Bigfoot hoaxers beat feet

Published: Aug. 20, 2008 at 12:19 AM

ATLANTA, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The alleged corpse of Bigfoot has been ruled a hoax and now the perpetrators appear to just as elusive as the mythical creature.

The Searching for Bigfoot Web site said the frozen form two Atlanta men had claimed last week was Sasquatch was really just a costume, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday. Now the men, former Clayton County police officer Matthew Whitton and car salesman Rick Dyer, aren't being quite so talkative, reported the newspaper, which said its calls to them weren't returned.

The Web site said the hoax was revealed when the block of ice containing the figure melted during the weekend and the pair later confessed it was only a costume.

Whitton, 28, had been on medical leave after being shot in the wrist by a robbery suspect this year, but was fired after his boss heard about the charade.

"He's disgraced himself, he's an embarrassment to the Clayton County Police Department, his credibility and integrity as an officer is gone, and I have no use for him," Chief Jeffrey Turner said. "His behavior is unbecoming of that of a police officer."

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
Markets put on early charge Monday (8 min)
Final STS-129 spacewalk under way (36 min)
Better TB, malaria and AIDS tests urged (43 min)
eBay says search problem is fixed
War games push crude oil prices
Westwood at career best in golf rankings
U.S. debt burden to escalate
fark
He brings a shotgun, you bring a bagel cart. That's the Orlando way
CDC Releases H1N1.6 Service Pack 2
Welcome home Captain. Thank you for serving your country. Get ready for your Big Mac attack
Woman dies after crashing a stolen U-Haul truck. It's a very moving story
Housing prices, bombs go through the roof in Kabul
The dream: solo deer-hunting in the heart of the Everglades. The reality: limping lost through a...