The Salish Sea Killer

Serial Killer

The Salish Sea Killer: The Serial-Murder Theory Behind the Severed Feet Mystery

Overview of the Case

The name "Salish Sea Killer" refers to an unproven theory created after a series of detached human feet began washing ashore along the coasts of British Columbia and Washington State. The first widely reported discovery occurred on August 20, 2007, when a girl exploring Jedediah Island in British Columbia found a man's right foot inside a running shoe. Six days later, another man's right foot was discovered on nearby Gabriola Island. Because the feet belonged to different people and appeared within a short period of one another, the discoveries immediately generated fears that someone was killing people and disposing of their bodies in the surrounding waterways. Additional feet were subsequently recovered from islands, beaches and river mouths throughout the Salish Sea, the interconnected system of coastal waters that includes the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. The unsettling pattern inspired stories about a serial killer who supposedly removed the feet of victims as trophies or left them behind as a signature. No person, however, has ever been officially identified by police as the "Salish Sea Killer," and investigators have found no evidence that the recovered feet were deliberately severed.

The Beginning of the Mystery

On August 20, 2007, a human foot was found inside a white-and-blue Adidas running shoe on Jedediah Island. The shoe contained a man's right foot. On August 26, another man's right foot was discovered in a white Reebok shoe on Gabriola Island. The fact that both were right feet proved that they came from separate individuals. A third right foot was found on Valdes Island on February 8, 2008. On May 22, 2008, a woman's right foot was discovered on Kirkland Island in the Fraser River. Less than a month later, on June 16, a man's left foot was found near Westham Island. Investigators later determined that the Westham Island foot and the Valdes Island foot belonged to the same person. The discoveries continued over the following years. Some were single feet, while others were matching pairs found months apart and many miles from one another. Nearly all were enclosed in running shoes or boots. The repeated appearance of shoe-covered feet in a relatively confined geographical region gave the mystery the appearance of an organized pattern, even though forensic testing would eventually provide a natural explanation. ...

Confirmed Victims: (0)

Death on the Strait: B.C. sea otter exposed as 'Salish Sea serial killer'