Fourth right foot washes up near Vancouver, RCMP confirm
Last Updated: Saturday, May 24, 2008 | 11:52 AM PT
CBC News
Investigators process a right foot that washed up on Kirkland Island, B.C. (CBC)Another right foot wearing a sock and sneaker was discovered washed ashore near Vancouver, the RCMP confirmed Friday.
The foot is the fourth right foot wearing a sock and a running shoe to wash up in the area in less than a year.
The latest foot was discovered on uninhabited Kirkland Island in the Fraser River on Thursday.
The previous three washed up in the Gulf Islands between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. In August, two size 12 right feet were discovered on Gabriola and Jedediah islands, and a third foot was found in February on Valdes Island.
DNA tests were underway and experts in forensics, major crime and missing persons were all involved in the investigation, the RCMP said on Friday.
RCMP Cpl. Nycki Basra of Richmond said on Thursday that the case is one of the strangest she has heard of.
"Well, for us, it's our first time. In my 12 years of service, this is the first time I've seen it," she said about the most recently found foot.
Police are working to trace where the foot came from, Basra said. It could be the result of a suicide, an accident, or foul play.
Meanwhile, one man believes the feet may be remains of his two brothers and two other passengers who were in a plane that crashed in the waters off Quadra Island three years ago.
The bodies of the four men were never recovered, and Kevin Decock has been looking for the remains of his brothers since the crash in 2005.
Decock said he may have stirred up the ocean floor during a search last summer.
"I was out on the water conducting some surveys trying to bring up the engine from the plane crash, and I was dragging a hook. And two weeks after that the first foot showed up," Decock said.
His father provided authorities with a DNA sample two months ago, but Terry Smith, B.C.'s chief coroner, would only say that a full DNA profile exists for the first three of the four feet found, and officials have been unable to match the feet to any missing persons.
Smith cautioned against jumping to any conclusions, including that there might be foul play involved.
"This may very well be nothing more than the results of natural process of decomposition in water and the combined affects of predation by aquatic scavengers," Smith said.
It appears the first three feet were not severed, Smith said, but separated from the body through decomposition.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Former Stanley Park petting zoo goats feared slaughtered
- The chair of Vancouver's park board says she's outraged at the possible slaughter of goats that used to live at the Stanley Park farmyard. more »
- New Westminster man saves woman from house fire
- A New Westminster, B.C., man is being called a hero after rescuing a woman from the balcony of a burning home early Sunday morning. more »
- Adults-only trade show cancelled in B.C. Bible belt
- Organizers of an adults-only trade show say they're cancelling a three-day event that was scheduled to take place in British Columbia's Bible belt. more »
- Canada fails to advance to Davis Cup quarters
- Canada failed to advance to the Davis Cup quarter-finals Sunday as France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat surprise substitute Frank Dancevic in straight sets in Vancouver. more »
Top News Headlines
- Markets gain after Greece approves austerity plan
- World stock markets rise after Greece's parliament approves a new set of austerity measures that were required by international lenders in exchange for an emergency bailout. more »
- Hit and run victim's family fears accused will walk
- The family of a young mother killed in a hit and run is outraged that the case against the alleged driver is among thousands in B.C. at risk of being thrown out because of a huge court backlog. more »
- CBC launches digital music service
- CBC is diving into the world of online music with the goal of providing listeners access to their favourite tunes and a way to discover new artists and connect with fellow music fans. more »
- Market moves: Is it time to start investing in the world yet?
- Investors have always been told that diversification is one of the best ways to reduce the risk associated with a portfolio, but they often aren't told the whole story. more »
- Former Stanley Park petting zoo goats feared slaughtered
- Adults-only trade show cancelled in B.C. Bible belt
- New Westminster man saves woman from house fire
- B.C. vets call for ban on dog docking, cropping
- Crane drops section of Port Mann bridge into B.C. river
- Langley man struck, killed by train
- RCMP request retraction over 'slanderous' article
- Pickton investigators defended by man who warned of killer
- Emailed rave rape pictures earn teen probation

