The growing list of evidence composed of footprints and curious mounds and stick structures made the local investigator ask whether Kentucky’s Bigfoot bury their dead

BY LIZ CAREY

The Daily Yonder

Visitors to the Smokies might be able to catch a glimpse of Bigfoot at the festival that bears his (its?) name, but they might have to cross the border into the mountains of southeastern Kentucky to find out where his ancestors are buried.

Large mounds found throughout the Kentucky mountains have people wondering if the land features there could be the graves of dead Bigfoot monsters?

That’s what Thomas Marcum, the founder of The Crypto Crew, a cryptozoology and paranormal research group based in Kentucky, and the author of “Understanding Bigfoot: Helpful Information and Answers to Common Questions”, wants to know.

In early December, he wondered on his Crypto Crew blog whether or not large mounds found in the woods of Bell and Harlan counties in Kentucky could be gravesites for the famed cryptid. Bigfoot gravesites, he said, may be the reason why no one has ever reported finding Bigfoot skeletons.

“One of the reasons why we may not find Bigfoot bones often is that they bury their dead,” he wrote. “There are several very credible researchers I spoke with on the subject.”

Marcum described the sites as two large mounds of dirt and rocks about 30- to 40 feet apart located deep in the woods of Kentucky.

“This is in an area where I have had several Bigfoot encounters and found many tracks,” Marcum said. “Now of course, I have no idea if these are really graves or just odd humps of dirt on the ground. It could be nothing more than a natural formation or something a person did a long time ago. I have not and would not dig into them. But I am confident that bigfoot does bury their dead.

In an email interview, Marcum said he’s had many sightings of Bigfoot activity in the area. He’s been researching Bigfoot for more than 20 years and has seen Bigfoot many times.

“I’ve seen it on several occasions,” he said. “They are not dumb animals but very intelligent beings that have a language… Over the years I have had many things happen, spoken with thousands of witnesses, found a lot of evidence of these forest people.”

Marcum said one of the misconceptions was that Bigfoot was only in certain parts of the country, like the Pacific Northwest. He’s had plenty of sightings of Bigfoot in Kentucky, he said, starting when he was a teenager.

“My first encounter happened when I was 15 years old,” he said. “My father and I were coon hunting and we had something pace us on the side of the mountain. Our dogs were terrified and so were we. At the time, I didn’t know or understand what was pacing us, but years later I’d figure it out.”

In 2013, he said, he not only got a clearer view of Bigfoot.

“It was a cold and snowy day,” he said. “We had got about 2-3 inches of wet snow. We live in a very heavily wooded area with forest in front and behind our house. I looked out the window and saw this very large, I’d guess around 10-foot-tall, black-haired creature walking on side the mountain. I was maybe 100 yards away, with a clear view. This very large black figure stepped in between two large trees, moved off to the right and up a small ravine.”

Recently, Expedition Bigfoot, a Bigfoot investigation show on the Discovery Channel, spent time in the same area looking for evidence of Bigfoot. In season two of the series, they found numerous accounts from residents about mysterious sights and sounds. One of those witnesses, Tracy Turner, a pastor and former employee of the Kentucky State Police, produced audio recordings of what he heard.

In season three, the investigators returned to the area and found what they believe is primate DNA – possible evidence Bigfoot lives in Southeastern Kentucky.

According to Marcum, it should come as no surprise that Bigfoot has chosen the Bluegrass State to live in.

“The area is not subject to extreme cold temperatures,” he said. “There is an abundance of food and water sources. There are plenty of natural caves and old coal mines for shelter. I have researched extensively in Harlan county and it is a prime area for Bigfoot. Kentucky in general has long been a hotspot for Bigfoot sightings and encounters.”

Since posing his question, Marcum has gotten some heat over whether or not the mounds he photographed were Bigfoot graves.

But, he said, he never said they were. He just posed the question, could they be?

“I have spoken with many witnesses and researchers, and the general consensus is that bigfoot bury their dead,” he said. “If a Bigfoot grave site could be found and dug up it probably wouldn’t change a whole lot within the cryptid community. Most who have a genuine interest in the subject already understand there is plenty of evidence confirming the creature is more than a myth.”