You knew it was bound to happen.
Randy Lee Tenley, 44, of Kalispell, Montana, reportedly was wearing a Ghillie suit, dressed as a Bigfoot, and trying to create a Bigfoot sighting on U.S. Highway 93. Yes, he was attempting to pull off a hoax.
Instead, he ended up dead, struck by two automobiles, on Sunday evening, August 26, 2012, south of Kalispell.
Tenley was first struck by a vehicle driven by a 15 year old Somers girl in the southbound, right lane. She could not get out of the way fast enough to avoid hitting Tenley.
Then Tenley was struck again by a vehicle driven by a 17 year old Somers girl who hit his body in the road.
The first crash occurred at about 10:30 p.m. at mile marker post 106.9.
Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Jim Schneider told the media: “The mechanics of the crash, everything of that nature, you know that stuff doesn’t change. It’s still a crash involving vehicles and a pedestrian. So we’re still doing the same investigation, but once we started speaking to parties, then someone involved in it, trying to ascertain exactly what brought that gentleman out to Highway 93…I would not guess that would motivate anybody to be out on Highway 93.”
Schneider says that they are awaiting toxicology results to determine if alcohol may have been a factor in Tenley’s behavior.
Schneider says friends of the victim said Tenley was wearing a military-style camouflage ghillie suit in hopes of creating a Bigfoot hoax.
My condolences to Tenley’s family and friends, needless to say, but, also, I have great sympathy and empathy for the two teenagers whose lives have been traumatized forever because of the unwise decision of an older man who should have known better. My hope is that these two young people are receiving counseling and support due to this death caused by Mr. Tenley’s unfortunate hoaxing behavior.
I have not been able to obtain Mr. Tenley’s photo or one of his Ghillie suit. Images here are file photos.
Update:
The Internet, Bigfoot forums, Twitter, Facebook, and social media, in general, have exploded with discussion of this news. Despite that, the actual new news in this story is slim.
This story is the talk of Bigfoot forums and social media sites two days later.
Unfortunately, I see that Ben Radford is using it as a vehicle to push his usual global statements regarding the Patterson-Gimlin footage.
Ben has written today, in his “Bad Science” blog, “The most famous film of a Bigfoot — one shot in 1967 in Bluff Creek, Calif., by a man named Roger Patterson — is widely considered a hoax pulled off by a man in a costume. Whether Patterson was the hoaxer or victim of a hoax is unclear, but anyone pulling such a stunt these days is taking a real risk.”
“Widely considered a hoax”? I don’t think so.