chelefoot Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Branco, you said you didn't want to rehash the whole affair (understandably) but to just discuss certain parts that you had questions about. Was there specific things that you were referring to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockape Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Agreed Chele. I also spent a lot of time listening to Smeja's interviews and reading up on the story. All I can surmise is it's just another wild goose chase. Smeja has been consistant with his story and last I heard he was still involved in bigfooting. I believe he was with Bart when he recorded his thermal. That thermal is just as non-conclusive as Smeja's shooting story though. It was all just another trip down the rabbit hole in the end. I haven't heard anything from Bart since he pm'ed me his thermal. I hope this hasn't soured him or Tyler on BF. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuchi1 Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 IIRC, Smeja sent the initial sample to Dr. Ketchum for DNA analysis. When he was apprised of the results (by her) is when the second sample(s) were quickly sent to Sykes, et. al. and the "bear" result was announced. First, there is no record (IIRC) of the chain of custody for the second sample and so (IMO) there is no documentation the initial (Ketchum) and then second (Sykes) sample(s) came from the same source entity. IMO, Smeja's behavior/actions post-Ketchum analysis appear to correlate to his description of the physical/facial characteristics of what he shot. His partner's refusal to step out into the limelight is also compelling. Plausible deniability.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodslore Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Just curious did that thermal video from the Dead Bigfoot documentary, was that on Finding Bigfoot as well? I am almost certain i saw it there in one episode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 why would you knowingly tell a lie and then lead investigators right to evidence that could potential land you in jail for poaching? that makes no sense to me, not that I believe his story......... i find the whole thing odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyO Posted July 31, 2015 SSR Team Share Posted July 31, 2015 It wouldn't surprise me if he shot a Sasquatch, or two. Not saying conclusively he did but I wouldn't be surprised if he did. We will never ever know of course though now. If he did, what a complete mess he made of the afters though man, jeez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branco Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 OK, thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it. I just found and read Tyler Buggins' well done summary of Justin's history in regards to the shooting. My only questions now are: Was the person who was with him at time of shooting a licensed hunting guide as reported on some internet sites? Was it that the same person who used bear hunting dogs to find the flesh/hair sample? If not, does any one know who that was? If you can help me on these, I promise I have only one or two final questions. If anyone can answer those, I'll throw in the towel and explain the reasons behind this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeafTalker Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 (edited) I should not be attempting to answer your questions, Branco, but I seem compelled to try, for some reason, so here goes... The person who was with Justin Smeja at the time of the shooting has never been formally/officially identified, that I know of; he's only been called "the driver". So I'm not sure whether it's known whether he's a licensed hunting guide (but maybe someone here does know). Also, I think southernyahoo was saying that it was Justin's dog that found the flesh/hair sample: Branco, as best I recall, it supposedly took a couple weeks before Smeja returned to the site where it happened. When he did return with a researcher, Justin's dog was with them, and it was supposedly trained to hunt bear, They dug up the chunk of flesh and hair out the snow after the dog had led them to it. I'm sure they looked where Smeja thought he had left the Juvenile but apparently found nothing there. It is odd that a chunk of bear would be so close to where Justin says he left a very different creature. It is almost impossible to piece together what might have happened or transpired in that spot after Smeja and his friend left the area the first time, but that area is probably full of predators that could carry off the corpse. The possibility that other bear hunters might have left their kill or a smal portion of it in that area wouldn't be impossible either. Edited August 1, 2015 by LeafTalker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Divergent1 Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 (edited) I spent a lot of time reading that thread. It happened to start snowing a day or two after the incident. They didn't go back to the site until several months after the fact. According to Smeja. his dog avoided the site where he covered the child bigfoot with the branches so he decided to dig through what was left of the snow. All he found was that piece of flesh that could have been anything by that point. During all this time, no one thought about the boots and the blood that was supposedly on them. At this point Smeja had worn the boots many times while fishing and it ruined what evidence might have been there. They sent samples of the boot to the labs anyway and still got the same result as they did from the hide which was "bear". Smeja strikes me as a poacher, he is "off" seeming, it's hard to put your finger on but my immediate reaction was that he gave me the creeps. My guess is perhaps there was some kind of confrontation in that meadow having to do with poaching bear. There are large poaching organizations with connections to the black markets in China in the PNW. One bear gallbladder alone can be sold to a Chinese dealer for 3000 dollars on the black market. This is pure speculation on my part but I think the bigfoot story was a contrived cover for actually shooting a human, crazy as that might sound, from a competitive smuggling ring. I think Smeja and his partner panicked and left the body in the meadow. Edited August 1, 2015 by Divergent1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Divergent1, That is an interesting theory and makes some sense. You are spot on about the poaching and I also believe he's a poacher. Most hunters, especially ones just scouting, are not prepared to shoot immediately from their vehicle, but poachers are. The claim of shooting a young BF, which is a weird part of the story anyway and doesn't seem to make sense, would muddy the waters if human-like bones or tissue were ever found at the area. Maybe there was a belief someone was going to start talking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Divergent1 Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 (edited) I've googled to see if any remains of people were found in the general vicinity that were never reported missing. I'm not clear on where exactly Smeja says he was when he supposedly shot the bigfoot assuming he told the truth about that. I only found one report that peeked my interest of a man found in the Crystal Peak area in May, 2011, which is in the vicinity of Gold Lake, that had been dead for nearly a year. He had a semi automatic pistol but no ID on him. The article didn't say if he was ever reported missing or what might have killed him. Unless they find bullets in the area of the body or can pull DNA from the bones to compare to the human blood on Smeja's boots, I can't see how a connection could ever be made between the two incidents. If I recall, Smeja posted here that he kept his bloody clothes, but I haven't read where anyone ever asked him about that later. Anyway, I'm sure law enforcement in the area that heard about the bigfoot shooting probably also had the same idea. It might explain why Fish And Game later raided Smeja's freezer. Edited August 1, 2015 by Divergent1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockape Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 This is pure speculation on my part but I think the bigfoot story was a contrived cover for actually shooting a human, crazy as that might sound, from a competitive smuggling ring. I think Smeja and his partner panicked and left the body in the meadow. Then to tell someone he shot a bigfoot there and take them back there would be the stupidest thing he could possibly do. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Crowlogic Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Smeja is paling around with Rick Dyer these days. This should be more than enough to relegate him to the hoaxer hall of fame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldMort Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I heard they were doing some kind of "wilderness survival" TV series together. Smeja is smirking his way to the bank... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branco Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 OK; I give up. This thread started out great and really helped. Thanks to all who responded with the knowledgeable input that I requested. I should have known the responses would diverge onto a trail of guesswork and ill-founded opinions. Sorry, too danged old for that. Will PM some of you that supplied the knowledgeable input if you don't mind. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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