Ketchum Camp Responds To Sierra Kills DNA Results

Ok, so it has been concluded that the species of origin that is the major contributor of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA in Justin Smeja's sample is a female black bear, Ursus americanus. The sample also yielded human mitochondrial DNA-- Justin Smeja's DNA. Even though the tissue sample was recovered 5 weeks after the shooting of the two Bigfoots, it was likely that the flesh could have belonged to other animals in the area, including bear or coyote. Many people, including myself hoped that the tissue would turn out to be an unknown primate of some sort. When Smeja returned to the scene to recover the body, the place was under a 3-4 feet of snow, and unfortunately, the tissue was all he was able recover. It was discovered on a slope near a tree stump a few yards from where he hid the juvenile's body.

Like Bart Cutino, investigator Tyler Huggins understood from the very beginning that the sample may not even be Bigfoot. "We knew from the start that this tissue may not have originated from the subjects he claims to have shot.  No claims were ever made about this tissue other than that it seemed to be good circumstantial evidence," Huggins noted today releasing the Sierra Kills results.

"From the beginning, our objective and responsibility to the public, fellow researchers, the hunter/submitters and frankly, ourselves, was to independently contract multiple labs to screen the Sierras tissue sample as a precautionary measure and hopefully rule out “all” potential North American mammalian candidate contributors," Cutino wrote in a follow-up statement.

Here's the kicker: Ketchum also received this same sample.

In Ketchum's latest radio interview on Coast to Coast AM, she says believes Justin and thinks he may have left the scene of the shooting believing he had shot and killed someone (a person). According to Justin's account, he thought someone was playing a prank on him when he saw the "strange looking bear" walking out into the meadow.


Thanks to Bigfoot Lunch Club for the clip above.

Back in November 2010, shortly after the incident, Smeja created a thread on Taxidermy.net titled: "If You Saw Bigfoot, Would You Shoot It?". The thread was mysteriously deleted by the forum administrator, but later recovered by hackers. Here's his original statement:

Post by: Smeja on November 07, 2010, 01:24:27 AM

Call BS if you want but this bear season I saw a bear in Northern California that walked on 2 legs and was pale white in color like a pale yote sorta. Like some grizzlys I’ve seen but whiter. It stood 8 feet tall or so and walked like a man. Could have been a grizzly (highly doubtful). I don’t know for sure what it was. Maybe just a monster black bear that got shot in the front leg years back and learned to walk different. I don’t know. I do know I was not alone when I saw it.

I shot it with a 25-06 behind the shoulder at 120 yards. It ran 70 yards into the brush and crashed. Sounded like a car wreck. I never found it. Not saying it was bigfoot at all – it just looked different from any bear I’d seen. If it looked any more human-like, I would have passed on it. Something wasn’t right there, oh and it was prob 600+ lbs or more. So to answer my question, I suppose the answer is probably yes for me, but not if he looked any more human then what I shot.

So, the samples submitted by Huggins and Cutino came back as a female black bear and human. In the interview above, Ketchum says that she believes Smeja. This leads us to believe that her study finds Smeja's Bigfoot "steak" sample to be the real deal (from Bigfoot). If Trent University ruled out the possibly of the sample being Bigfoot or an unknown hominid, what has Ketchum ruled out? According to Smeja, Ketchum has yet to ask him for his DNA. "To Smeja’s knowledge, Ketchum has none of Smeja’s own DNA to use as a control sample to compare against in order to rule him out as the source of the human DNA which she claims is present in her samples," Huggins noted.

Currently, Ketchum hasn't said much about the results (which is thought to be the centerpiece of her study) released by Huggins and Cutino. On Facebook today, Ketchum writes that she is confident in her study:

We are not concerned and have no comment. We are confident in the samples we used. We have nothing to say on others samples, we have not worked with. - Dr. Melba ketchum

Here's Ketchum's Facebook conversation from earlier today:

Robby P. to Melba Ketchum

Hi folks, just a quick review for any who may have missed a few important segments. Dr. Ketchums study involves far more then the samples provided by the Sierra kills, samples coming from folks all over the place. Smeja may very well have done what he said he did but that will apparently not be proved by the samples he submitted. Some of us were aware that what he recovered later on may not have been from his initial run in. I have the utmost confidence in Dr. Ketchums work as she has not wavered in her endeavor not once despite an avalanche of BS coming from every direction. Many laugh and say unthoughtful things adding to a very real conspiracy that i have witnessed myself to shut down and discredit Dr. Ketchums work. These folks have failed in there attempts to halt the truth from being seen. I have heard a statement by a random person that rings oh so true for the rest of society i hope you will take it to heart. There is no finding Bigfoot, Bigfoot finds you, believe me when i say i can attest to that. Relax take a breath, the study will be published, before you know it you will have Dr. Ketchums hard work in your hands for your own review.

Robby P.

I do not feel that Dr. Ketchum requires anyone to stand up for her as she is a true professional, and her work will speak for itself. As she is however bound by particular agreements to remain silent regarding particulars of the endeavor, know that some of us are hugely invested in the outcome both personally and for future acts of protection for the BF species.

Melba Ketchum

We are not concerned and have no comment. We are confident in the samples we used. We have nothing to say on others samples, we have not worked with.