or decades now, thousands across the world have spoken about their sightings of a large ape-like animal but have no little to no proof of its existence. In the 1950s the animal was coined as Bigfoot in the United States and the sightings increased. So much so that an investigation was launched by the FBI into Bigfoot and if the creature really exists.
In 1976, Director Peter Byrne of the Bigfoot Information Center and Exhibition in Oregon sent the FBI “about 15 hairs attached to a tiny piece of skin.” Byrne was unable to identify what animal it came from at his facility and was hoping the FBI might be able to draw some conclusions. Byrne was also curious if the FBI had ever analyzed Bigfoot hair before.
The Results
Assistant Director of the FBI’s scientific and technical services division, Jay Cochran Jr., responded to Byrne stating that he found no evidence of the FBI ever analyzing suspected Bigfoot DNA. Jay Cochran Jr. analyzed the sample that was sent to him and found that “the hairs are of deer family origin”.
Four decades after the hair was analyzed, the FBI declassified the case and made the documents available to the public.
Bigfoot Lives On
Although the FBI proved that the specific sample of hair given by Peter Byrne was not from ‘the missing link‘, many believers have continued to report sightings and passed down stories to generations.
Just like aliens and UFOs, Bigfoot’s prominence in a modern culture still thrives. Shows and games like Finding Bigfoot, BIGFOOT, and yes again, BIGFOOT.
Until someone catches the creature, dead or alive, the world will continue to speculate on its existence. For now, the myth creates endless storylines for games and movies alike.
