Lisa Stout, from the US state of Ohio, told the official Loch Ness Monster website that she caught sight of the much-debated, but mythical for now, water creature Nessie after combing a set of Google Maps images from three years ago.
At some point, a dark, slender, neck-like object sticking out of the water against the backdrop of a forest caught her eye. The location appeared no less typical: the suggestive snap was taken near Monastery Tower, Fort Augustus, according to the description below the picture.
“I had been searching for Nessie on and off for the past few weeks, spending an hour or so a week on Google Earth as well as other places I like to visit in the app,” Stout said.
She went on to add that having closely examined other pictures allegedly featuring the monster for motivation, she came to believe they were insufficiently clear.
Stout’s sighting is in fact the ninth since the start of the year, with the previous year, 2017, having marked a record of 11 sightings.
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The legendary beast has attracted adventure-seekers and conspiracy theorists ever since it was allegedly first seen by Saint Columba in 565 AD, with over 1,000 sightings having been registered to date, according to the official Loch Ness Monster website. The massive quest permeates not only the social and entertainment spheres, but apparently even the government, as officials in Scotland have a detailed plan of action if the elusive beast is ever caught. The "partly serious, partly fun" code was written by Scottish Natural Heritage, which is known to be funded by the Scottish government.
