More details released after severed toe found in box at Dash Point State Park

A severed toe found inside a box at Dash Point State Park was medically amputated, Public Health – Seattle and King County stated, according to KIRO 7.

The toe was not related to a death. Therefore, there will be no further investigation, officials noted.

Human toe found in box at Dash Point State Park

Kevin Ewing was walking along Dash Point State Park with his family on Father’s Day when he discovered the unexpected appendage, The Federal Way Mirror reported Monday.

Ewing noticed what looked like a Christmas present at the end of the park’s property line. However, when he untied the yellow string and removed the green cloth packaging covering the pine box, he found a severed toe inside.

Also in the package was a feather, burned grass, sage, lavender, and tobacco. Ewing initially thought the box was a prayer bundle or a message in a bottle, but after discovering the appendage, he quickly took pictures of his discovery and showed it to a local park ranger. Ewing also saw a dead seagull near the box, which appeared to have been mutilated.

“At first, I was very shocked, and it took me a few minutes to kind of be like, ‘Is this what I think it is?’ Then once it dawned on me that that’s what it was, I set everything down,” he told The Federal Way Mirror.

Washington State Patrol (WSP) is now investigating, and the toe is at the medical examiner’s office, according to the media outlet.

“Just very odd,” Ewing told The Federal Way Mirror. “The toe definitely did not look like it was amputated. It definitely didn’t look like a surgeon had taken it off. It didn’t look like a very clean medical cut.”

WSP said the toe appears to be from an adult man. The agency also sent out information to local law enforcement to see if the toe might match any of their records.

This story was originally published on July 8, 2025. It has been updated and republished since then.

Contributing: KIRO 7

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