This isn’t a story from the Weekly World News, but today’s Peoria Journal-Star. Tom Biscardi, founder of Searching for Bigfoot Inc., is convinced that the area around the Route 66 town of Funks Grove, Ill., which is just off Route 66, can support not one, but two of the mysterious creatures. The report says Biscardi visited the area this week.
This story doesn’t add up for a few reasons, even if you do believe in Bigfoot.
Biscardi and a four-man team of animal trappers traveled to Funks Grove early this week armed with infrared cameras, thermal imagers, motion cameras and tranquilizer guns.
Did they bring their tinfoil hats, too? And decoder rings? But I digress.
The Bigfoot search team was drawn to the area this week by a phone call last summer from Bloomington resident Chris Vielhak. Vielhak said he saw a large black creature he thought at first was a bear run behind his 1990 Mustang as he drove slowly down State Route 66. After he felt a slap to the side of his car, Vielhak said he was startled and sped away to discover five large claw marks on the trunk. Vielhak called Biscardi after doing some research on the Internet.
“It kept bugging me and fascinated me about what hit my car, and it ticked me off because paint jobs cost money,” said Vielhak, 31. “Many people may not believe me, that’s up to them. I walked with Tom and took him to where I saw it.”
There are a few things a little off about Vielhak’s story. First, wild bears have been gone from Illinois for many, many years and haven’t re-established themselves. Obviously, the sighting of a bear would be extremely rare. If I saw a bear running loose in the Land of Lincoln, that would have been every bit as startling as a Bigfoot. Both are creatures that should not be there. If I’d seen anything resembling a bear or a Bigfoot in Illinois, I’d be calling the sheriff, pronto.
Second, there is no state Route 66 in the Funks Grove area, nor has there been in the state of Illinois for decades. I’m going to assume the report is in error, and that it meant old Route 66.
Third, why did the Bigfoot team wait so long to investigate? Remember, the attack occurred during the summer. Didn’t it occur to anyone that the evidence trail now might be a tad cold?
Incidentally, Biscardi has photos from his Funks Grove visit / traveling museum.
Bob Schmalzbach, secretary for Searching for Bigfoot Inc., said the marks are not distinct enough to indicate the kind of creature that may have made them. Vielhak said he has no plans for wildlife experts to inspect the marks.
Why not? Doesn’t he think the Department of Natural Resources would be interested in a wild-animal attack, Bigfoot or no?
Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesman Chris McCloud said there has never been a public demand to check possible sightings of a Bigfoot.
The IDNR deals with animals native to Illinois, and Bigfoot is not one of them, he said.
I would have liked to have seen McCloud try to keep a straight face answering that question.
If I sound like I’m skeptical, I am. I find it hard to believe that in a nation fast approaching 300 million people and more than 300 years of colonization, there hasn’t been one documented case of a Bigfoot remains being found.
But I’d be happy to be wrong. Just think what an authentic Bigfoot would do for tourism on Route 66.
Did the creature smell of maple sirup? Seems to me that’s the missing point of identification.
If something with claws hit this guy’s car, my money would be on a panther. There have been a few sightings of panthers/cougars in Illinois in recent years, and the area around Funk’s Grove is heavily wooded enough that I wouldn’t be surprised to find big cats up there.
Must have a giant sweet tooth. By the way, I have some oceanfront property to sell you in Arizona. Any takers?
Nothing stranger than truth, but is it truth we read here about the bigfoot near funks grove? I don’t know, I would keep an open mind. Never been to the area, but will check it out. If panthers can live there, then why not a bigfoot? I could guess it may have been just passing through, maybe long gone for now..God with all the jokes, not wonder someone keeps quiet about seeing things like this. It it time to do a little midnight driv’n on old route 66. Who knows what creeps in the shadows of the night.
David/21/ca
February 15? Today (june 14) I just saw Tom on the news channel 2 news talking to the camera about actully seeing two Big Foots. Foot prints, and poop. Is there something wrong with the dates or did he lie to local california news team about the sighting. I just went crazy when I saw it on the news in my Riverside aprartment. So I even thought about going out there. Before I did I did some research. And this had been the best page. Also he never said anything about the get and his car or that he was apart of a big foot organization. Also, he claims about night vision, and the property is privite. Also it can only be explored in the day. I forgot the citys name he was in. That is why I did the reserch. I went to http://www.cbs.com every story was there except that one storie. Why? Because they did reserch later about the story? They had a couple of wierd stories. A man digging in his front yard for gold! LOL maybe they needed to fill air time? They even have a wierd news section. I clicked it and the wierd dude about the gold was on the page, but NO BIG FOOT! Nothing like the story never happened! Wow what a crazy night. I feel kinda disappointed. I mean sh*t I was about to go to funky vill đ Does this sound wierd about this guy, dates of stories, and channel 2? Thanks! Your message from Riverside, CA – David please I would like to here somebodys comments.
Also he never said anything about the kid and his car! Or that he was apart of a big foot organization.
sorry I said get instead of kid just want you to understand. Sorry for not reading it after I typed it. Just to add… the news seemed like he lived there. anyways thanks!
CRAP he did find a real hand with pictures lab results… wow!
https://www.searchingforbigfoot.com/HomePage
World renown âBigfootâ researcher, Tom Biscardi , founder of Searching for Bigfoot Inc., a Bigfoot research and expedition organization headquartered in Menlo Park, California, went out to find evidence of the creature known as Bigfoot and came back with a big hand! Literally, this âhand of unknown origin,â as it was referred to by Dr. Todd L. Reese, D.C., a chiropractor who studied the anatomy of the hand. In a sworn affidavit, Dr. Reese stated that this severed hand is of unknown origin. âIt is not human, not of any known species of primate, and not a bear!â
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/charlatan
Main Entry: char¡la¡tan
Pronunciation: ‘shär-l&-t&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian ciarlatano, alteration of cerretano, literally, inhabitant of Cerreto, from Cerreto, Italy
1 : QUACK 2
2 : one making usually showy pretenses to knowledge or ability : FRAUD, FAKER
– char¡la¡tan¡ism /-t&-“ni-z&m/ noun
– char¡la¡tan¡ry /-rE/ noun
I guess Tom Biscardi is already in the dictionary.
well i read all your comments but let me tell you folks a littlie story that
is true around the year of 2000 i was coming back from a small town
off of i 80 in illinios just north of kawanee il i was in the truck with
my girl friend we were heading east bound to joliet the time was about
1130 to maybe 1200 on a very cold night about 5 degrees and the traffic
was light we were going about 60 and just ahead about three blocks
was somthing that in my life time would never see again was a very tall
like ape that was as tall as the speed sign about 7 foot tall we slowed down
to see what the hell was it it started to run back into the heavey woods and
stop at the curb side it ran upright with long arms slightly swinging and til this
day i will never forget what i had saw
the Vielhak story ,why cant there be bears there ,there is in missouri and where by them so i dont understand that then there was a lady in missouri saying she see’s bigfoot all the time and he came and knocked on her door and she had a hole story about bigfoot but if that one is true then why dont u al go out there aND STAY AT HER HOUSE AND SET UP cameras and see what ui see it was on fox 2 not to long ago
when i heard about the most recent Bigfoot sighting it really got my hopes up…
if u put nails to wood, then scratch hard on the car, will leave marks like that. and the picture muct be a costume, so fake, didn’t bigfoot move fast, but if his cam is cybershot then…..
Well, there have been reports of Bigfoot in FunksGrove and McLean since the early 70’s. No one talks about it because no one believes anyway