Investigators crowdfund to raise money for DNA testing of foot found in Washington

CLALLAM COUNTY, Wash. — Authorities in Washington are asking for the public’s help raising the funds to cover testing that could identify a person whose foot was found in Port Angeles, KIRO-TV reported.

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The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said that in December 2021, investigators recovered a shoe containing a foot after a person found it near the mouth of the Elwha River. The shoe was a New Balance-brand women’s size 8. Investigators said they were unable to determine more about the person whose foot was found inside it, including her age, ethnicity, height, weight, hair color or eye color.

“Since the discovery of the unknown woman’s remains, investigators have diligently pursued various leads about her identity,” deputies said in a statement. “Despite our efforts, the woman’s identity has remained a mystery. With few leads for investigators to pursue, the case eventually went cold.”

Last year, the sheriff’s office partnered with the forensic DNA laboratory Othram to see whether advanced testing could help to identify the woman or a close relative, according to KIRO. To cover the costs of lab supplies and research tools, authorities established a crowdfunding campaign on DNASolves.

As of Friday morning, officials had raised more than $5,400 toward their $7,500 goal.

Part of Othram, DNASolves was launched in 2019 to combine crowdfunding, volunteered data and genomics to solve cases involving unidentified victims or perpetrators, according to the company. The service has been used by investigators in dozens of states.

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