SATURDAY DIGEST: world's greatest unsolved mysteries (Day 2)

It's not uncommon for bodies to wash up on beaches but for one beach in British Columbia severed feet have consistently been floating ashore for the past years causing numerous to the put forth.

Salish Sea human foot discoveries

Since August 20, 2007, several detached human feet have been discovered on the coasts of the Salish Sea in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, United States. The feet belonged to five men, one woman, and three other people of unknown sex. Of the ten or eleven feet found, only two have been left feet. Both of those were matched with right feet. As of February 2012, only five feet of four people have been identified; it is not known to whom the rest of the feet belong. In addition, several hoax feet have been planted in the area

Discoveries.

As of May 6, 2014, ten or eleven feet have been found in the Canadian province of British Columbia, and four in the US State of Washington.

In July 2008 it was announced that one foot had been identified by Vancouver police, using DNA, as belonging to a man who was depressed and probably committed suicide. His identity was withheld on request of his family.

Proposed Theory.

The series of discoveries has been called "astounding" and "almost beyond explanation", as no other body parts have turned up. The discoveries have caused speculation that the feet may be those of people who died in a boating accident or a plane crash in the ocean. One explanation is that some of the feet are those of four men who died in a plane crash near Quadra Island in 2005 and whose bodies have not been recovered, though one of the feet has been determined to be from a female. Foul play has also been suggested, although none of the first four feet showed tool marks. This does not rule out foul play, however; it is possible that the bodies could have been weighted down and disposed of, and the feet were separated due to natural decay.

Determining the origin of the feet is complicated because ocean currents may carry floating items long distances, and because currents in the Strait of Georgia are unpredictable. A foot may float as far as 1,000 miles (1,600 km). Also, human feet have a tendency to produce adipocere (a soap-like substance formed from body fat), which makes it hard for forensic scientists to find clues. Under optimal conditions, a human body may remain intact in water for as long as three decades, meaning that the feet may have been floating around for years.

Another theory is that the feet belonged to people who died in the Asian Tsunami on December 26, 2004. Richmond-based writer Shane Lambert has advocated this position, pointing to the fact that many of the shoes found were manufactured and sold in 2004 or earlier. Lambert acknowledges that there could be other sources for the shoes or multiple sources. However, besides the dates when the shoes were manufactured, Lambert cites ocean currents and their ultimate northward tendencies up the Pacific Ocean from part of the region that was hit by the 2004 Tsunami.

One foot has been identified as belonging to a man who was depressed and probably committed suicide and two feet were identified as belonging to a woman who committed suicide by jumping from the Pattullo Bridge in New Westminster, B.C., in 2004. This suggests that the feet belong to various persons who have jumped from the bridge

Reference: Wikipedia