A grieving widow has described the moment she discovered parts of her late husband's feet inside a pair of socks among his belongings returned after a post-mortem. Annette Federspiel, 58, said it was 'like something out of a horror film' when she found the remains in a bag handed over by funeral directors.
Her husband Mark, 64, died after falling overboard from a ferry travelling to Dunoon on Father's Day. His body was later discovered on Kilcreggan Beach on the Rosneath Peninsula. Annette said the bag of belongings 'absolutely stank' and when she picked up his socks, they were heavy. 'I put my hands in and I touched Mark's feet. I started howling and ran into the kitchen to get gloves and I pulled out the soles of Mark's feet,' she said.
It is understood that Police Scotland gave clearance for Caladh Funeral Directors to collect Mark's body and belongings following a post-mortem. A bag containing parts of his remains was then handed to his widow. Annette said: 'His feet were attached to the bottom of the socks – his soles and heels. Did no one realise his feet were hanging off in the mortuary?'
Police Scotland said it was not involved in returning the belongings. A spokesperson said: 'Police Scotland did not return any belongings in this case.' The force had earlier confirmed that Mark's death is not being treated as suspicious.
Mark, a former US Navy diver, had been receiving treatment for a rare form of leukaemia, and the side effects of his medication often left him unsteady on his feet. He was reported missing from the ferry at around 1pm on June 15 after failing to return from the toilet. His disappearance sparked a major search operation involving the Coastguard, RNLI lifeboats, and police units.
A spokesperson for Caladh Funeral Directors said: 'As a matter of policy, we do not comment on the specifics of individual cases, in order to protect the privacy of the families we support. Our priority is always to provide care, compassion and dignity to every family and every person in our care.'
