Severed foot found in Bath may have been training aid, say police

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/may/18/severed-foot-bath-may-training-aid-say-police

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A severed human foot found in a park in Bath could have been an anatomical specimen used as a training aid, police have said.

Dog-walkers discovered the left foot on top of bramble bushes in Weston Park East on 19 February, sparking a police investigation.

Avon and Somerset police told the BBC they were satisfied no crime has been committed but wanted to determine how the foot came to be in the park.

DI Paul Catton said he wanted to hear from “training establishments” in the Bath area that may have stored anatomical specimens.

“The public really want answers and I want answers,” he said. “I want to hear from any colleges or buildings that were previously schools and may have owned items like this. I’ll be asking them if they’ve cleared out any cellars recently, that kind of thing.”

He added that, despite recent findings, he would keep an open mind and his team would follow up any additional information they receive.

Early tests found the foot was definitely human, but subsequent forensic inquiries found little DNA.

Avon and Somerset police consulted a number of scientific experts, including Dr Heather Bonney, a forensic anthropologist at the Natural History Museum. She told the BBC she believed the foot had probably been “fixed”, or preserved with chemicals, which could explain the lack of DNA.