Chris's Crime Forum

Like I mentioned in my original post there are many theories out there right now.Believe me I have been running many scenarios through my brain.Alot of so called experts are coming out of the woodwork to give their opinions,and for now thats all they are.None of these "Experts" are involved in the investigation,they are like the rest of us in having an opinion.Here is a list of theories floating around:

Everybody has a theory ...

Everyone from forensic experts to conspiracy theorists are casting about for an answer to the mystery of the feet that are washing up on B.C. shores.

Theories swirl that they belong to people who perished in plane or boat crashes. Stowaways - desperate to flee to another land, dangerously encased in vessels and often travelling in groups - are another possibility, says one American underwater crime-scene investigation expert.

"With the ocean currents that prevail in that area, I would not be surprised to see maybe some stowaways that have gone overboard," said Joseph Finley, a retired FBI special agent.

"These folks generally find watertight compartments underneath the bottom of the ship.

"It would be easy for someone to fall in, be washed in or be sucked into the eddy under the ship," he said.

The six disembodied feet encased in running shoes have all turned up on a relatively small patch of the vast B.C. shoreline within the past year.


Online forums have lit up with whodunit theories, many quickly veering into the outrageous. Conspiracy theorists hypothesize on everything from a crazed podiatrist or a foot fetish serial killer to a twisted mortician tossing body parts into the sea. But Dr. Finley quickly ruled out that type of reasoning.

"I don't think you have a perverted psychotic killer," he said. And he can't help but wonder if coastal B.C. is in for more gruesome finds.

"You can assume there are other lefts and rights floating out around there. There are a matching pair in the ocean - whether they show up or not is a different story."

GLOBEANDMAIL

Of course I have to put my two cents worth in.I was born in Langley,B.C. 98% of my family still resides all over the coast.Lets just say I have some family members with ummm connections,and who tend to affiliate themselves with undesirable people.There is alot of talk.

Vancouver is a huge drug hub,many believe the feet have to do with gangland killings.I am leaning toward this theory,the only other thing I can wrap my mind around is there is a sick serial killer on the loose.I know it sounds like a story for a horror story,but I just cannot figure out how it could have anything to do with a plane crash or people sneaking into the country on boats.If the latter were the case why have no other body parts been found.

I am curious what other members think,please feel free to weigh in.Oh and one thing I will ask of everyone,please no pun jokes.I belong to another very well known forum,I will not name it here,but I am utterly dissapointed the way people are making light of this situation,and turning the thread into a comedy show.6 feet from human beings have washed up on the shorelines,that means these people are deceased,I see nothing funny about this situation at all.

Since October of 2003 22 men have gone missing in B.C.

1. Chilliwack resident Michael Scullion, 30, last seen in Agassiz April 10, 2008.
2. Burnaby resident Kellen McElwee, 25, last seen in Langley March 19, 2008.
3. Langley resident Derek Kelly, 32, last seen at Bridge Lake Jan. 1, 2008.
4. Langley resident John Kahler, 29, last seen at Stave Lake Nov. 2, 2007.
5. Burnaby resident Brian Braumberger, 18, last seen June 1, 2007.
6. Vancouver resident Richard Tamassy, 42, last seen April 15, 2008.
7. Vancouver resident Greg Cyr, 43, last seen Oct. 26, 2003.
8. Vancouver resident Ron Carlow, 38, last seen June 20, 2007.
9. North Vancouver resident Matthew Price, 22, missing since July 15, 2004.
10. North Vancouver resident David McMorran, 45, last seen Feb. 14, 2005.
11. Burnaby resident Patrick Ratto, 43, last seen July 25, 2006.
12. Burnaby resident Terry Beckett, 55, last seen April 21, 2008.
13. Burnaby resident Asim Chaudhry, 24, last seen July 20, 2007.
14. Coquitlam resident Kenneth Shigehiro, 46, last seen March 4, 2008.
15. Chilliwack resident Brandyn Thomas Dirienzo, 20, last seen Oct. 4, 2006.
16. Abbotsford resident Beric Bason, 26, last seen at Loon Lake July 25, 2007.
17. Surrey resident Ranvir (Ron) Atwal, 28, last seen April 5, 2004.
18. White Rock resident Wade MacKenzie, 23, last seen in North Delta Jan. 16, 2008.
19. Kelowna resident Aaron Derbyshire, 22, last seen Sept. 30, 2006.
20. Kelowna resident Michael Bosma, 26, last seen Jan. 9, 2006.
21. Kelowna resident John Ernest Patrick, 40, last seen March 21, 2008.
22. Greenwood resident Gary Hansen, 52, last seen May 27, 2005.

My first tought is why haven't LE shed some light on this. The age of the remains would shed some light and could narrow down the time line to look at any planes that have crashed recently. Also dna taken from the remains could be matched to any relatives of people in these crashes.
When i look at the list of the missing i have to think where are the rest of them, if there is a serial killer and is leaving the remains in the water.
Puzzling, to say the least.

From what I have read they have done DNA testing on the first 4 feet,apparently with no matches to missing persons.That they have in their database anyways.They need to release more info,if people knew what origin the feet were caucasian or whatnot than it might help somehow.But to me saying they don't even think they are connected is absolutely absurd.6 feet do not washup for no reason and how could they not be connected somehow.

Sixth foot found to be a fake
The "sixth foot" is a fake.

The remains found in a shoe near Campbell River on Wednesday -- the "sixth foot" that garnered international attention and speculation -- are in fact not human.

Someone inserted a "skeletonized animal paw ... into the shoe with a sock and packed [it] with dried seaweed," the B.C. Coroners Service (BCCS) confirmed on Thursday
A forensic pathologist and an anthropologist made that assessment after examining the shoe and the remains, according to the BCCS.

The discovery on Wednesday marked the sixth "foot" found washed ashore in the area since last August. All were encased in a sneakers. Only the latest one has been ascertained a fake.

"It is the position of BCCS that this type of hoax is reprehensible and very disrespectful to the families of missing persons.

"It fuels inappropriate speculation and creates undue anxiety for families and communities while wasting valuable investigative time and resources that could be spent on the main investigations," the service said in a media release.

The coroner's investigation into this incident has been called off.

But RCMP investigators are looking to begin a new investigation into the hoax.

"Time was taken to ensure that the remains were set up to closely resemble human remains," explains Insp. Brendan FitzPatrick, operations officer for B.C.'s major crimes section.

The RCMP is recommending Campbell River detachment pursue public mischief and potentially cruelty-to-animal charges agains the person or persons involved.

"While it is a relief that there was a not a human victim involved, the fact somebody would perpetrate a hoax such as this is disturbing," says FitzPatrick.

"Due to the nature of these incidents over the past year, many families with missing loved ones are closely watching and wondering if it is their loved one who has been found. The insensitivity shown to the families and the victims involved is unbelievable."

Perpetrating hoaxes that require a police response is a criminal act and not harmless entertainment, the RCMP wants everyone to remember.

"While we always encourage people to err on the side of caution and call the police if they find something suspicious, we won't tolerate people who are simply doing something for a laugh or for attention," FitzPatrick said.

Due to the latest developments, RCMP will be releasing "certain facts regarding the overall investigation" in the coming days.

The coroner's service will continue to investigate the other five cases in which human feet turned up in shoes along the coast. No further information was available about any of the incidents.

DNA taken from the first three feet hasn't been matched to any samples that identify them.

The first foot was found in a size-12 sneaker last Aug. 20 on Jedediah Island, between Lasqueti and Texada islands.

The second foot, in a size-12 Reebok, was found on Gabriola Island, off Nanaimo, six days later.

The third foot was found on Valdes Island, south of Gabriola, on Feb. 8.

The fourth was found on May 22 on Kirkland Island, off Richmond.

The fifth was found off Westham Island in Ladner on Monday.

Anyone with information regarding the Campbell River shoe hoax is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or Campbell River RCMP detachment at 250-286-6221.

Anyone with information with respect to the previous legitimate discoveries of the five shoes containing human remains is also asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

link

The first thing that comes to my mind when a body part washes ashore is sharks.
Most puzzling to me is the report that the feet do not appear to have been forcibly removed.
Huh? They don't just fall off, you know.
And why only feet? That's just weird. Do sharks not like feet? I hear they'll eat anything.

There has been no reports of the remains with any teeth marks or of being seperated from the rest of the body by mechanical means. It appears to me that the body came apart in the water or at least the foot from the leg.
The strong ocean current might play a part, in that this happened many miles out to sea and the current has taken the feet to the west coast of BC.
Illegal immigrants dumped overboard far out to sea, will have to be excluded to narrow this down.

Hopefully PD will find out more about the shoes as
in where were they made and sold.

It is well known that after a body decomposes, it falls apart.
It still makes me laugh when I watch an old movie where a skeleton is found completely intact, even when someone picks it up.
We may not know the extent of the decomposition of these remains, but the shoes are intact, after floating around in sea water for who knows how long. That should serve as a clue as to how fresh the remains must be.

Another thing I can't help thinking about is this.
The fact that someone made the effort to construct a fake foot suggests that the person who did this expected it to be found, perhaps along with the real feet. Could it be that someone had placed these feet on the shore to look like the tide carried them in?

Yes, it's hard to walk on sand without leaving footprints, but dragging a leafy branch behind you erases them pretty well.