Bigfoot hoaxer killed on Montana highway

Sept. 5, 2012

A man dressed in a bushy suit apparently attempting to incite a Bigfoot hoax was struck by two vehicles and killed on Highway 93 near Kalispell, MT, last week.

Police said that Randy Lee Tenley, 44, was dressed in a “ghillie” — a hairy-looking suit that hunters use to blend in with the environment — in an attempt to resemble a Bigfoot, or sasquatch, as a hoax when he was struck in quick succession by two different cars, each driven by a teenage girl.

“From what I understand, at least one of his friends said that he was trying to induce a sasquatch sighting by using the suit along the highway,” Montana Highway Patrol spokesman Sergeant Steve Lavin said in a Reuters report. “This is a first for me after 20 years on the highway patrol. It’s strange.”

Tenley was first struck by a car driven by a 15-year-old (15-year-olds can drive in Montana with a learners permit), then once down on the highway, was hit again by another vehicle driven by a 17-year-old driver. Police said they didn’t know which impact killed Tenley.

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Deborah Whistler

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