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| Credit: King County Medical Examiner |
The Seattle Times reports that port spokesman Peter McGraw says volunteers cleaning the park found a human foot in a white sneaker has been found on the shore at a park near Seattle's Pier 68,around 10 this morning.
McGraw said Port police investigated and then turned the shoe and foot over to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation.
However Peter McGraw of the Port of Seattle said it is not common to see feet wash up in this part of Seattle, he said "Our police were called and we had turned the foot over to the medical examiner. They will be investigating it further to see if they can find the identity of the person."
The mystery, which caused international intrigue, was never precisely solved.
One of the world’s foremost experts on floating objects, oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer, of Seattle, said it's common for decomposing bodies to come apart at the joints, including at the ankles. He knows of at least two feet turning up in Puget Sound over the past decade. He says new lightweight sneakers stay buoyant and float sole up, protecting the remains.
Ebbesmeyer said he had tracked the serial numbers of shoes found floating in the water and was able to prove that sneakers have remained afloat and even wearable after three years in the ocean.
To help identify the person whose foot was in the shoe, the King County Medical Examiner's Office released a photo of the shoe. The shoe is a New Balance athletic sneaker, men's size 10-1/2, white with blue trim. This model of shoe was first available for sale in April 2008. A black, cotton Hanes brand sock was also on the foot. The sex, age and ancestry of the person are not known.
Anyone who knows of a missing person that may have worn this type of shoe is asked to call the King County Medical Examiner's Office at 206-731-3232, ext. 1. Also, anyone aware of a missing person who has not been reported is asked to file a missing persons report with the appropriate local law enforcement agency.
