A human foot that was found in a boot on Everett’s Jetty Island last month belonged to a man who was reported missing in 2016, the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
On Jan. 1, beachgoers called police to report that they had found a boot with a foot inside on the south end of the island.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office said Tuesday it positively identified the remains belonging to Antonio Neill through DNA.
Investigators said he was 22 years old when reported missing by his family in December 2016. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said Antonio is now presumed dead.
"You think you're prepared but nothing prepared me for that,” said his mother Jenny Neill. “I loved him so much and I'm going to miss everything about him."
Jenny Neill described the last two years as an emotional rollercoaster.
"I knew in my heart something happened to my son,” said Neill. “We didn't go a day without speaking to each other."
The cause of death has not been determined but detectives with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office major crimes unit will continue investigating and searching near Jetty Island for the rest of Neill’s remains.
"We've heard a lot of different stories,” said Neill, who suspects the worst. "I do think somebody killed my son."
Antonio’s face is still featured on an electronic billboard in the Everett area near Highway 99 and Airport Road that his family hoped would bring answers in his disappearance.
"I think more than one person knows what happened and I just wish people would come forward with the truth,” said Neill.
Anyone with information about Antonio Neill's disappearance is asked to call the sheriff's office anonymous tip line 425-388-3845.
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