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• In 2008, two Georgia men, Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, claimed they had found the corpse of a real Bigfoot, garnering worldwide attention.FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Hunters Reveal Little at Press Conference (August 15, 2008)

  On August 19, 2008, a report surfaced that the purported Bigfoot body was a fake. Self-described "Sasquatch detective" Steve Kulls determined that the "body" was actually a Halloween costume. Dyer and Whitton admitted the hoax, calling it "a joke," after Kulls called them with word of his findings.FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Body Revealed to Be Halloween Costume FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Hoaxers Resurface, Blame California Promoter(August 21, 2008)

• Fast Facts

  1. Matthew Whitton is a police officer
  2. Rick Dyer was a correctional officer
  3. Whitton and Dyer co-own Bigfoot Global LLC and Bigfoottracker.com
  4. Bigfoot hunter Tom Biscardi helped to conduct a "scientific study" on the body
  5. The creature has been nicknamed "Rickmat"
  6. Admitted to be a hoaxFOXNews.com: Bigfoot Hoaxers Resurface, Blame California Promoter(August 21, 2008)

• Press Conference

  On August 15, 2008, Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton called a press conference in Palo Alto, California, to reveal DNA evidence of Sasquatch. However, at the press conference no such evidence was presented. Tom Biscardi, a self-proclaimed seeker of the mysterious creature, presented more photos of Whitton and Dyer's Bigfoot and told reporters that he planned to assemble a group of scientists to examine the creature.FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Hunters Reveal Little at Press Conference (August 15, 2008)

• Video Controversy

  In a video uploaded by Whitton to YouTube on July 20, 2008, a man named "Dr. Paul Van Buren" is shown attesting to the corpse's authenticity. After online commentators questioned the identity of Van Buren, Whitton admitted in a subsequent video that the man had been his brother in disguise. However, Whitton maintains that the corpse is authentic.The Sydney Morning Herald: Doubt thrown on Bigfoot discovery (August 15, 2008)

• Bigfoot Hoax

  Sasquatch detective Steve Kulls set to work examining the alleged Bigfoot corpse in August 2008. On August 17, 2008, reports say Kulls began to suspect something was amiss while thawing the frozen body of the creature. Kulls says upon further examination, his team determined that the "body" was nothing more than a Halloween costume.FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Body Revealed to Be Halloween Costume

  Tom Biscardi reportedly paid an "undisclosed sum" of money to Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton for the Bigfoot body. When Kulls called to report his findings, both men admitted the hoax. Dyer and Whitton agreed to meet with Biscardi and admit the fraud, but neither showed up at a planned meeting. Biscardi has not recovered his money.FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Body Revealed to Be Halloween Costume

• "Joke"

  On August 21, Whitton and Dyer told an Atlanta TV station that the bigfoot claim had been a joke gone awry. According to Whitton, because of Biscardi's influence, "It got into something much bigger than it was supposed to be." "It started off as just some YouTube videos and a website," he said. "We're all about having fun." FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Hoaxers Resurface, Blame California Promoter(August 21, 2008)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Bigfoot | Georgia Bigfoot Hoax | Dead Monster Montauk | Cryptozoology | Chupacabra | Matthew Whitton | Rick Dyer | Tom Biscardi | Squatch Detective | Bigfoot Press Conference

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