County and British Columbia coroners to research link between body and feet found a year apart

On July 17, 2008, officials from the British Columbia Coroners Service (BCCS) requested a DNA analysis to determine if a partial skeleton found on Orcas Island in March 2007 is connected to the remains of a human foot recovered on Valdes Island more than a year later.

According to San Juan County Coroner Randy Gaylord, a hiker on a remote beach west of Point Lawrence found the skeleton – with feet, hands and an arm missing. On July 10, 2008, the BCCS announced that they had completed DNA profiles of remains found inside tennis shoes that had floated ashore in British Columbia. Gaylord has said that this DNA profile will be used to determine if there is a link between the two sets of remains when the Snohomish County Medical Examiner sends the samples to the BCCS this week.

“The best information we have on this person’s identity is the unique gold inlay in the upper molars,” said Gaylord. There was no evidence of violence or that the feet had been severed from the body, he said. Gaylor said that the body probably washed ashore somewhat intact and the action of the waves and animals, birds or sea scavengers and insects reduced the body to a skeleton. Under the circumstances, it was natural for the hands and feet to separate from the body. He added that a black Merrell slip-on, rubber-soled shoe and an argyle sock were found nearby but that it was unknown if they were associated with the skeleton.

A forensic anthropologist examined the remains when they were first discovered and reported that they most likely belonged to a male, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, of Caucasian, Native American (or First Nations People) or Asian descent. A forensic dentist’s review and subsequent findings were put into a national database.

Announcements about the skeleton’s discovery were widely distributed to U.S. and Canadian authorities by the San Juan County Sheriff’s office in March of 2007. According to authorities, investigators followed up on dozens of leads but none led to identification of the remains and the investigation was labeled a “cold case.”

“Our goal is to determine who this person is and notify his family,” said Gaylord. He further noted that only a few people have their DNA profiles in a public database and that dental records may provide the best information for identification.

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