Since 2007, at least 21 severed feet – completely detached from the bodies – were seen on the shores in beaches in the United States and Canada.
Dr. Karan Raj, an NHS doctor who has over 4.1 million followers on Tiktok, shared and explain in a video through the app the mystery that has been going for over a decade now.
Raj explained that the instances occurred due to scavengers and the footwear industry. He spoke about his theory for the macabre phenomenon stating: “When a human corpse falls to the ocean floor, it’s quickly set upon by scavengers. These scavengers are lazy feeders and prefer to eat the softer parts of our bodies first. Some of the softest parts of us are the soft tissues and ligaments around our ankles.”
The doctor also referred to footwear design and its role in the mysterious circumstances that have occurred over the past 14 years. “Over the last few decades, shoes have become more buoyant,” he said. “As a result, we could be seeing more severed feet on our shores.” The shoes’ buoyancy means that the severed limbs will float longer in the ocean and eventually wash up on nearby shores.
According to the Coroners Service in British Columbia, the feet seen in the shores have originated from people who were killed either in accidents or victims of suicide.
The latest discovery of a severed feet was in January 2019 where the foot of Antonio Neill was discovered. DNA identified the limb when it arrived at Jetty Island in Everett, Washington. Neil was last seen in December 2016.
