Sequim – A shoe containing human remains has been found on a Clallam County beach near Sequim.
Just before 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 9, a Sequim resident called 911 to report finding a shoe containing suspected human remains on the beach at Marlyn Nelson County Park at Port Williams in Sequim. A Clallam County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to the scene and confirmed the presence of bones and human tissue inside the shoe.
Investigators say the shoe was located roughly fifty feet north of the Port Williams Beach boat launch, near the ebbing tide line. No additional suspicious items were identified in the surrounding area.
The shoe is described as a white Puma brand sneaker with green and blue “Sharpie” marker colorings covering the exterior. Size information printed on the toe tag lists the shoe as European size 35.5, U.S. size 4C, and 22 centimeters in length. Based on typical U.S. shoe standards, the length corresponds to a women’s size 5 to 5.5.
The Clallam County Coroner responded and recovered the evidence for further forensic examination.
This is not the first instance of a shoe containing human remains being discovered in Clallam County. A previous case of similar circumstances in 2023 was successfully identified and solved 2 years later through advanced forensic DNA technology provided by Othram Labs.
Investigators will evaluate whether similar forensic methods may assist in this current case.
No additional information is available at this time. Updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.
Background
The question of why so many shoes with feet in them are washing up on our beaches these days comes up every time this happens.
We looked into it, and there is a logical answer that doesn’t involve deranged serial killers.
National Geographic reported in 2021 that since 2007, nearly two dozen human feet had been found in sneakers on the coasts of the Salish Sea in Washington and Canada. They found that investigators in many of these cases have been able to link the body parts to people involved in accidents or suicides.
But why is it always shoes with feet? Karan Raj, a surgeon with the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, says it has to do with how sea scavengers break down bodies and modern sneaker design. When a human corpse sinks to the bottom of the ocean, it’s quickly set upon by crabs and other scavengers. Raj says some of the softest parts of us are the tissues and ligaments around our ankles.
As scavengers eat away at those tissues, the foot will detach relatively quickly from the rest of the body. And the reason we’re seeing more shoes on the beaches these days is because of a change in sneaker design over the last few decades. Shoes have become more buoyant because they have soft, cushy soles. They can potentially float for years, and will often come in with the tide for beachcombers to find and report.
(Stock photo, not actual evidence)