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Canada coroner matches pair of mysterious feet

3 days ago

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A coroner has matched a pair of dismembered female feet that mysteriously washed up on the shores of British Columbia.

The British Columbia coroner said Friday it had matched a female right foot discovered on Canada’s West coast in November with a left foot discovered in May. Both were encased in New Balance running shoes.

They were among five feet that have mysteriously floated ashore along the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland since August 2007.

A sixth foot was found on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula about 30 miles west of Port Angeles in August. The peninsula is separated from B.C.’s Vancouver Island by the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

All six feet were found in athletic shoes.

“In all cases, these remains appear to have naturally separated from the body,” said the B.C. Coroners Service.

DNA testing linked one of the Canadian feet to a depressed man who disappeared in 2007. Investigators have also concluded that two of the five feet belonged to one man who has not yet been identified.

Experts say that when a human body is submerged in the ocean, the arms, legs, hands, feet and head usually come off the body. The Coroners Service said it is difficult to determine how long remains have been in the water.

The Coroners Service uses physical characteristics and DNA analysis of the feet to establish a profile. Those profiles are maintained in a provincial database for future comparisons.

Police have said they are reviewing almost 300 missing persons files to try to match up the feet.

(This version CORRECTS SUBS first 4 grafs to correct coroner statement was issued Friday sted Saturday and location where foot found in Washington state.)

It’s still coming.

Just got off the phone with the Oklahoma City police cold case unit. There have been some exciting developments in several unsolved crimes, including the one I mentioned in an earlier post.

I still can’t release any details, but I can say that police think they’ve solved one of the high-profile cases featured on the Cold Case Oklahoma website.

As soon as I get the go-ahead to report on it, we’ll have something in The Oklahoman, online at www.coldcaseok.com and on this blog.

He’s going to be a big loss.

Douglas, 44, hasn’t been himself for more than five years. A burly, laughing officer who loved his job, his family, good food and better friends, Douglas served as a “motor jock” in the police motorcycle unit.

In 2003, an on-duty motor vehicle accident left him in a coma. He’s been there ever since.

I knew Robert. We weren’t best buddies or anything, but I always enjoyed talking to him and joking around with him. Robert and I shared a fondness for fedoras, among other things, and often discussed hats. He was known for wearing his fedora when working as an on-call police spokesman, and I wore one regularly when I covered Oklahoma City police full-time. 

In general, cops and crime writers have fairly bleak sensibilities, the result of seeing and thinking about the unpleasant things they encounter on the job. The grizzled, burned-out cop who’s seen too much is a stereotype in crime dramas for a reason.

But Robert seemed largely untouched by that sort of thing. He was always happy, and I always left a conversation with him feeling a little better about the world.

Last week, another cop called to tell me that Robert is on his last legs. His body is failing, and life is fading. He’s survived for five long years, but by all accounts, he doesn’t have much time left.

Robert’s one of the good guys. We’re losing him too soon.

Rapists who beat and stab women are among the scariest criminals out there. It’s a small step to go from hurting someone to killing someone.

Let’s not let this one turn into a Cold Case.

If you recognize this guy, please call Crime Stoppers at (405) 235-7300.

The sixth foot found in British Columbia does not belong to a human, a Canadian newspaper is reporting.

Instead, someone stuffed an animal’s skeletonized foot into a sock, slipped it into a black shoe and apparently planted it near the shore.

It’s a sick practical joke that’s light years away from funny.

Officials still don’t know where the five real feet came from, although at least four of them seem show no signs of tool marks. That suggests the feet may have detached from bodies during decomposition and drifted to land, floating in buoyant shoes.

For more information, go to:

http://tinyurl.com/3e7dzl

A couple in the midst of retirement plans, beaten and slaughtered 25 years ago.

A Halloween celebrant dressed as a witch, raped and murdered in a field where the homeless gather to drink.

A woman sexually assaulted in her home by a man in dancer’s tights who moved with the unwelcome grace of a Spider-Man.

These are among Oklahoma City’s cold cases — unsolved, unavenged but never forgotten.

And here is where you’ll hear their stories.

Welcome to Cold Case OKC, a unique interactive series combining the resources of The Oklahoman, NewsOK, Oklahoma City police … and you.

Today you will read about the Orbach case, watch video from police, view actual crime scene photos, listen to a podcast and learn what you can do to help bring a killer or killers to justice.

In coming weeks, you’ll view files on additional cases. Study the evidence. Search your memories. See if you hold the key to unlocking the mysteries. 

The smallest scrap of information could prove vital. Share tips with us at coldcase@oklahoman.com or contact police directly by calling Crime Stoppers at 235-7300 or the cold case unit at 297-1127.

And come back often.

With your help, perhaps justice will finally prevail. 

– By Ken Raymond, Staff Writer