Bigfoot Body: Hoax
Posted by: Loren Coleman on August 12th, 2008
Breaking News: Photos Released ~ Click HERE!
I have just talked with Robert Barrows, R.M. Barrows, Inc., Advertising & Public Relations, Burlingame, California, who informed me the following release has been distributed to news agencies worldwide. It is now in the hands of the media at large, and they will be going with this story. The embargo on the news is lifted. Therefore, here it is for Cryptomundo readers.
Those with a brain understand why I went on the record, briefly with this statement:
“I feel, in all honesty, this, indeed, may be the real deal, and I say this carefully after reviewing information that has been shared privately with me. I cannot say more yet. But people will be very surprised.” ~ Loren Coleman, Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America.
Those with the photos were watching here, and it was part of the bait to learn more so the hoax could be exposed.
Thus we were first able to get this in our hands.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2008
BIGFOOT BODY FOUND
DNA evidence and photo evidence to be presented at a
PRESS CONFERENCE
to be held on
Date: Friday, August 15, 2008
Time: From 12Noon-1:00pm
Place: Cabana Hotel-Palo Alto (A Crown Plaza Resort) 4290 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, California 94306
Searching for Bigfoot, Inc. Menlo Park, California
Tom Biscardi, CEO
BIGFOOT BODY FOUND – EVIDENCE AND DNA DETAILS TO BE PRESENTED AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 15th
FROM 12 N00N TO 1:00PM AT THE CABANA HOTEL-PALO ALTO IN PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA
A body that may very well be the body of the creature commonly known as “Bigfoot” has been found in the woods in northern Georgia.
DNA evidence and photo evidence of the creature will be presented in a press conference on Friday, August 15th from 12 Noon to 1:00pm at the Cabana Hotel-Palo Alto at 4290 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, California, 94306. The press conference will not be open to the public. It will only be open to credentialed members of the press.
Here are some of the vital statistics on the “Bigfoot” body:
*The creature is seven feet seven inches tall.
*It weighs over five hundred pounds.
*The creature looks like it is part human and part ape-like.
*It is male.
*It has reddish hair and blackish-grey eyes.
*It has two arms and two legs, and five fingers on each hand and
five toes on each foot.
*The feet are flat and similar to human feet.
*Its footprint is sixteen and three-quarters inches long and five and three-quarters inches wide at the heel.
*From the palm of the hand to the tip of the middle finger, its hands are
eleven and three-quarters inches long and six and one-quarter inches wide.
*The creatures walk upright. (Several of them were sighted on the same day that the body was found.)
*The teeth are more human-like than ape-like.
*DNA tests are currently being done and the current DNA and photo evidence will be presented at the press conference on Friday, August 15th.
The creature was found by Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer (residents of Georgia) in the woods in northern Georgia. (The exact location is being kept secret to protect the creatures.)
Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer will be flying in from Georgia to be at the press conference. Also present at the press conference will be Tom Biscardi, CEO of Searching for Bigfoot, Inc.
Whitton is a Clayton County, Georgia, police officer, who is currently on administrative leave after being wounded in the course of duty pursuing an alleged felon. Dyer is a former correctional officer. Whitton and Dyer are co-owners of bigfoottracker.com and Bigfoot Global LLC., a company that offers Bigfoot expeditions. Whitton and Dyer are working with Bigfoot hunter, Tom Biscardi, and Biscardi’s Searching for Bigfoot, Inc., to present and conduct the scientific study of the evidence and information on this body.
A few weeks ago, Whitton and Dyer announced the finding of the body on the “Squatch Detective” radio show, an internet based radio show hosted by Steve Kulls. While on that show, the commentator asked Rick Dyer “Would you allow one of our people to come down and verify the body?” Dyer replied, “The only person we would allow to come down and verify the body was ‘the real Bigfoot Hunter,’ Tom Biscardi.” The next day, the producer of the Squatch Detective show contacted Biscardi with pertinent information on how to contact Dyer and Whitton.
Extensive scientific studies will be done on the body by a team of scientists including a molecular biologist, an anthropologist, a paleontologist and other scientists over the next few months at an undisclosed location. The studies will be carefully documented and the findings will be released to the world, according to Biscardi.
Biscardi is known as “the real Bigfoot Hunter” because of his extensive investigations out in the field. He has been searching for Bigfoot since 1971 and over the past several years, he has been criss-crossing the United States and Canada tracking down the hottest leads on Bigfoot sightings.
Videography on the studies will be done under the supervision of Scott Davis, an independent producer and owner of TV Biz Productions in Phoenix, Arizona.
Currently, Tom Biscardi and his Searching for Bigfoot Team, in conjunction with Bigfoot Global LLC., are preparing to capture another of these creatures alive. That expedition will start very soon. The dates and the locations are being kept confidential.
The body that is currently being studied is being referred to as the “RICKMAT” creature, a name derived from the names of Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton. [Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman recommends the term “Georgia Gorilla” be used to remove any taint of ego from the discovery, and so the general public, media, and science will have a comfortable moniker until a formal zoological name may be bestowed.]
Last year, a film that Biscardi produced about his investigations, called “Bigfoot Lives,” won first place in the Documentary category at the Pocono Mountains Film Festival. Biscardi also hosts a Bigfoot oriented internet radio show that can be heard on Wednesday nights from 7:00pm to 8:00pm PDT at www.bigfootliveradioshow.com. The show is heard in over thirty countries.
Searching for Bigfoot, Inc. has exclusive rights to all publishing rights, photo rights, television and film rights, production and distribution rights and other commercial opportunities related to the discovery and findings regarding this body and these creatures.
Interested parties may contact Searching for Bigfoot, Inc., in writing, at their mailing address, 1134 Crane St., Suite 216, Menlo Park, California 94025.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Good afternoon Cryptos…
Like I posted weeks ago…even a blind hawg finds an acorn now and then…finally the “research” begins…JMHO
For those with egg on their face…here’s a napkin you missed a spot.
Let’s give credit where its due…the First Nations called this one…the body is an example of an “indigenous North American Aboriginal Peoples”…perhaps the pro kill camp will rethink their paradigm?
live and let live…
ole bub and the dawgs
And, for the record: I truly, honestly, seriously *hope* I’m completely wrong about this “discovery”.
Really, I do.
And I’ll say no more on it all.
Whatever they may have found in Georgia, I would find it hard to believe that it is the same species of bipedal ape of the pacific coast, commonly called bigfoot or sasquatch. I have long thought that there must be at least two species of bipedal ape in North America, the Southern/Eastern ‘swamp ape’, and the larger Pacific Coast/NW Sasquatch. If this turns out to be real, I think it’s more likely to be related to Southern swamp ape. The other possibility is that it is a known ape species, but alien to the United States (i.e. escaped pet etc). From the blurred photo released of the animals head, I thought it looked more gorilla like, than man like. I stand to be corrected, but that’s just my feeling about it.
As a former advocate and now bigfoot skeptic, I would like to offer a few comments.
1. I would like this story to be true. I hope it is.
2. If it is not true, I hope it will conclusively be shown to be a hoax. Any equivocation will only make for more pseudo-evidence, i.e., the Iceman.
3. So far, this story has not shown up on the mainstream media (to my knowledge). We should not discount, yet, the idea that this may be a hoax aimed less at the general public than at the crypto community in general, and at specific advocates, such as our kind host. (Thus, I hope our kind host has sources he can trust).
4. If this turns out to be an unknown and surprising animal, then crytozoology will benefit in ways almost unimaginable. If it turns out to be a hoax, then cryptozoology will hopefully find a lesson to learn from it.
5. Already, advocates are seeming to line up to say “I told you so” to skeptics and others. Well, I’ll offer a truce here and now, before the moment of truth. I’ll promise not to be smug if this is a hoax, if advocates promise not to gloat [SMILE].
Belfry, if this is a hoax, I would have to say they had some help from someone in the movie special effects business, possibly a very detailed costume sown around a humanoid mannequin.
Ole bub, no one has egg on their face just yet. Yes they have something, but now they have to prove that it’s real!
Oh, one more thing, the “sneak” photo of the “head” peeking from the freezer in their last video is nothing like the very clear and detailed photos I’ve seen of the “corpse”. Possibly just another gag to get everyone riled up again.
Loren,
Just curious, do you think the announcement on Friday cover all the info you’ve been shown?
Here’s hoping!!
I live about 10 minutes from where the body will be unveiled. Anyone wanna secure me a press pass on behalf of Cryptomundo?
Come on, I’ll hold my breath real long!
If this turns out to be true, I’m gonna just LOVE reading the jref forums. “No, no… we were saying that the Patterson film was fake… not Bigfoot. Yeah, uh, uh… we always knew there was a possibility of Bigfoot being real.”
Crows of the world beware!
Please people, think of the crows.
“///come on loren what did they donate or offer to save the museum, not that i would blame you one bit. friday is epoch.”
Not funny. The above comment is insulting. Millions are going to be made in this, I’m sure, but not by me.
I can tell you that nothing has been given or donated to me for any thing you have heard from me, my opinions, my postings, or nothing. I retain my role as an unpaid, objective observer. However, if anyone wants to send me any money so I can make more objective observations, I’d be glad to earn some money doing that too. Or stay above it all with donations to the museum, of course.
Nope, sorry to disappoint such a simple theory, but, no, I have gotten no money from anyone in Georgia, Biscardi, or anyone else involved with this body business.
Have some faith in Loren, people. He’s always shown a great amount of integrity in the past — if he hadn’t, why would any of us keep reading his postings on Cryptomundo? Loren accepting money should be the furthest thing on our minds right now, especially if something actually does happen on or before Friday!
And I’m personally rooting for Thursday. What a great birthday present that would be!
It should actually be the furthest thing FROM our minds, not ON them… but as long as it’s far, I don’t mind.
On a serious note…
Loren, I just want you to know that I was not excited by the Georgia Gorilla find UNTIL I read today’s blog. I see that many people feel the same way. Don’t allow insulting comments ruin this potentially momentous occasion for you.
You, sir, have our respect. In such a troubled world, respect is something very hard to gain and even harder to keep.
Thank you for doing what you do and for being who you are.
Loren, if this turns out to be the real deal as you have alluringly alluded to (how’s that for alliteration?) how will this affect the IRS conclusion that things like bigfoot don’t exist and thusly neither should your museum exist in your house? I hope and pray they too will eat crow (if this really is real!). I know I will start a letter campaign to senators and congressmen on Saturday if this becomes the real thing. I’ve had my run-ins with the IRS and thank goodness for senators we got it resolved quickly. Much good luck and I’m going to work on my end for this.
“It’s about sound.” You’re saying that the combination of a hard G and a soft G doesn’t qualify as alliteration, but dictionaries such as the one I quoted don’t agree with your restrictive definition. Here are more:
“The repetition of the same letter at the beginning of two or more words immediately succeeding each other”
–Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
“use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse;”
–WordNet 2.0 Copyright 2003 by Princeton University.
“use of similar consonants: a poetic or literary effect achieved by using several words that begin with the same or similar consonants, as in “Whither wilt thou wander, wayfarer?”
[Early 17th century. consonant (consonantal alliteration) or of a vowel, not necessarily the same vowel (vocalic alliteration), at the beginning of each word or each stressed syllable in a line of verse,”
–Collins English Dictionary
“the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.”
— The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | Date: 2008
The following unabridged dictionary gives both the tight and the loose definitions, with the tight one first, implying it is the preferred definition:
“1. The commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word group either with the same consonant sound or sound group … or with a vowel sound …
“2. The commencement of two or more words of a word group with the same letter ….”
IOW, the following statement by “Belfry” is too strong: “Georgia gorilla is not an example of alliteration.” Maybe it oughtn’t to be–and some folks have defined it as it ought to be defined–but that’s not enough. Only the following statements are justified: “Georgia gorilla is not an example of same-sound alliteration” or “Georgia gorilla is only borderline alliteration.”
Gorgeous Gorilla = alliteration. 🙂
Any chance that Biscardi will let further details slip on his weekly Bigfoot radio show tomorrow?
Is it wrong that I feel like a kid at Christmas Eve? Hoping that the package under the tree is what I really and truly asked for, and not a package of underwear. Again.
😉
Loren,
Can you please tell us if any other BF researchers are involved please?
If this is a hoax, I will be all the more angry because they have pulled a person I really respect, Loren Coleman, into this. They had better be on the level with this thing.
Well, here’s to hoping that Friday will be a big day in zoological history.
I’m a firm believer of the thoughtform/Tulpa theory. I lean more heavily towards Forteana than cryptids. I do believe there are large undiscovered animals out there, especially in the ocean, but Bigfoot I believe is unlikely to be one of them.
Such creatures are seen all over the world, including England, where a large hominid could not have gone undiscovered for long, and especially not in this day and age. Every inch of England has been explored. There’s simply no room for it to exist as a flesh-and-blood creature.
Even though I think the likes of Bigfoot/Yeti/Sasquatch etc. are paranormal in origin rather than undiscovered animals, I hope I am proved wrong in the following days.
It would make the world so much more interesting.
I’m sorry, but if someone had the ability and know how back in the mid-1960’s to manifest a creature, known as the “Minnesota Iceman”, for moneymaking display at carnivals and fairgrounds, then I’m not buying into all the excitement about the “Georgia Gorilla.” Frank Hansen, owner of the Iceman, openly admitted that there were two versions of the Iceman; one purportedly real and the other a replica. He said that he exhibited only the replica at the carnivals and fairgrounds due to the real Iceman’s value and fragility. The only reaction I get when thinking about the possibility of a “Georgia Gorilla” is a real strong feeling of deja vu. Yes, new discoveries are important, but so is one’s personal credibility. Everyone be very, very careful with this one. If, in fact, the Georgia boys have what they say, then I would seriously suggest that they invest some of their newly found money in a school that teaches interpersonal skills, because they sorely lack those skills at the moment. I dismiss the involvement of Biscardi – the modern day Barnum – in this as a money grubbing venture. If the Georgia boys aren’t careful they won’t have even enough money left for the interpersonal skill classes.
P.S. Has anyone checked the zoo’s in the S.E. United States to see if they’ve had a gorilla or large ape pass away recently? Yes, I’m that convinced that this whole thing is a farce.
I hope at this press conference there is a credentialed scientist who performed the DNA analysis and this scientist tells the press the factual results of the DNA sample. Anything less, will be a little disappointing with regards to the DNA. Clear pictures will be great, but DNA by a bonfide scientist by a respectable lab will mean much much more!
I really hope that this story is true, but based on the circus that these two gentlemen created leading up to this conference, I am doubtful… and who wouldn’t be? If Mr Whitton and Mr Dyer had handled themselves in a more professional manner, then I would be more excited. Wearing Santa hats and talking trash on youtube does nothing but decrease credibility in my opinion. It doesn’t mean they don’t have a body, it simply decreases credibility. The one and ONLY reason why I am even considering getting my hopes is because of Mr Coleman’s post. I have great respect for you sir.
Wouldn’t it be awful if this was Penn & Teller’s Act II?
@ connie gilbert
there’s a whole episode of monsterquest devoted to all that. if you dont want to bother watching it…
it turns out that the experiments didnt work.
I’m curious: While I read Loren’s comments, I can’t help but feel that there is a veiled message in them as some other readers have pointed out. I currently live very, very close to the geographic area of this ‘find’. (1)A large mammal or population of mammals would have a difficult time surviving (unless very nomadic or migratory) a north Georgia winter unnoticed; while somewhat mountainous in topography the forests are devoid of sustaining cover or foliage in the winter; (2) to support homeostasis in that climate would require: hibernation, or large quantities of energy metabolising carbohydrates and protein. (3) the ‘find’ area is a very short drive from a highly populated county just north of Atlanta. A county that has doubled in population and development over the last 10 years. We’re talking about explosive growth and commercial and residential building. (4) Loren’s own comments seem to suggest that our friends at BT quite possibly have something other than what they think they have, so in theory they could simply come across as ‘innocent’ in their claims of a BF, but still may end up with some notoriety for having found an unknown species of primate in North America, or an out of place species in North America, if in fact they are in possession of a real organism at all; (5) certain aspects of the story simply don’t make sense and smell of a hoax on a grand scale and finally – not to rant (6) using simple powers of observation in regard to the ‘freezer photos’ – why a black and white photograph in the age of digital, accessible photography and using some common sense – that would have to be a massive freezer ! If the ‘body’ in the photo had proportions even relatively similiar to a human based on years worth of observation (and my own measurements) where are the shoulders ? At nearly 6 feet across (based on the stated measurements) the shoulders would be prominant in the photo, clearly extending up the sides of the freezer (if on it’s side), and possibly obscuring the head/face from view (if on it’s back). Remember the ‘body’ was in a state of rigor when they found it – how did they stuff it into a chest type freezer and still have a ‘clear’ view of the head/face; and in looking at the proportions of the ‘head’ in comparison to the shots of the freezer and the width, I just don’t see a body that large fitting in that easily. But who knows I could be wrong. These two ‘lucky’ individuals might just be intellectually challenged enough to mess up what would be undisputable, scientific proof of the existence of BF and an answer to one of the world’s greatest mysteries of the 20th and 21st centuries. (And having forgotten to include non biased, neutral and objective scientists, authorities and media in the process.) In my opinion, I don’t think the answer to the BF question lies in Clayton County GA. A hypothetical or theoretical one maybe, but not the one that I’m looking for. I would have called National Geographic, and Jane Goodall for starters for the right direction. Then I would have called my accountant, forget $1M – $10M, the find would be without question, and would be priceless.
I had a sighting in the mid 90’s as a teenager. This news excites and worries me beyond words.
If it real, really real, a lot of skeptics will be eating crow and I’ll sleep soundly.
And if its yet another fraud, I’ll continue to be that weird guy that claimed he saw a monster one spring morning.