Police Identify Foot Found In River

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Police identify foot found in river

FORT MYERS - After five months, police know whom a foot found in the Caloosahatchee River belonged to, a man named Paul Hampton.

But they still do not know how his foot ended up in the river and what happened to the rest of him, police said Thursday.

Teenagers found the sock-clad foot washed up on some rocks in June. A medical examiner said it had been in the water for more than a month.

Earlier this month, Fort Myers detectives confirmed through DNA that the foot belonged to Hampton, 44, whom they described as a transient.

"We would like to get the rest of the question answered and be able to figure out what happened to him," Fort Myers Police spokeswoman Kara Winton told The News-Press for today's editions.

When the foot was found, other transients told police that it may belong to their friend, Hampton, who hadn't been seen in a while, police said.

Hampton was missing part of his left leg and used a wheelchair, which also never was found.

Detectives tracked down Hampton's family in Nashville, Tenn. Last month, they took DNA samples from Hampton's brother, and a DNA lab found a probable match.