VICTORIA, British Columbia, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A human foot has washed up on a Pacific Northwest beach, the ninth in the last three years, law enforcement officers reported.
A person walking on Whidbey Island, Wash., in Puget Sound north of Seattle, discovered the foot Friday, Detective Ed Wallace of the Island County Sheriff's office told the Victoria Times-Colonist of British Columbia.
It probably came from a woman or child, based on the size.
No other human remains were found on the beach, he said.
The foot was sent for DNA testing and forensic examination.
Based on the level of decomposition, it had been in the water less than two months, Wallace said.
Wallace said there are no missing people in the county matching the remains, so his office will contact nearby law enforcement, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Cpl. Annie Linteau of the RCMP said investigators will compare DNA from this foot to samples from people reported missing across British Columbia.
The foot is the ninth to wash up since 2007. Most were in Canada.
In the previous cases, foul play was not suspected and police said the feet likely broke off from decomposition.
