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Severed Leg (And Feet) Mysteries

Severed human foot found by dog walkers in Bath park
Foot described severed a couple of inches above ankle discovered under a bush in park near city centre by group walking their dogs
By Agency
3:23PM GMT 19 Feb 2016

Police are investigating the discovery of a severed human foot in a city park.
Severed a couple of inches above the ankle, it was found by a group of dog walkers at Weston Park East in Bath, Somerset, around a mile from the city centre.

Simon Clarke was among those to make the discovery while walking his dog Ollie with his partner Nicky Jeffries at around 8am on Friday.
The foot - described as yellow and muddy - was found under a bush in the southern corner of the park.
Mr Clarke, a part-time Bath Spa University lecturer, said: "It was severed about four inches above the ankle. It looked like it had been dug up."

The 52-year-old added: "There were a few of us out walking our dogs and then a lady came running over to find us and said there's a foot in the hedge.
"Her dog was sniffing at it then she realised what it was. We all had a look at it and it was indeed a foot. It was lying on the grass, severed about four inches above the ankle.
"It looks like quite an old foot and it might have been unearthed. It's almost certainly a human foot and it looks real as opposed to a fake foot that someone put there. Obviously it's quite frosty so it was covered in frost."

Police said the foot has been sent for forensic analysis "in an attempt to determine who it belongs to".
A spokesman said: "Shortly after 8am today a member of the public found a human foot in undergrowth in Weston Park East, Bath.
"We have cordoned off the park and are carrying out a detailed search of the area as part of our investigation into the find.
"Specialist crime scene investigators are also examining the scene. The foot has been sent for forensic analysis in an attempt to determine who it belongs to."

Detective Inspector Lorett Spierenburg said: "This investigation is at a very early stage and we are keeping an open mind as to how the foot came to be in the park.
"We are doing everything we can to identify the person whose foot it is and are liaising with the local hospital and reviewing missing persons as part of our investigation.
"I would like to reassure the local community that we have increased patrols in the area and anyone with any concerns is invited to speak to officers."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...n-foot-found-by-dog-walkers-in-Bath-park.html
 
After four years, why are more feet washing ashore in British Columbia?
Since 2007, 12 human feet clad in running shoes have been found on the shores of British Columbia, including two that have turned up in February
Ellen Brait in New York
Tuesday 23 February 2016 14.22 GMT

British Columbia, Canada is known for many things: beautiful landscapes, great skiing, the 2010 Winter Olympics – and the human feet that have been washing up on its shores for the last nine years.
Since 2007, 12 human feet clad in running shoes have been found on the shores of British Columbia, from Jedediah Island to Botanical Beach. So far, the provincial coroner’s office has identified eight of the 12. Of those eight, two were pairs. The remaining lone feet, the coroner determined, belonged to men.

It had been nearly four years since a foot sighting, and then on 7 February a new one washed ashore, discovered by a hiker along Vancouver Island’s Botanical Beach. Five days later, another one appeared. The coroner’s office confirmed they were a pair.

After so many years, the arrival of human feet on the province’s shores is old news. But when they started to be discovered in 2007, speculation about where they came from ran rampant and pranksters even planted fake feet on the shores, just to add fuel to the fire.
“We’ve had people put dog foot skeletons in runners and leave them on the beach,” said Barb McLintock, who works at the coroner’s office. “And somebody even used old chicken bones.”

Since the first foot was discovered, theories about the feet have been numerous and creative. In 2008, a Toronto Star article said that “speculation ranges from natural disasters, such as the tsunami of 2004, to the work of drug dealers, serial killers and human traffickers”.

In 2008, the man who found the fifth foot told the Guardian he suspected foul play: “There’s someone doing this all right. Think about it, if they tied a chain around someone’s ankle and threw them overboard, the foot would just pop off. That could explain it. Maybe they got a lot of bodies stored up in a container and they got washed out. We don’t know. There’s a lot of stuff goes on over there,” he said.

But McLintock said this is not the work of a serial killer or the result of alien abductions. The coroner’s office has ruled that all of the identified individuals committed suicide or died accidentally, most likely due to storms near the coast.
After several years and a dozen cases, McLintock said their work suggests the feet are separating from the bodies during decomposition. This occurs more quickly underwater than it would on land.

“The forensic anthropologists can be really sure of that because they can tell looking at the ends of the bones whether they disarticulated naturally or whether there’s any sign that any mechanical force has been applied to them, whether there’s any trauma, whether there’s any tool marks on them,” she said. “And none of them have had anything like that. All the evidence is pointed to just this natural articulation process.”

But some people still have questions – like why did the feet only start turning up after 2007? The answer may be advancing shoe technology. More and more sports shoes are using air pockets or light foam in their designs, which “eventually allows them to be light enough to float and to wash up on shore”.

The coast of British Columbia sees many of these cases because of tide and current patterns, according to McLintock. And while the odd foot pops up elsewhere in the world – for example, several have come ashore in Washington State – British Columbia remains in the spotlight. But McLintock has no doubt that this occurs worldwide, and not just on her coast.
“Presumably there probably are a bunch of running shoes bouncing around out there,” she said. “But no one’s ever going to find them.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/23/british-columbia-canada-human-feet-mystery
 
Seeing this thread reminded me of this old case, and it seems that some people have come up with more than I had thought...

"
The foot, belonging to 14-year-old Daniel Nolan, from Hamble in Hampshire, was discovered by a dog-walker in an area of beach known as Chapman's Pool near Swanage, Dorset, on May 15.

Daniel disappeared after a night-time fishing trip with friends at Hamble waterfront on January 1, 2002.

Tidal experts are now being consulted to find out how the foot, in a trainer and sock, managed to travel 40 miles to the Dorset beach, so that police might know where to look for Daniel's remains.

Tests revealed the foot had come away from Daniel's body naturally.

Devastated

Daniel's mother Pauline Nolan, who had never given up hope of finding her son alive, said today the family were "devastated" by the news.

She said telling Daniel's sister Claire, 15, and his three brothers Liam, 13, Patrick, 11, and Connor, eight, was "the hardest task of my life".

She added: "They have been extremely brave in the last 21 months."

Mrs Nolan, 43, paid tribute to her son who she called a "special boy". She also thanked friends who helped raise a £50,000 reward for information leading to solving Daniel's disappearance, and

the police for their help.

Search

Daniel was last seen walking towards a pontoon over the River Hamble on a icy night. His fishing gear and gloves were found on the pontoon after his parents called police.

Police launched a massive air, land and sea search, but concluded that Daniel had fallen in the river and been swept out into the Solent.

So far they have been unable to explain conclusively to Daniel's family what happened to their son.

Mrs Nolan said the discovery "raises more questions than it answers".

She said: "As a family, we must emphasise this does not tell us the circumstances surrounding Dan's disappearance."

Police appeal continues

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Williams from Hampshire Police said: "Our thoughts are with the Nolan family at this time.

"The investigating team is united in its resolve to pursue every reasonable line of inquiry to establish the reason for Daniel's disappearance.

"A considerable number of experts have been and

continue to be consulted with a view to providing the best possible evidence to assist in a proper interpretation of the events.

"We continue to appeal to all members of the public who may have information in relation to Dan's disappearance to contact the police as soon as possible. We remain open-minded in terms of what may have happened to him."

Other remains

Meanwhile, police are trying to identify the human remains of a young boy found on a beach at Warsash, Southampton, in February this year.

Forensic tests have proved these do not belong to Daniel.

A police spokeswoman said: "According to a leading forensic anthropologist, the bones have been assessed as those of a male youth aged between 14 and 16 years - approximately 5ft 9ins tall. Further expert evidence indicates that the youth would have come from the Hampshire, Dorset or Isle of Wight area.

"All the evidence gathered to date suggests that these bones do not belong to missing teenager Damien Nettles, who disappeared from the Isle of Wight in 1996. Damien's family have also been informed of this latest development."

She added: "The investigating team has been in consultation with the Coroner's office to establish whether and when an inquest into Daniel's death may be opened." "

SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-196154/Foot-belongs-missing-boy.html

And then there is this article that came up, which looks interesting, if nothing else. I have not fully looked at it, so no idea of relevance: http://ellisctaylor.com/2015/08/19/daniel-nolan/

If this is of any relevance?
 
I still have this idea that they fell into the sea, drowned and then got eaten by sharks.
 
I still have this idea that they fell into the sea, drowned and then got eaten by sharks.

Apparently (saw it on QI) sharks don't have a taste for people, and only occasionally bite them out of curiosity, so don't blame the sharks.
 
I doubt it would be sharks. I also doubt it is squids, too.

This is a truly peculiar affair. I have no idea - yet - what to make of it all.
 
If not creatures, perhaps some kind of criminal activity? Mafia/drug gangs killing people they don't like?
 
Possib
If not creatures, perhaps some kind of criminal activity? Mafia/drug gangs killing people they don't like?
Possibly, but it doesn't sound right. You would want to make them completely disappear, and they clearly are returning, at least in foot form...

If you wanted to dispose of a person's remains, you would want to strip them of as much as possible, particularly as we are living in a post CSI world. Forensics is a lot more known now, and clothes can be used to pin down the general time period of the person's death, like in the murder case of Karen Price.

Also, how many drug/mafia gangs operate in British Columbia? Also, have they been known to dispose of victims in the ocean?

Just some thoughts.
 
Not seen the Sopranos? Happens all the time.
That is a television set in New Jersey.

I don't know if I have made myself clear, apologies. The missing feet have been turning up in the British Columbia area of Canada. Do we know of any drug cartels, or Mafia gangs operating in that area, that could feasibly have dumped bodies in the ocean?

And what do we know of the dead people, thinking about it? Has any names or identities been revealed?
 
That is a television set in New Jersey.
And you think the writer of that show thought up the concept of dumping bodies at sea? Sorry if I haven't made myself clear, but
Also, how many drug/mafia gangs operate in British Columbia? Also, have they been known to dispose of victims in the ocean?
this has been going on as long as people have been using boats.
 
And you think the writer of that show thought up the concept of dumping bodies at sea? Sorry if I haven't made myself clear, but

this has been going on as long as people have been using boats.
I understand what you are saying, you are showing an example. What I am trying to do is establish drug cartels or Mafia gangs in that part of Canada that could have done it. If we can establish that, then we have a strong possible cause for what is going on.
 
Many of the British Columbia feet have been identified. Crime is not generally suspected -

The coroner’s office has ruled that all of the identified individuals committed suicide or died accidentally, most likely due to storms near the coast.
After several years and a dozen cases, McLintock said their work suggests the feet are separating from the bodies during decomposition. This occurs more quickly underwater than it would on land.

The sudden appearance of so many feet is believed to be related to changes in sports shoe manufacture. Newer materials and design are factors in both preserving the feet and enabling them to float with the currents.

This explanation doesn't cover a foot found in a British park though, apart from the possible aspect of preservation.

I'm a big Sopranos fan. Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero is the only Sopranos character who is shown being murdered and dumped at sea.
However, we know there are others who we are murdered and then disposed of in the sea, including 'Fat Dom' Gamiello'. For some reason his severed head is kept separately in a freezer for a while before being forcibly shoved down a distant drain.

While Big Pussy did wear trainers, his murder occurred in the year 2000. This may have been shortly before the arrival of forensically-useful sports footwear design. As far as we know his feet did not wash up accusingly on the picturesque Jersey shore.
 
I recall a conversation with a work-mate who had some genuinely unpleasant friends (as in mixed up with serious crime) who had told him that the best way to get rid of a body was to knock out the teeth, wrap the body in a weighted tube of chicken wire and drop it at sea. The rational being that sea creatures could access the body to denude it of flesh and eventually when all that was left was bones, the natural currents would spread them across the sea bed.

It fair put me off prawns and crabs and other bottom feeding sea food for a while I'll tell you.
 
Just some random human feet in a park.

www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-37118617

The article is actually mostly a video.
----------------------------------
A search has again taken place in Weston Park in Bath by police investigating the discovery of three human feet.

The first turned up inside the park in February, the second and third were found in nearby gardens in July and earlier this month.

Police say they do not think there is anything sinister behind the finds but they are continuing to investigate why they keep appearing.
 
Is there a medical school at Bath or Bristol universities? Student doctors with access to body parts....
 
There's some discussion of this feet that keep turing up in the Corpse Mishandling thread... I think one of the reports does say that at least one of the feet was used for training medial students, so sounds like a warped prank.
 
As I understand it, it is not considered sinister because the feet, or some of them, are preserved (probably with the modern, safer replacement for formaldehyde) which suggests they're medical samples.

Is there a medical school at Bath or Bristol universities? Student doctors with access to body parts....

Not Bath I think, but definitely Bristol. Although having worked in the medical dissection room there myself I can't see how this could happen, it's all very tightly regulated.
 
Makes me think of the controversy some years back concerning hospitals keeping body parts, rather than releasing them to next-of-kin for burial. Wasn't part of the fall-out from that an admission that after so many NHS mergers, reforms and reorganisations, some of the current NHS trusts don't have a bloody clue as to exactly what they've inherited from previous admiinistrations in terms of miscellaneous bits in sample jars? Cue those well-known exemplars of sobriety, responsibility and impeccable behavoiur, medical (and these days nursing) students...
 
I believe more and more feet are being amputated these days because of the growing number of diabetes cases in the UK, so maybe that's where they're from. And also that we should be thankful there isn't a greater variety of body parts turning up.
 
Some years ago, I was involved in the conversion of a former hospital into flats. It had been closed for a couple of years. On my first visit, lying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs in what had been a reception area, was a human skull that had been prepared as an anatomical specimen.
I've no idea what happened to it when the builders moved in.
 
The first turned up inside the park in February, the second and third were found in nearby gardens in July and earlier this month.

Police say they do not think there is anything sinister behind the finds but they are continuing to investigate why they keep appearing.

"There seems to be a lot of it about, probably a virus..."
 
Some years ago, I was involved in the conversion of a former hospital into flats. It had been closed for a couple of years. On my first visit, lying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs in what had been a reception area, was a human skull that had been prepared as an anatomical specimen.
I've no idea what happened to it when the builders moved in.

Probably wise of you not to nick it .. how would you explain where you got it from ?
 
I'm sure I've read about foxes being suspected of stealing feet from medical waste. I can't remember where, though.
 
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