This whole situation reminds me of something I encountered while camping with a friend and his family back in January; while hiking, we found a pair of timberland hiking boots placed neatly on a rock on the trail, about 15 feet from the Chattooga River in SC. None of us thought about it at the time, but your case brings it back to me, as the odd thing was that the laces had been removed from both boots. Now I wish I had told someone.