A human foot inside a shoe was located on the Seawalk downtown, according to a Juneau Police Department press release.
JPD received a report of possible human remains after noon Sunday behind the Alaska Department of Labor building, according to the release written by Lt. Krag Campbell.
“It looks like it’s been outside for quite some time,” Campbell said during a phone interview. “It was deteriorated and partially frozen.”
Police said the foot and shoe were very deteriorated, making the specific model, size or manufacturer of the shoe impossible to determine at this time. The shoe and remains appeared to have been exposed to the elements for an extended period of time. Campbell said the shoe resembled a generic black tennis shoe.
“The foot itself is kind of trapped inside the shoe,” Campbell said. “I think that helped preserve it a little.”
Officers continued to search for evidence in the area, but were unsuccessful in locating any, Campbell said. The shoe and remains will be sent to the Alaska Crime Lab to see if they could be identified.
“I think a lot of it depends on how long it’s been out in the elements,” Campbell said. “It depends on how much of the remains are there and how much DNA they can get from it.”
This is not the first time remains have washed up in the Gastineau Channel. A human leg with a boot still attached — different than the black tennis shoe described in the latest case — was discovered near Sandy Beach in May 2017.
“We did not get any DNA back from the boot,” Campbell said.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
