The “Salish Sea feet” story involves detached human feet found along the Salish Sea coastlines of British Columbia and Washington, starting with the first discovery on Jedediah Island on August 20, 2007.
Since then, at least 20 detached human feet have been recovered in the region, including finds on BC islands and in places like Tacoma and Seattle. In Canada, the BC Coroners Service said in December 2017 that authorities had ruled out foul play in all previous cases, which pushed attention toward natural processes and non-criminal causes like accidents and suicides. Part of what makes these cases so distinctive is the footwear: many feet were found inside sneakers, which investigators believed helped in two ways, keeping remains buoyant enough to drift and protecting tissue and bone long enough to be discovered.
The “why just feet?” explanation is mostly anatomy plus ocean conditions: decomposition can cause separation at the ankle (a relatively weak joint), and air trapped in shoes can add buoyancy, while investigators reported no cut marks suggesting intentional severing. By September 2018, reports cited 15 feet found in British Columbia (2007–2018) and five in Washington, with multiple matched pairs and most BC cases identified through DNA. Identifications also pointed to individual circumstances, including a case tied to a bridge jump and other deaths considered likely suicide or misadventure.
Not every “foot” report held up, though, including a June 2008 hoax involving an animal paw staged inside a sock and shoe. The list has continued to update in later years, including a Washington foot identified in March 2025 via genetic genealogy (Jeff Surtel, missing since 2007) and a December 2025 shoe that turned out to contain bear remains rather than human tissue.
The combination of unsettling visuals, real missing-person cases, and a plausible forensic explanation is also why the phenomenon drew major media attention after 2008 and later showed up in novels, TV, and podcasts.
