Jon Downes of The Center for Fortean Zoology has released this statement on August 3, 2017:
I have just received an instant message from Paul Vella’s brother Dermot: “It was just to let you know that Paul passed away on Saturday the 15th [...] basically as a result of the health issues he had over the last year or so. He passed away peacefully seemingly without any pain. I’m just trying to contact as many of his friends as best I can to let them know. If you can think of anyone else that would like to know I would appreciate it if you passed it on.”
As you probably all know, Paul was for many years in charge of the CFZ BHM Study Group, and will be missed by his many friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.Stephen Law, Adrian Shine, Paul Vella and Nick Pope: March 2010.
In August 2009, Paul Vella gave a talk, “Bigfoot for Kids” at the CFZ Weird Weekend. This cartoon appeared in the September 2009 issue of Fortean Times depicting his presentation.
I’ve withdrawn a lot. I’m tired of the ridiculous claims some groups are making and the amateurish of some of the so-called ‘research’ that is going on. I put so much of my energy into BF that I nearly lost a grip on reality and my work. I had to withdraw or I’d go crazy. I’m very despondent. A decade ago I thought I could make a difference and introduce my expertise of Forensic Science to BF researchers, but it simply wasn’t possible. I now begin to understand how the likes of John Green feel. :(
I’m beginning to think this mystery won’t be resolved in my lifetime, and that hurts.
Another friend to me and to the field has passed away too soon.
Vella was a Forensic Examiner and Expert Witness by profession who specialized in the forensic recovery, examination and analysis of computer and mobile phone data, including the analysis of digital imagery, and had been involved in a number of high-profile cases, including the attempted impeachment of (now retired) Circuit Court Judge Brian Curtin in 2006 by the Oireachtas Éireann (House of Parliament) in the Irish Republic, and the case of the ’7/7′ terrorist attacks in London.
Vella at one time wrote a regular column on Bigfoot in the magazine Animals & Men and was one of the few people in Britain who took Bigfoot research seriously. He, as noted, regularly attended conferences in the United Kingdom, presenting “Bigfoot/Sasquatch:Evidence’”- a two hour presentation of the best evidence for the existence of Bigfoot. He was an administrator at Bigfoot Forums, posting as “paul1968uk,” and thus his discussions will live on forever on the Internet.
“I’m beginning to think this mystery won’t be resolved in my lifetime, and that hurts.” As have said all the others. Something that probably doesn’t ‘exist’ in the way we ordinarily think of that word makes resolving the mystery impossible. And he did use the word ‘mystery’ rather than ‘animal’, so it appears he had moved from the ‘flesh and blood’ theory in some respects. He was “upset to learn that none of Erik Beckjord’s collection” … and wasn’t Beckjord a staunch supporter of a paranormal explanation? Paranormal (ESP) and Supernatural (ghosts) are words with an unavoidable stigma, a new word is needed to that comes with no negative preconceived notions. With the idea that our existence & reality is some type of simulation gains a lot of supporters, maybe ‘supra-real’ is more appropriate.
[...] for knowledge amongst believers? And finally, Loren Coleman brings us the sad news that CFZ Bigfoot Study Chair Paul Vella Died on August 15, the result of health issues from the past year or so. Paul ran the BFZ CHM study [...]