and one that you would expect to happen."
Some have suggested the feet could belong to tsunami victims or plane crash victims. There is no evidence that any of the found feet were cut off, and Bell says they could have simply separated from the bodies in the water.
It's also possible they could have been forcibly removed without tools, she said.
The last discovery was made in the Triangle Beach area of Richmond in October. The foot was found inside a white, size 8.5 Nike running shoe, and was matched to 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.
There has been little progress on figuring out where the others came from. 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.
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.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Penny Daflos and files from The Canadian Press
