VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Three times in less than a year, a right foot in a running shoe has been found off three separate islands in the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia.
Police have not determined if there are any links between the findings.
"It is very unusual," Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Annie Linteau said Tuesday.
Linteau said two are size 12. Police are not releasing the size of the third.
Last August, a foot was found inside a man's Reebok sneaker on Gabriola Island, just a few days after another foot was discovered by beachcombers on Jedidiah Island.
The remains of a third right foot was found on the east side of Valdez Island on Feb 8.
Linteau said the coroner's office is doing DNA testing.
"We're continuing our investigation and exploring all possibilities. We're looking into all our missing person files," Linteau said. "We're certainly inviting anyone who may have information about these right feet to give us a call."
Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a former professor of oceanography at the University of Washington who studies floating objects, said the feet could have drifted from as far as 1000 miles away.
Ebbesmeyers said the feet could have been severed or separated from the body on its own. British Columbia's corner's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ebbesmeyers said it may not be a coincidence they were found in the same area.
"Left foot wear and right foot wear often tend to wash up at different times at different places because they float differently," Ebbesmeyers said. "There are beaches that collect mostly rights and other beaches that collect mostly lefts. The winds of the currents sort out left and right foot wear."
Ebbesmeyers speculates they belong to people who have gone missing while out on the water. Other have speculated they could be the remains of a small plane crash in the area.
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