Questions About The Smeja Shooting.

[Branco]

After reading media reports and posts on numerous internet sites, watching TV documentaries and listening to radio talk shows about Justin Smeja’s reported killing and burying of a juvenile Sasquatch, I’m very puzzled about many of aspects of the case, and really would like for those familiar with the case to help me make sense of them.

From what I understand Justin shot and then buried the BF after he looked very closely at the dying animal’s face and saw that what he had shot was a human-like primate. While examining the animal, blood from the gunshot wounds dripped onto his boot(s). Reportedly, after suffering deep remorse for killing such a human-like creature, and fearing that authorities might find the body in the vehicle he was in, he buried it in the area. His later statements indicate the body was not actually buried underground, but placed in a natural depression and covered with limbs and duff. (I seriously ask that I be corrected by anyone who knows differently if anything that I “understand†is erroneous.)

Reportedly the “burial site†was not examined again until the snow that fell sometime after the event melted months (?) later. During that examination by Justin and ‘B C’(?), all the biological remains that were found and collected from the depression  was a piece of flesh with hair attached.

At this point, I will post this as a start to a new thread but pause to ask that those who know will confirm or correct just this small part of the whole affair. Please note, I am not trying to rehash the whole affair, I just want to discuss parts of it that are apparently incompletely addressed, explained or possibly omitted to conceal some very pertinent facts. I will greatly appreciate your knowledgeable input and patience on this continuing thread.

[Guest Crowlogic]

The tissue sample Justin Semja submitted to the Sykes analysis came back as having come from a bear.  There was also an issue Semja had with his connection to the Ketchum report although I don't know exactly what that was.  He did however produce a video where he seemed to be trying to clear his name and distance himself from the Ketchum project.  Now he's become something of a bigfoot celebrity and a film maker is making a movie about him.  As I see it he shot a bear (his is a bear hunter after all) and either before or after that kill made the decision to turn the killed into having killed a bigfoot.  When I piece together how the Semja episode is playing out it reeks of a premeditated idea to create a bigfoot scenario that might play out  exactly as it seems to be playing out now.

[Rockape]

Smeja's shooting story? In short, don't believe it.

[gigantor]

Well, there is a thread here called "The Sierra Shooting" which chronicled the debacle from the start. Smeja joined the BFF and participated in the thread.

 

He was in the chat room and many members participated.

 

The original story he told, never mentioned anything about burying the animal. It all unraveled in detail, including the part where he tried to sell a piece of the BF steak, etc. Then the Ketchum drama, etc. I guess over time, the story has "evolved" to whatever it is now.

 

IMO, it's all bunk.

[LeafTalker]

Hi, Branco. I became interested in BF just about the time the Smeja story was "breaking" (or a little after), and at that time, I didn't understand enough about how things work here to know how to wade through (and discard immediately) the disinfo you-know-what -- so my grasp of the story is not the best. But I think Tyler H knew a lot about what really went down, so I would search for his posts. I know he was not a Melba Ketchum fan, and I don't share his views there, but he was a lot closer to the story than most, and his posts would be interesting to check out, I think. (I don't remember how much he contributed to the Sierra Shooting thread, but I agree, that would be a good thread to look at.)

[BobbyO]

Reportedly, after suffering deep remorse for killing such a human-like creature, and fearing that authorities might find the body in the vehicle he was in, he buried it in the area. His later statements indicate the body was not actually buried underground, but placed in a natural depression and covered with limbs and duff. (I seriously ask that I be corrected by anyone who knows differently if anything that I “understand†is erroneous.)[/color]

Reportedly the “burial site†was not examined again until the snow that fell sometime after the event melted months (?) later. During that examination by Justin and ‘B C’(?), all the biological remains that were found and collected from the depression  was a piece of flesh with hair attached.

The sample piece wasn't found in the immediate area (the natural depression) of where they stashed the body of the younger one.

It was found in the area where they say they shot the elder animal, and was all that was found which was later said to be of bear origin.

[Guest SoFla]

Smeja's shooting story? In short, don't believe it.

me neither Rock-too many holes, too many changes, where is the corroboration from the driver? With everybody and their baby brother walking around with cell phones these days and there are two of them in that truck and we don't have one single picture? You know why? Because the story is made up by a couple of guys who hatched a plan to get their 15 minutes of fame by purporting a big stinking lie. They have cashed it in to the tune of I can only imagine how much by now. Smeja is a softer, nicer, and more likable version of Rick Dyer-with a couple less hoaxes in his resume'

[chelefoot]

Because the story is made up by a couple of guys who hatched a plan to get their 15 minutes of fame by purporting a big stinking lie. They have cashed it in to the tune of I can only imagine how much by now.

Actually, Justin's buddy has never sought the spotlight.

 

 

where is the corroboration from the driver?

He has done an interview with Ro Sahabi where he corroborated Justin's story entirely and would not even allow his face to be shown.

 

Ro also did the documentary on the alleged killings. It's available on YouTube now.

 

I'm no fan of Justin's. But I did watch the whole thing unravel...looking for inconsistencies in his story. I found very few. But still, because of lack of evidence, who knows whether it's true or not.

 

Branco, BC is Bart Cutino.  Bart and Tyler (who LeafTalker mentioned) also obtained a sample of the BF Steak and sent it to 2 independent labs for analysis and both found it to be bear as well.  There was a whole long story of Ketchum calling Justin and wanting him to destroy his sample so that no one else could test them. The witness to the shooting was there and heard the conversation. But who knows?

 

When they went back to the site the spring after the shootings, Bart Cutino got the thermal video of the 2 or 3? supposed BF's in the woods. They did a nice follow up investigation of that video - also available on YouTube.

[Woodslore]

I am not a sure of Justin. He seems (to me) to be a little off in interviews and such. He has been on Monsters and Mysteries in America, the Bigfoot files, Bigfoot bounty (on which he passed a lie detector which I remind you is not admissible in many courts) , the dead Bigfoot documentary, and a few smaller clips I have seen floating around the internet. Each time there seems to be something a little different about the story. Even little details about the fire arm used. I have heard it stated it was a .30-06, a 7mm mag, a .300 win mag, a .308, etc. He seems to from what I have noticed taken an emotional turn over the course of it. He seems almost darken by the events, I mean the more he appears on things the less emotion he seems to show. Something is weighing heavy on him. 

If not mistaken when the shooting went down he and a friend were scouting an area from a truck. They looked over into a field or little meadow and something caught their eye. It was large dark and since they were bear hunting they thought bear. When Justin looked it was not  a bear, it was in his eyes at that moment a monster. He open the door of the truck then in his words from the Bigfoot files, shot it quote "because it wasn't suppose to be there" (might be from Monsters and Mysteries in America). I think he said he hit it in the chest. It dropped to all 4's and ran. He shot again hitting it in the rump (in the interview he said that is actually a good place to shoot as it is clean and ethical, not actually a good place to shoot). Around this time he noticed 2 other smaller ones. His friend yelled again not wait. This time Justin listen and waited. They followed on foot after the one they shot. The 2 smaller ones kept going back and forth (as he stated looking for their parent). They would come together and "speak" to each other than move away. The whole time this is going on they are no more than 15 yards away. During this Justin decided he would shoot one of the little ones to prove that he had shot one. Took aim and fired hitting the neck. It was after this he picked it up and started to think how human and child like these were. Then went back to the truck. After a few minutes went back and buried the body (dead bigfoot). The hope was to come back the next day. When they did come back there was a scrap of "skin" with hair that to him did not seem to be bear hair. He didn't take the body because it seemed to human to him.

Justin's friend who was with him the whole time (as Chelefoot stated) never once showed his face. When you hear him in the interview he seems more real, IMO, than Justin. He seems more centered. He told him don't do it, don't shoot. Also makes an interesting statement of how they would both cover for each other. If it came to trouble with the law or something Justin would say that the friend was hiking far away on a ridge somewhere else. He would do the same for Justin. 

Interesting though that both state that these creatures were abnormal. They were not suppose to be there. They should not be in the woods. How human like they all seemed. Interesting to note Justin states that the bodies seemed to human so he didn't take the body. Though if he could go back he would still shoot and than take the body. That strikes me as odd. He also states towards the end of the Dead Bigfoot when he takes a lie detector test he says he thought he was telling the truth. Seems strange wording to me. For me i think something happen in the woods but not sold on it being a bigfoot. There was definitely something strange 

[southernyahoo]

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. 

[Guest Crowlogic]

It's all just one more confirmation of all of the big bigfoot events ending up to having been hoaxes.  Consider that Justin's bear sniffing dog sniffed out a body after Justin and company returned and lo and behold just happened to dig up a a dead bear that was a few yards away from where Smeja shot the younger one.  What are the odds of a bear carcass being in the killing zone of two bigfoot.   Just another normal day in bigfootism so let the good times roll.

[chelefoot]

Actually Crow, I've heard someone (can't remember who it was) say that the spot where the steak was found and that area, would be a natural spot for hunters to bring their shot bears out to clean. (I always thought you would clean a bear where he fell, so I don't know how accurate that statement is).

[Guest Crowlogic]

Actually Crow, I've heard someone (can't remember who it was) say that the spot where the steak was found and that area, would be a natural spot for hunters to bring their shot bears out to clean. (I always thought you would clean a bear where he fell, so I don't know how accurate that statement is).

It's also a good excuse for explaining bear tissue at a bigfoot kill site.  OTHO I saw the area when Smeja went back to show the kill site and the place was not littered with bear carcass remains.  Why a hunter would carry a heavy bear perhaps miles to a dedicated cleaning spot is a mystery.  It would attract predators and scavengers making cleanout more risky and unpleasant.

Edited July 31, 2015 by Crowlogic

[Guest]

Chele, a hunter would almost always field dress a large animal where it fell because that makes it easier to move and the guts are what taints meat. It also allows the carcass to cool much faster.

The area might have been used by hunters to dump parts after processing. There are many unusable parts like bones, ribs, etc. but, why would they have been scouting an area commonly used for dumping? Unless they were poaching and hoping to shoot a bear feeding on scraps. They were definitely ready to shoot something.

From the beginning, almost every action Smeja claims he took seemed unnatural. He, with hardly a thought, pops a cap in something which for all practical purposes looks like a hairy human. He then decides to do the same to a young one for proof, at very close range. Remember, the little ones are talking to each other and seem concerned or confused, pretty human like at this point already. He conveniently gets emotional and takes actions to ensure he'll have no proof. That's a pretty quick switch from methodical non-emotional killer into a big softy!

I don't buy it. The Sykes testing just helped to confirm suspicion.

[chelefoot]

I don't buy it either. So I watched and read everything that came out on this story, looking for inconsistencies or something that would support my feeling that it was all hogwash... and I have yet to find anything that allows me to completely dismiss the whole idea that he is telling it how he thinks it happened.  The fact that Bart Cutino and several others, who I think would have outed him as a hoaxer, had they found good reason, since they spent their own money on the labwork done on the steak... the fact that they believe the guy makes it that much more confusing.