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ID made in feet mystery

Coroner uses DNA to identify New West woman who jumped from bridge four years earlier

The B.C. Coroners Service announced this week it has identified a woman whose feet washed ashore near Ladner in 2008.

The two feet washed up on two separate beaches several months apart.

The woman's right foot was found on May 22, 2008 on Kirkland Island. The left was found on Nov. 11, 2008 near the end of Garden City Road in Richmond.

Each foot was encased in a matching size 7 New Balance running shoe and DNA analysis quickly showed they came from the same individual.

After an exhaustive post-mortem investigation by the B.C. Coroners Service, the feet were positively identified by further DNA analysis as belonging to a New Westminster resident who committed suicide by jumping off the Pattullo Bridge in April 2004.

Her body was not found during an ensuing search.

The woman's family has been notified. Her name is not being released.

Eight feet belonging to six individuals washed up on shores along the B.C. coast between August 2007 and August 2011. Four of the feet were found in this area - the two most recently identified as well as one on Westham Island and another on a beach near No. 6 Road and Triangle Road in Richmond.

So far, the B.C. Coroners Service has identified six of the feet as belonging to four individuals and work continues to identify the remaining two, which originated from two males.

To date, no evidence has indicated any of the deaths were suspicious.

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