A fourth human foot in a shoe has been found in B.C., this time on an island near the mouth of the Fraser River.Richmond RCMP confirmed late Thursday afternoon that a team of investigators had been sent to Kirkland Island after a person walking there reported finding the foot on the shore around noon.
The grisly discovery adds to a growing mystery on the West Coast. Severed feet have shown up in a number of places along the Strait of Georgia.
In February, one was found on Valdes Island in a location accessible only by boat or floatplane.
Last August, two feet encased in shoes washed up on Gabriola and Jedediah islands.
On Gabriola, a Vancouver couple taking a walk came across a single black-and-white size 12 Reebok shoe. A closer look revealed a partially decomposed right foot -- apparently, a man's.
On Jedediah, a visiting Washington state family found a right foot that might have washed ashore. It, too, was in a size 12 shoe.
The mystery has created an international media stir. Richmond Cpl. Nycki Basra said Thursday her telephone was "going nuts" after word went out that a fourth foot had been found.
Basra said the discovery of the remains will be treated as suspicious until "we can prove otherwise."
The RCMP will also look at the other three cases "to see if there is any relationship."
Basra could not confirm what kind of shoe was on the foot discovered Thursday or whether it was a left or right foot.
All the earlier ones were right feet.
Speculation about the phenomenon is rampant. Some people think criminal activity is to blame while others say the feet belonged to drowning victims.