The BC Coroners Service has confirmed it is investigating the case of a human foot which was found washed up on Botanical Beach on Feb. 7, 2016.

The foot, which was encased in a sock and a running shoe, was found by a hiker walking along the shore of the beach, the western terminus of the Juan de Fuca Marine trail, located southeast of Port Renfrew.

The BC Coroners Service has confirmed that the foot is human in origin.

It has also been confirmed that the type of shoe in question was first sold in North America in March 2013 which implies that the shoe’s owner died at some point between March 2013 and December 2015.

Preliminary examination suggests that the foot disarticulated naturally from the rest of the body, a result of prolonged immersion in water.

Work will now continue with the Identification Unit of the BC Coroners Service and our community and police partners to try to determine the identity of the individual concerned and a cause of death. Final confirmation in these circumstances must come from DNA testing.

This is the 13th foot that has washed up along the British Columbia coastline since 2007. The BC Coroners Service has been able to identify 10 of those feet, belonging to seven individuals. In none of the cases was any foul play involved.