Recently Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer from Georgia have hijacked and held the headlines with their claim of a 500-pound, 7-foot 7-inch Bigfoot body in a freezer at an undisclosed location — almost to the point where Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps was going to have to swim in a Bigfoot costume to turn the world’s attention back to where it belongs. When I first saw the photo, I admit, I said, “Wow! What if?” I’d love to believe that these two guys did in fact stumble upon this elusive creature. The photo made me want to believe it even more.
There have been many Bigfoot claims in the past. Eyewitness accounts, some photos, and the most famous case involving the Patterson film from 1967 showing an ape-like creature lurking through the woods — but that was just film. Many have argued the authenticity of that film, both sides have made good points. But Whitton and Dyer claim to have a body — and here’s the picture to prove it! It’s been almost a week since the photo and story have been released, and so far we have learned very little — and therein lies the problem.
I can understand keeping this amazing find in an undisclosed location. I can even understand hiring a publicist to manage the dissemination of information, however, something smells fishy here. Why do we only have one or two grainy photos of this body? And now there’s Tom Biscardi, the “Real Bigfoot Hunter” involved with the case. If he is a real researcher, he should have been able to better advise Whitton and Dyer. Step one: bring in a professional photographer to take about 1000 high-resolution images. Every moment is precious after the death of any creature. Decay begins in minutes, and if we’re going to learn something, time is of the essence. Next, take hours of high-resolution video of the creature from every angle. Allow the photos and videos to be viewed by both the media and scientific community immediately. Next, call one or two media outlets and show them what you have. Allow an independent (and hopefully impartial) eye to review your finding and present it for you — then go hide the body for safety. If Whitton and Dyer had taken these steps from the start, they would have a long line of legitimate scientists and researchers outside of their door who had seen the high-resolution images volunteering to study the creature and reach a conclusion.
If (and that’s a big “if”) Whitton and Dyer do indeed have a body, they are undermining their own claim with the way the information is being released. Whitton, Dyer, and now Biscardi have done a wonderful job at plugging their Internet radio show and Web sites, but not in gaining credibility. From wearing baseball caps at their press conference to drawing out the release of information, each day that goes by makes this discovery less important and more likely to be a hoax. I wouldn’t be surprised if we soon hear an announcement from this trio that the Bigfoot body has somehow disappeared or been stolen. There are already cries of, “Put up or shut up,” echoing from the public, which leaves only three options: 1. Produce the body; 2. Admit the fraud; 3. “Lose” the “body.”