EW!!

(CNN) -- A policeman and a former corrections officer say that on Friday they will unveil evidence of what they claim is their biggest find ever: the body of Bigfoot.
The thawed body of a creature reputed to be Bigfoot reportedly weighs more than 500 pounds.

The thawed body of a creature reputed to be Bigfoot reportedly weighs more than 500 pounds.
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Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, a pair of Bigfoot-hunting hobbyists from north Georgia, say they found the creature's body in a wooded area and spotted several similar creatures that were still alive.

The carcass of the furry half-man, half-ape is 7 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs more than 500 pounds, they say. However, the two are not disclosing the exact location of their discovery to protect the remaining creatures.

Tom Nelson, chairman of the biology department at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, said he's "pretty skeptical" the world will feast its eyes on a new species Friday.

"That would certainly rock mammalogy," joked Nelson, who specializes in the study of mammals. "I see a research grant in my future."

Whitton and Dyer plan to unveil what they say is DNA and photo evidence of the discovery in Palo Alto, California, in conjunction with a group called Searching for Bigfoot Inc.

A photograph on that group's Web site shows what appears to be the body of a large, hairy creature with an ape-like face, stuffed into a large freezer.

According to a written release, the two announced the discovery on an Internet radio show, "Squatch Detective," several weeks ago. iReport.com: Do you believe in Bigfoot?

"The only person we would allow to come down and verify the body was 'the Real Bigfoot Hunter,' Tom Biscardi," Dyer said, referring to Searching for Bigfoot's CEO, who has been looking for the elusive, legendary creature in the United States and Canada since 1971.

Whitton is a Georgia police officer who is on administrative leave after being shot in the wrist during a pursuit. Dyer is a former prison guard.

DNA tests on the body have begun, said the statement, and "extensive scientific studies" will be done on the body by scientists, including a molecular biologist, an anthropologist and a paleontologist.

Nelson, the university professor, acknowledged that new species of animals have been discovered in recent decades and that, in science, "we always acknowledge the possibility of something new."

But he said that even in north Georgia, home to the Blue Ridge Mountains and the foot of the Appalachian Trail, it stretches the imagination to think a family of 7-foot-tall creatures could have eluded hunters, hikers and creeping development until now.

"To the average person, these places just seem like extreme wilderness where you'll find lions and tigers and bears," he said. "The reality is that you're never more than a mile from a road."

The group says the animal is male, has reddish hair and "blackish-gray" eyes and human-like feet, hands and teeth

DNA samples are in.

Two samples of "big foot" were given.  One turned out to be human and one turned out to be a possum. 

The search continues.

Who's Grave Digger, Squonk?  Never heard of it. 

World Wrestling Federation had a wrestler that went by Grave Digger too didn't it?

You could be right on either guess; football or wrestling.  I don't watch much football and no wrestling.  Though with Squonk, ya never know.  It might be something totally different he's referring to.  He's a little twisted, like me. 

Nope, didn't know that either Mz. 

I know.

I'm pathetic.

I don't watch much local programming on tv.  I usually have the satellite turned on, watching Sci-fi channel or Turner Classic Movies. 

ATLANTA -- In an exclusive interview with Channel 2, two Georgia men said their bigfoot hoax was a joke and that they never intended for it to go as far as it did. The Clayton County police chief said he did not find it funny and he fired one of the men from the department.

The men confessed to Channel 2 they bought a costume off the Internet and filled it with possum roadkill and slaughterhouse leftovers.

Defense lawyer Steve Lister, who is now representing both men, said things got out of hand with a national promoter got involved. The two men acknowledged before it was over they'd generated national, if not international, attention and gave more interviews than they could count about the bigfoot they once claimed they found in the north Georgia mountains.

# SLIDESHOW: Thawed Out 'Bigfoot' Is Rubber Suit

"It's just a big hoax, a big joke," said car salesman Rick Dyer. Dyer told Channel 2 he never intended to put it across as the real deal. "It's bigfoot. Bigfoot doesn't exist," he said.

"All this was a big joke. It got into something way bigger than it was supposed to be," said former police officer Matt Whitton.

EXCLUSIVE: Bigfoot Discoverers Speak Out, Call Alleged Finding A Joke

Whitton and Dyer said when they concocted their bigfoot hoax, they had no idea bigfoot would get legs like it did. "It got legs and ran. It's crazy now," said Dyer.

"It started off as some YouTube videos and a website," said Whitton. "We're all about having fun."

Chief Jeff Turner with the Clayton County Police Department said he didn't find it funny. Turner fired Whitton from the Clayton County Police Department.

"He lied on national TV so a defense attorney now could say, 'How do we know you're not lying now?'" said Turner.

# SURVEY: Do You Believe In Bigfoot?

"I don't believe it does affect my credibility at all because this is bigfoot," said Whitton. "It would be one thing if I came out and said that I had something else that is tangible or real, but right now, as far as I'm concerned, there is no real bigfoot."

Whitton said his arm is still in a splint from the bullet wound he took in the wrist July 3 in the line of duty.

"He placed his life for others," said Turner.

Whitton and Dyer said "bigfoot" was a Sasquatch costume they bought off the web and filled with possum road kill and slaughterhouse leftovers.

"We never intended on it to go this far," said Dyer.

Lister said Dyer and Whitton have committed no crime but they've retained him. "There has been some threats made to them for both civil and criminal prosecution," said Lister.

Channel 2's Mark Winne asked, "Did you start thinking, 'Oops, I'm lying, this isn't just a joke?'" Dyer said, "Well, we told 10 different stories. Everyone knew we were lying."