The mystery of human feet washing up on the US coastline has finally been solved after years of gruesome finds.
Since August 2007, beachgoers have discovered an alarming number of severed feet littering the shore of the Salish Sea – many still in a sock or a shoe.
The first two, believed to be from the same corpse were found within the space of a week by a young girl living nearby.
At the time coroner Rose stanton told CBC news: “Both feet were decomposing, but still had flesh on them.”
In 2017, the 13th foot was recorded – and the gruesome discoveries remained a mystery.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
It was discovered by dog walker Mike Johns who was walking his six-year-old Rottweiler, Taz, at the time.
He told CTV News: “By the looks of it, the foot He told CTV News: “By the looks of it, the foot was totally intact. The ankle bone still worked and the bones were attached at the base of the knee.”
But after years of theories, including a possible serial killer operating at sea under the cover of darkness, science may be able to shed more light on the mystery.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
According to coroner Barb McLintock, the most likely explanation is bodies that end up in the sea are eventually preyed upon by ocean creatures, reports the National Post.
The crustaceans are known as lazy feeders and will seek the easiest way to a good meal – therefore targeting softer spots of the body.
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This means joint, like the ankle and knee are easier entry points to the body as they are largely made of soft tissue and ligaments as opposed to bone.
It is also believed the bizarre finds only began when lighter and more buoyant shoes became available – meaning any detached foot is more likely to rise to the surface and wash ashore.