Foot Found On Pacifica Beach Belongs To Missing Rock Climber

PACIFICA (CBS SF) - DNA testing has confirmed that a foot and part of a leg that washed up on a Pacifica beach in March is that of a San Bruno man who went missing around that time, San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said Thursday.

Joseph McHenry, 27, a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps, was last seen on March 2 when he told relatives he was going rock climbing and camping overnight at a secluded beach near Pacifica, Foucrault said.

He never returned, and his car was found parked in a residential area near Sharp Park Golf Course, according to San Bruno police.

A backpack belonging to McHenry was located a few days later on the beach near Mori Point, and on March 25, a human foot connected to a portion of a leg was found near the shoreline at Rockaway Beach.

The coroner's office collected the evidence, and DNA obtained from McHenry's mother has since confirmed that the body parts were McHenry's, Foucrault said.

No other evidence of the missing man has been found.

Police do not suspect foul play, San Bruno police Lt. Geoff Caldwell said.

Without more evidence, McHenry cannot be officially pronounced dead, Foucrault said.

The family is in the process of obtaining a court order that would officially close the case, he said.

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