Officers with the Avery County Sheriff’s Office were excited to inform the public on Wednesday that a previously lifted Bigfoot statue was located and retrieved from a nearby wooded area.
According to the department’s October 16 Facebook post, the Bigfoot statue was found in the community of Edgemont by a “very alert young man” named Mike. After he notified the sheriff’s office, police dispatched Chief Detective Frank “Littlefoot” Catalano and additional officers to retrieve the 180-pound figure.
The statue, which depicts the less-than-enthused Sasquatch in mid-stride, was unbolted and stolen from Mountaineer Landscaping’s storefront in Linville, North Carolina, back in August, which caused quite the local disturbance.
“He’s part of the family,” Mountaineer Landscaping store manager Glenna Ollis told WBTV following the kidnapping, adding that the figure was a big draw for customers. Local resident Teri Brewer confirmed this by gushing over how “lovable” the figure was.
Despite the owner’s love of the statue, the sheriff’s office noted they were unable to return the missing figure to the family-owned business because insurance money related to its disappearance was collected during its absence.
As a result, Bigfoot now appears to be in the basement of the Avery County Sheriff’s Office until the insurance company decides how it wishes to proceed.
Being that the Sasquatch figure has yet to find a new home, netizens have suggested the insurance company auction the statue off and donate the proceeds from the sale to a local charity.
Locals were also quick to bring the jokes in the post’s comment section.
Facebook user Loretta Elder Travis took a shot at a man from her past and asked, “Is Edgemont on Wilson's Creek? If so I know where THE BIGFOOT lives! I used to date him. He's a real ANIMAL! (Specifically a wild BORE).”
“Sasquatch is found when he wants to be found. He became tired walking back from the bigfoot festival in marion,” said Keith McCurry, referencing the annual Bigfoot Festival in Marion, North Carolina. Libby Brown pleaded, “Please don’t lock him up!”