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FOOT STILL A MYSTERY
Foot found in Spotsylvania County turns out to be that of an ape
BY BILL FREEHLING
Date published: 2/13/2007
BY BILL FREEHLING
MORE PHOTOS: Click here to view more images of the foot.
What is it? You tell us. Read the story, view the pics, then share your thoughts at the bottom of the story.
Authorities now say that the foot found at a Spotsylvania County landfill is not human, but it's unclear exactly what species it is.
The Virginia medical examiner's office X-rayed the left foot found Saturday at the Livingston Landfill and determined that the 8-inch foot was that of an "apelike species," said Spotsylvania Sheriff Howard Smith.
The medical examiner's office reported those findings early yesterday morning, ending search efforts at the Massey Road landfill. About 35 Spotsylvania fire, rescue and sheriff's personnel were at the site sifting through 127 tons of trash to find more of the body.
That search began Sunday after the foot was found by landfill workers cleaning the treads of a bulldozer used to spread and cover garbage.
The foot appeared to have been cleanly sawed off and resembled that of a human, Smith said. An employee with the Virginia medical examiner's concurred, and the foot was sent to Richmond for forensic testing.
The Free Lance-Star sent photos of the foot to several people who study primates. All disagreed with the state medical examiner's office's conclusions.
Experts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said it looks more like a human foot than that of an apelike species, according to Jordana Lenon, a spokeswoman for the primate center on campus. She said it's difficult to tell without handling it. A colleague of Lenon's said it looked like the skinned-out hind-foot of a bear.
April D. Truitt of the Primate Rescue Center in Kentucky, also said the foot looks more human. She said it's too big to be a monkey; it's more the size of a gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo or orangutan. She said its bone structure leaves the chimp as the only possibility.
"This certainly doesn't resemble the foot of any chimp I've ever met, and I've encountered hundreds in the past two decades," Truitt added.
William Dranginis of Manassas has a more unusual opinion--he believes the foot could be that of Bigfoot. He heads the Virginia Bigfoot Research Organization and has been passionately studying the elusive creature for more than 10 years.
| Disposal methods
Early speculation about the severed foot discovered Saturday at the Livingston Landfill was that it was human and perhaps the result of a medical amputation.
Mahogany Hart, Mary Washington Hospital spokeswoman, said yesterday that amputated limbs are removed from the operating room and stored in the hospital morgue until all testing is done. Then, a Roanoke company, Sci Med Waste Management, makes weekly pickups and disposes of the limbs by incineration.
--Jim Hall |
| Experts disagree on the origin of the foot. Some disagree that it is of a primate and believe it appears more human. |
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Read more stories about Spotsylvania
Date published: 2/13/2007
Most recent reader comments:
Looks Familair
(posted by
SKELLIS01
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
This sounds eerily familiar to parts found in Peoria, Illinois. Scientists there headed by Ed Degenhardt of The BigFoot Society of Illinois. The report said they found a Big Toe of an unknown creature about 2 years ago. They nickaned the it the Skellismonster for the guy who discovered it in an open filed while walking his matted down German Shepard. Brian Dunphy was the reporter for the Chicago Tribune who broke the story, buy for some reason it didn't get much press.
DISAPERING FOOT
(posted by
APOLLO
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
IF IT TURNS OUT TO BE REAL . IT WILL VANISH OR SOME STRANGE BEAR FOOT WILL MAGICLY APPEAR IM WILLING TO BET MONEY ON IT
foot
(posted by
JLENA7
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
I wish they had a better picture of the foot to were you can see it better and you be able to tell what it is. It could be a human foot. And the rest of the body could still be in the landfilled some were. Jlena7
This all sounds familar
(posted by
JavaBob
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
My name is (Java)Bob Schmalzbach. I am the VP of Searching for Bigfoot Inc. We have a hand, also found at a landfill. It was turned in to a Montana Sherfiff's office. They were unable to tie it into any missing persons and were not even able to identify it as a human. They eventually turned it over to an associate of ours to see if he could identify it. We have done DNA testing and had the hand inspected by a bunch of experts. To this day, we can't say what it is. See it at searchingforbigfoot.com
Ape foot???
(posted by
Grizlore
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
Its a humanzie foot. Duh!
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