Whales In Space

A North Carolina man claims to be selling the original rubber bigfoot costume that was used in August of this year to hoax the world and discredit Bigfoot Hunter Tom Biscardi.

The auction ends October 16th and is currently going for over $85,000.
View the Ebay Auction Here

The winner gets

1. The actual, original “RickMatt” creature in the original freezer, and all requested legal paperwork to prove its authenticity. The creature no longer contains organic parts, but non-organic substitutes.

2. A personal visit from Matt Whitton and Rick Dyer to restore the display to its original condition and speak publicly on the hoax and its aftermath to educate real researchers.

3. Rights to use the body however necessary for promotions and research.

4. Though no one can guarantee what the media coverage will be like, you can rest assured that this story’s track record will grab a whirlwind of attention again, especially as Halloween 2008 approaches. The success of bigfoot imagery in publicity is consistent and proven, as evidenced by commercials for beef jerky, pizza, and more.

NOTE TO POSSIBLE BIDDERS
Matt Whitton and Rick Dyer (pictured above), the front ment of the original hoax, are known con men and liars. They went thru a lot of trouble to publicly embarass Tom Biscardi in August and I would not put it past them to do something similar again. Bid on this auction with caution.

In an abrupt end to an interesting week in cryptozoology, Steve Kulls Executive Director of Squatchdetective.com and Host of Squatchdetective Radio, posts on www.searchingforbigfoot.com that the recent Biscardi Bigfoot body is a rubber and plastic Sasquatch costume.
He lays out the time line and details of Biscardi’s actions and his interaction with Matthew Whitton and Ricky Dyer, the two men from Georgia who claimed to have found the body.
At this time, it appears the hoax was perpetrated by Ricky Dyer and Matthew Whitton, who received undisclosed sum of money as an advance from Searching For Bigfoot/Biscardi. The two men are currently missing.
Biscardi had taken Kulls to study the thawing body, only to discover it was a Sasquatch costume.
The text below is from www.searchingforbigfoot.com, taken at 9am PDT, August 19th, 2008.

The following are my observations and the facts as I understand and know them:

On August 1st, 2008 Tom Biscardi traveled to Georgia and on August 2nd was given a sample, allegedly, from the corpse, for DNA testing. The DNA was hand delivered to Dr. Curt Nelson of Michigan and a chain of custody of the said sample was maintained from the time it was received from Ricky Dyer and Matthew Whitton.

On August 4th, 2008 both Matthew Whitton and Ricky Dyer entered a legally binding contract with Searching For Bigfoot, Inc .recognizing the fact that Searching for Bigfoot, had absolutely nothing to do in the demise or storage of the corpse until such time as it was transferred to Searching For Bigfoot for the benefit of scientific study, marketing and promotion.

On August 10th, 2008 Tom Biscardi received an email from Dr. Nelson that after the amplifications of two of the three samples, that the size of the DNA was consistent with human/ape DNA.

On or about August 12th, 2008, Matthew Whitton and Ricky Dyer requested an undisclosed sum of money as an advance, expected from the marketing and promotion, and as a good faith gesture of the contract.

On August 14th, 2008, after signing a transfer receipt for the amount money requested and counting said money, Matthew Whitton and Ricky Dyer led the Searching for Bigfoot Team to a location and turned over a freezer with something appearing large, hairy, and frozen in ice.

On August 15th, 2008, Tom Biscardi, Ricky Dyer and Matthew Whitton held a press conference at the Cabana Hotel in Paolo Alto, California, announcing that the corpse of a creature fitting the description known as “Bigfoot” had been discovered. A police officer of seven years, on medical leave, labeled as a hero for being wounded in the line of duty, got up in front of the world and told the world of how he and Ricky Dyer uncovered this creature. This has since been proven a lie. It is notable that Rick Dyer insisted on this press conference and told Tom Biscardi he would not release the “body” unless the conference was held on this specific date.

On August 16th, 2008 the freezer containing the alleged corpse arrived with the Searching For Bigfoot Team. I arrived on location at 6PM to provide initial verification examination, biohazard control and consult for security measures at the location. At that time the ice was being thawed slowly without aid, to prevent any decomposition of the alleged corpse. We estimated that the freezer and its contents weighed over 1500 pounds and it would take several days or longer to thaw completely.

On August 17th, 2008 Searching for Bigfoot Team Director of Field Operations, TJ Biscardi and myself, were up early to discover that some hair was now exposed. I extracted some from the alleged corpse and examined it and had some concerns. Bob Schmalzbach arrived and concurred. We burned said sample and said hair sample melted into a ball uncharacteristic of hair.

At that time we contacted Mr. Biscardi who gave us permission to begin an expedited melting process. We set up a salamander heater to heat the freezer. Within one hour we were able to see the partially exposed head, as I was now able to touch it, I was able to feel that it seemed mostly firm, but unusually hollow in one small section. This was yet another ominous sign. Within the next hour of thaw, a break appeared up near the feet area. As the team and I began examining this area near the feet, I observed the foot which looked unnatural, reached in and confirmed it was a rubber foot.

At that point we immediately contacted, Tom Biscardi and advised him of the situation and he began to take action on his end. Later that day, Tom Biscardi informed us that both Matthew Whitton and Ricky Dyer admitted it was a costume. They reportedly agreed to sign a promissory note and admission of what they had done, and set a meeting in their hotel room in California for 8AM on August 17th, 2008.

At that time I drew up the documents for Mr. Biscardi. On August 17th, 2008 Tom Biscardi went to the hotel where Dyer and Whitton were staying and found that they had left. At this time action is being instigated against the perpetrators of this fraud. Tom Biscardi asked us to contact you, the press, and share all that we have discovered.

The motives behind this fraud are still unknown at this time. It is still unclear why Whitton who, being a police officer for the Clayton County Police Department in Georgia got up before the world and lied and was complicit in a scheme to defraud in a felonious manner.

At this time the victim of this series of deceptions, Searching for Bigfoot, Inc., is seeking justice for themselves and for all the people who were deceived by this deception. Due to this event peoples lives have been disrupted and many people, so wanting vindication about there prior experiences were hurt. Let us all try to be mindful of such.

On behalf of myself I can say with certainty Matthew Whitton and Ricky Dyer not the best Bigfoot trackers in the world!

Thank you.
Written by Steve Kulls

Why Matthew Whitton and Ricky Dyer would do this is unknown. The damage these actions will have on the main stream media’s perception of cryptozoology and bigfoot research will be long lasting.
Biscardi and Searching For Bigfoot will be associated with this hoax, even though they were the victims.

The Tom Biscardi Bigfoot Press Conference failed to delivery the conclusive DNA and photo evidence many (including myself) were hoping for.

What it did appear to generate is some serious backlash.
The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) had declared the whole thing a hoax before it was over. Claiming the freezer picture is a Bigfoot costume with some animal innards on top.
Then we have the Bigfoot Police Channel on YouTube. But as we learned with the Peckman and Romanek Alien video that landed on YouTube, discrediting people on the internet is way to easy these days.
Main stream media would rather have a hoax than an unknown, so they start the “its a hoax” stories going.
Komo News from Seattle finds Cliff Barackman to discredit the story. Surprise, surprise, he is a member of the BFRO

Could they be behind the negative YouTube videos as well?
Its not hard, slap some video of Biscardi talking from Fox News and put the word hoax in the title.

This makes me wonder what the BFRO has against Biscardi.
This story is far from over.
This has not been proven a hoax!
Why not let the additional DNA evidence come back?
The BFRO is discrediting its self by not challenging this story in a more professional manner.

Matthew Whitton, one of the two original men who first discovered the deceased ‘Bigfoot’, was up first at the podium in front of dozens of cameras and reporters waiting to hear about this supposed ‘lucky find.’ Matthew and his friend Rick Dyer were hiking through the woods of northern Georgia when suddenly they came across a large mass lying next to a stream. Recalling the event, Whitton describes himself as being in complete ‘shock.’ According to the two men, they were ‘within 50 feet’ of two ‘live’ creatures, which made no noises whatsoever, almost as if trying to be discreet. The dead body of Bigfoot had his ‘guts hanging out,’ possibly due to a wound of some sort. As for the smell, Whitton put it in the only way he could, claiming that it smelled ‘like something dead.’ Take that as you will.

As Whitton said, they were not ‘looking for Bigfoot’ but rather stumbled upon him, a situation which they were curiously prepared for. Armed with cameras, they quickly took photos of one other creature, a biped which they claim to be part of the Bigfoot ‘family,’ and proceeded to haul the lifeless body of the other animal into their truck before arriving home and placing it into a large cooler. When asked if they always carry cameras into the woods, Whitton replied ‘Yes. There are other things to see than the terrain.’ Interesting, since they repeatedly claimed throughout the entire press conference that they were not previously Bigfoot hunters, but rather just two very lucky men. Also of considerable note is the fact that they did not immediately contact authorities. Whitton claims that he did not see it ‘necessary’ and that his first goal is to ‘protect the creatures.’ Instead, they contacted Tom Biscardi, founder and CEO of Searching for Bigfoot Inc., and had him and his team come out and evaluate the situation. They kept him in a refrigerator until Biscardi and his team arrived.

As the conference continued, Biscardi began to take over answering questions, mainly averting giving any real answers. When asked why it wasn’t until now that anyone has found the real ‘Bigfoot,’ given that humans have been on this planet for quite some time, Biscardi merely retorted with another question: How come we haven’t found the wreckage and bodies of plane crashes? Good point, I guess.

The conference went on and reporters began to get increasingly suspicious. Direct questions like ‘Is this a hoax?’ and ‘Are you just pulling a publicity stunt’ were shouted left and right. In an attempt to salvage what little credibility they had left, Whitton simply exclaimed, ‘We’ve done it,’ as he reflected on his incredible fortune of finally finding the legendary creature. But what he claimed in words, he failed to substantiate with hard evidence. At the end of the conference, thanks to my friend Michael Dimmock and his tactful use of a student ID card as a ‘press badge,’ we received a copy of an email from Curt Nelson, a scientist at the University of Minnesota, to Biscardi explaining the results of the DNA tests. The first test was deemed inconclusive due to a ‘technical’ failure. The second test came back as ‘Possum.’ Biscardi explained that sample was taken from the intestines of the creature and perhaps the results were that of something he ingested.

We also received four photos. One of the three men ‘near the scene of discovery.’ Another of the three men next to the alleged cooler within which lies the body of Bigfoot. The last two were of the actual creatures themselves. One was a close-up of the tongue and teeth of the beast, which was blurry at best. Since the body was supposedly found in June, couldn’t they have taken a decent photo of it by now? Apparently more ‘clear’ photos will be released ‘soon.’ Until then, this is the only real one we have. The second photo is of the ‘live’ creature (one of two) standing upright in a dense patch of woods. There is nothing spectacular about this photo, it looks like every other hoax Bigfoot image we’ve seen in the past: a dark wooded area with a ‘human-like’ outline in the middle which could very well just be a tree stump or some vague shrubbery.

So where is Bigfoot now? In an ‘undisclosed location in the possession of Tom Biscardi.’ It’s been on ice for ‘about’ two months now, although the exact date of discovery wasn’t revealed, mainly because the men claim to ‘not remember.’. Only about 8-10 people have actually witnessed the body firsthand, said Whitton, but apparently it is ‘a body like you’ve never seen.’ Well, until they release a decent photo I guess that’s true enough.

The only thing to do is take their claims with a grain of salt. Until they capture a ‘live’ one, which Whitton claims ‘is going to happen,’ all we’ve got is two lousy photos and a questionable ‘DNA test.’ For all you Bigfoot hunters out there, what I suggest is this: keep hunting.

Written by Eneida Revueltas - eneida.revueltas@gmail.com

[editor's note: We've tried to cover this story as much as possible for last several days.
From the Press Release and first photo to live coverage and documented DNA evidence, but an on the scene report was something really wanted to complete the coverage. Thank you Eneida]

Click to enlarge

First document from the Rickmat carcass bigfoot press conference from today in Palo Alto from CrunchGear.

From Eneida Revueltas at the press conference

UPDATE 1:05PM
“Conference over. Was able to get copies of the photos they promised. Will scan them in later. Full report coming soon.”

UPDATE 12:35PM
“One dna sample taken from intestines supposedly came back ‘possum’…. Other one inconclusive”

UPDATE 12:31PM
“Starting to sound a little hoaxy to me. Biscardi has now said he plans to make ‘as much as (he) can’ from this. Also claims there to be ‘thousands’ throughout the country.”

UPDATE 12:25PM
“Copy of photos to come, supposedly. Close up of ‘tongue and teeth’ to prove it is not a mask.”

UPDATE 12:20PM
“Supposedly they have received “death threats” due to eager big foot fans wanting to see body.”

UPDATE 12:17PM
“Biscardi just annouced he’d be releasing a new photo today during conference.”

UPDATE 12:13PM
“Been here for about 5. Not much to see. Yet.”

UPDATE 12:02PM
We are waiting to hear from Eneida Revueltas
Do these things start on time? Probably not.

UPDATE 11AM
Eneida Revueltas will be reporting back to us from the press conference, which is scheduled to start in one hour.
We will publish updates as they come in.

UPDATE FRIDAY MORNING
We have a reporter in place.
Live updates today.

Noon today at the Cabana Hotel-Palo Alto (A Crown Plaza Resort) 4290 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, we’ll find out what Matthew Whitton, Rick Dyer, and Tom Biscardi, CEO of Searching for Bigfoot, Inc. have in that box.

They are promising DNA evidence and photo evidence.

We’ll let you know when we know.

Read the press release and see the released photo here

Read our first article ‘Bigfoot found - DNA evidence to prove Rickmat carcass on Friday’ here