18th severed foot washes up on coast

SEVERED feet encased in trainers have been mysteriously washing up along the coast of the Salish Sea between Canada and the US for the past decade, generating countless theories but no definitive answers.

Now the phenomenon is back in the headlines with the discovery of yet another disembodied foot — the 18th since 2007.

The latest grisly find was made by a man walking his dog in British Columbia on December 8, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The pair was strolling on a beach in Jordan River, 30km northwest of Sooke on Vancouver Island when the animal came across the foot — with part of the leg still attached — inside a trainer, a spokesman said.

He called authorities, who sealed off the area and sent a coroner down to seize the limb while a search was carried out, unsuccessfully, for the rest of the body.

British Columbia Coroners Services spokesman Andy Watson said a preliminary analysis indicated the remains were human.

There have been so many cases of pranksters stuffing trainers with animal remains like chicken bones over the years that authorities no longer make the obvious assumption.

The coroner will now work to determine the identity of the deceased, how the person died and whether it was accidental, a suicide or homicide, Mr Watson told The Star.

The first severed foot was found on August 20, 2007. It was a right foot, size 12. Of the 18 feet and shoes found, only two have been matched together.