Erickson Project founder legal woes and how much he spent on Bigfoot DNA testing with Dr. Melba Ketchum

Adrian Erickson
"The Erickson Project"

Adrian Erickson, the founder of "The Erickson Project" is currently fighting two battles and according to recent reports, he may be losing on both fronts.

On one front is about the properties he sold to buyers and how he failed to deliver on promises. Erickson is the developer of Regal Ridge properties on Anarchist Mountain. According to Osoyoostimes.com, Erickson promised large, beautifully laid out lots that included access by paved road with power, telephone and high-speed cable delivered to the lot. In addition all lots were to have drilled wells and free drilling for geothermal systems. According to those who have bought up there, the two-to-three acre lots are spectacular and offer sumptuous views. Unfortunately, some purchasers didn't get all of these services as written in the purchase agreement and they are suing. "While all lots do have drilled wells, approximately 120 of them do not have all, or in some cases, any services," said one buyer.

The other front is his battle with Dr. Melba Ketchum and her lack of transparency with the Bigfoot DNA study. Recently, Erickson pulled his website SasquatchTheQuest.com off the web due to frustration in dealing with Dr. Melba Ketchum. According to Richard Stubstad, Erickson spent a considerable amount of money to have his Bigfoot tissue samples tested. "He posted up some $60,000 (or more) as far as I understand, for both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA -- WHOLE GENOME -- testing," Stubstad wrote.

"The problem is that Ketchum, once she lawyered up, wanted Erickson (and me, and Java Bob) to sign a different NDA than the one that originally existed between them, and to my knowledge probably still does exist. So, essentially, Ketchum took Erickson's money and laughed all the way to the bank."

Perhaps the gossip about Adrian Erickson's financial trouble Robert Lindsay stated about wasn't crazy talk after all. Richard Stubstad recently backed up Lindsay's other claims regarding Adrian Erickson, Tom Biscardi, Java Bob, and Dr. Melba Ketchum in a response to one of our earlier posts.

Here's Richard Stubstad with an update on what the deal is with all these people connected with the Bigfoot DNA Project:

Hi, Richard Stubstad here...

In fact, most (but not all) of what Lindsay says about the Biscardi-Java Bob-Erickson trio is true.

The only thing is that none of the three are linked more than as "acquaintances" at best. Only Biscardi and Java Bob were every formally linked; but they no longer are.

Lindsay has a pretty good network of connections & information sources. He is right most--but of course not all--of the time.

So don't sell him TOO short, just because he likes to irritate people just to see what happens.

As far as Erickson being part of the "investor group", in fact he was one of the folks who first paid up A LOT of cash for Ketchum to test a number of well-vetted sasquatch samples, from several sites. In fact, he posted up some $60,000 (or more) as far as I understand, for both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA -- WHOLE GENOME -- testing. I would say that constitutes "an investor", wouldn't you? The problem is that Ketchum, once she lawyered up, wanted Erickson (and me, and Java Bob) to sign a different NDA than the one that originally existed between them, and to my knowledge probably still does exist.

So, essentially, Ketchum took Erickson's money and laughed all the way to the bank.

She did the same thing with a considerably lesser amount of my money, but I really don't care. Maybe she needs the money more than I do. Whatever.

At least I got some (but not all) of the sequencing back that I paid for. That's at least better than Erickson made out.

While I believe that Ketchum is still on the right track, just like WE were when we worked together through about October of 2010, I have no idea where the project has gone since then.

And -- just for the record -- Paulides was the first to deliver a sample of what was likely a real sasquatch to Ketchum, probably back in 2007 or so. However, Ketchum used up all of the DNA on a single type of DNA test -- which in fact was published in Paulides' book, "Tribal Bigfoot". That was ALL that Paulides contributed to the project before Biscardi and Erickson delivered more samples, and at least some of the samples were tested for DNA.

So the order of truly viable sasquatch sample contribution was:

1) Paulides (hair), approx. 2007; one DNA test result written up in Tribal Bigfoot (a good book, by the way).

2) Biscardi (toe nail and others, in January 2009); only the toenail was proven to be from a real sasquatch; most of the other samples were not tested as of October 2010.

3) Erickson (several viable samples, the first two of which tested positive as sasquatch, in approx. March 0f 2009.

4) A "four corners" sample directed by Java Bob to Ketchum in approx. April of 2009; this tested as a likely sasquatch as well.

I personally worked with Ketchum on the data analysis of the first three of these samples. The 4th sample was also tested for mitochondrial and most likely nuclear DNA, but I only know of a single gene result on the nuclear side, which matched 100% one of the first three samples but no other in GenBank.

After this, a whole lot of samples were provided and paid for by others, which are called "the Investors" in the above commentary.

The initial contributors mentioned above (Paulides, Biscardi, Erickson, Java Bob, and Richard Stubstad, have been kept in the dark about all subsequent results except Paulides, who initially contributed very little, but has subsequently likely contributed a lot more.

That's the story, folks. Sad but true. I'm not pulling your legs.

Richard Stubstad

Related:

• Robert Lindsay insists the Erickson Project's footage of Bigfoot will be released, quotes Bigfoot sample smells like wild boar
• The Erickson Project considering pulling out of race? And who is Matilda? [BIGFOOT RUMOR] (Updated: Website now redirects to Godaddy.com)