Matthew Whitton

- Age: 28Clayton Daily News: Cop Claims to Have Body of 'Bigfoot' (July 23, 2008)
- Became a Clayton County police officer in 2002
- Was injured while on duty in early July 2008Clayton Daily News: Policeman, Manager Shot in Krystal's Hold-up (July 4, 2008)
- Suffered a broken wrist while struggling with a suspect who tried to take his gunClayton Daily News: Policeman, Manager Shot in Krystal's Hold-up (July 4, 2008)
- Claims to have discovered the corpse of the elusive Bigfoot in Georgia
- Co-owns Bigfoot Global LLC and the website Bigfoottracker.com with Rick Dyer

Matthew Gary Whitton and Rick Dyer claimed they had found the corpse of a Bigfoot in Georgia. Whitton is a police officer from Clayton County, Georgia.FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Hunters Reveal Little at Press Conference
On August 19, 2008, a report surfaced that the supposed Bigfoot the two men "found" was a fake. Self-described Sasquatch detective Steve Kulls said after examining the purported corpse of the creature, he believes it is a Halloween costume. Kulls also claims that both Dyer and Whitton disappeared after admitting to the hoax.FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Body Revealed to Be Halloween Costume
Press Conference

Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, along with fellow Bigfoot researcher Tom Biscardi, held a press conference in Palo Alto, California, on Friday, August 15, 2008. Although Dyer and Whitton stated that they would reveal the results of DNA analysis conducted on the creature, no such evidence was presented. Rather, Tom Biscardi simply presented more photos of the Bigfoot the two claim they found.FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Hunters Reveal Little at Press Conference
Video Controversy

Prior to the August 15, 2008, news conference, Whitton admitted to having deliberately presented false information in a video he had uploaded to YouTube on July 20, 2008. In the video, 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. Whitton maintained, however, that the corpse was authentic, saying that he had devised the Van Buren hoax to divert "the stalkers" he claimed had been harassing him and Dyer.The Sydney Morning Herald: Doubt thrown on Bigfoot discovery (August 15, 2008)
Halloween Costume

Self-described Sasquatch detective Steve Kulls says the supposed Bigfoot corpse Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton claim they found in Georgia is bogus. Kulls says after a close examination of the alleged corpse, he discovered that it was nothing more than a Halloween costume, made up to look like Bigfoot's body.FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Body Revealed to Be Halloween Costume
Reports also say that Bigfoot tracker Tom Biscardi paid an "undisclosed sum" of money to Whitton and Dyer. After Kulls called the men to tell them of his find, he says both Whitton and Dyer admitted the fraud. According to Kulls, the two failed to show up for an arranged meeting with Biscardi. There was no immediate word on their whereabouts.FOXNews.com: Bigfoot Body Revealed to Be Halloween Costume