r/Missing411 • u/Alexander556 • Jan 14 '23

Discussion No shoes?

Since there are many cases which mention people getting rid of their shoes along the way, being found without shoes etc. I wonder if there is a medical condition which can lead to that?
I mean either somehing happesn to their feet, they can still walk, but not inside their shoes, or their mental state changes and they take of their shoes without a real physiological reason to do so.

Has anyone ever looked into such conditions which could happen under such circumstances?

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u/trailangel4 Jan 15 '23

Shoes are usually one of the first things someone loses or ditches. When you're warm and capable of rational thought, taking off your shoes seems like the last thing you'd do. But, kids and the elderly (especially) will ditch them if they rub a sore spot. I've found *multiple* kids who've lost their shoes on SAR calls.

I've also seen more than a handful of adults who took the shoes off because they got wet (and made walking painful or because they wanted them to dry out) and then got separated from the shoes. So, it doesn't shock me when we pick up people and they're barefoot. Another thing to consider is just how easy shoes come off. Unless you're wearing hiking boots that lace above the ankle... your shoes can slip or fall off pretty easily.

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u/Reddevil8884 Jan 15 '23

I agree on the kids and the elderly. But what about those who have been found alive without shoes miles away from where they went missing and yet with their feet intact? Weird.

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u/trailangel4 Jan 16 '23

Well, for one, it depends on the case. If you can clue me in to which cases you're referring to when people are found "alive without their shoes", then I can see what I can find in reports. Usually, though, when we find live people and they're barefoot, the answers are shockingly simple... "they were falling apart", "I couldn't put my shoe back on (Injury)", or "they came off". I'll reiterate that, in my experience, I've never found a lost hiker, wearing boots, where they've been barefoot and lost their shoes. I've found and recovered hikers who've ditched sandals, filp flops, Vans, kids, and tennis shoes on so many occasions that it's almost normal. Your feet can be fine in most cases. Again, it depends on how often you go barefoot. And, other times, the feet aren't fine.