Thirteen years ago, William Dranginis saw Bigfoot. Fifty grand, a van, and a camera in a log later, the quest continues.

William Dranginis knows what you’re thinking, so maybe it’s best to get a few things straight right from the start. He’s not crazy, delusional, some lunatic on the fringe. For the most part, he’s your average suburban family man. Lives on a quiet street in Manassas. Has a great wife and two daughters; just became a grandfather. Has a good job designing surveillance equipment for the Windermere Group, an Annapolis-based technology firm that does contract work for the government.

He can’t help that he saw Bigfoot in the woods near Culpeper, Va., on March 11, 1995. Two witnesses were with him, both FBI agents. It’s not like he imagined the incident. In the 13 years since, he has spent more than $50,000 trying to prove Bigfoot exists. He has created sophisticated surveillance systems—wait till you hear about his new Eye Gotcha system!—and even designed a tricked-out research van with parabolic microphones and thermal and night-vision cameras….

So begins an article about Cryptomundo’s friend, Bill Dranginis, in today’s issue of Washington City Paper.

The story contains a good array of photographs, nicely highlighting the work Dranginis is undertaking. They are worthy visuals for the profile.

In conjunction with the article, City Paper has also posted a video (which, unfortunately, appears to have been taken offline), which has Bill telling of his firsthand encounter, showing him investigating a new case, and looking at his interview. The video had made a nice companion to the article and photos.

As an editorial aside, I heartily congratulate Bill on getting a decent, sane profile out of this latest media encounter! Well-done.

Dranginis walks where Bigfoot might have at the “Southern Virginia Research Location.” (Photograph by Darrow Montgomery)

Dranginis monitors his motion-detection camera. (Photograph by Darrow Montgomery)

Dranginis demonstrates his Eye Gotcha invention. (Photograph by Darrow Montgomery)

The Eye Gotcha system includes a camera in a log decoy. (Photograph by Darrow Montgomery)

Dranginis checks the angle of his surveillance camera. (Photograph by Darrow Montgomery)

Is it Bigfoot hair or plant material? (Photograph by Darrow Montgomery)

Dranginis’ Bigfoot bait/peanut butter has been sitting there since ’04. (Photograph by Darrow Montgomery)

A DNA dart for Dranginis’ dart gun. (Photograph by Darrow Montgomery)

Every spring, Dranginis buys another case of Bigfoot Ale, hoping he’ll find the creature and the beer will become a collector’s item. (Photograph by Darrow Montgomery)

The dog once slimed in the woods (Photograph by Darrow Montgomery)

The cover story by Eric Wills is entitled “Hot for Creature.”

Go to their site (click on title of the article above) to read the entire story. That way you will also find the paper has a fascinating online interactive timeline at the bottom of their article, demonstrating “An overview of Dranginis’ search for Bigfoot, beginning in 1995.” It is a nice feature, and one that would be interesting to see with other Bigfooters.

From the article:

After 13 years of research and more than $50,000, Dranginis has some grainy video footage and photos, tracks he’s discovered, eyewitness accounts—and still no hard evidence. He’s posted this motto on a sheet of paper in his basement: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

Lest we forget, one of Bigfooter William Dranginis’ priority goals is sharing the experience of the search for Bigfoot in the classroom.

Personally, I would like to thank Bill Dranginis, once again, for his donation of unbreakable, kid-friendly, nearly transparent two-part clear urethane display casts of the footprints of various hominoids, to the International Cryptozoology Museum. It has been great working with Bill on this educational project of cast exchanges. Dranginis’s specially designed casts are a great resource invention.

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