A mum who claimed to have filmed ‘bigfoot’ – and to have had two close encounters with the fabled furry giant that is also known as Sasquatch – has been found dead at her home in Tennessee.
Claudia Ackley, 51, rose to prominence when she sued California’s park service after officials said the sasquatch she claimed to have seen was actually just a bear. Ackley was out for a hike with her daughters in 2017, near Lake Arrowhead, California, when she filmed a creature moving amongst the trees.
Ackley was also adamant she saw a sasquatch three years earlier in 2014. Said her first encounter with the mythical monster motivated her to “chase my dreams and live my life”.
However, friends say she died suddenly and her body was discovered on July 2. Ackley’s partner, Ed Brown, told reporters that she was found dead at her home in a chair.
Brown, who was away on a business trip, called police after becoming worried when he didn’t hear from Ackley for a few days. Officers performing a welfare check at their home found Ackley’s body on July 2.
A separate report said that Ackley died after suffering a heart attack. She is survived by her two daughters.
Back in 2018, Ackley said she was suing California Department of Fish and Wildlife, who did not believe her bigfoot claims and insisted she had just seen a bear, to protect the public. She said: “They’re supposed to be there to protect the public. They’re not doing their jobs,’ she says. ‘If I can save one life, it will be worth it.”
Regarding her earlier experience in 2014, she said: “I realized at that point, looking at the creature, that there’s so much of life that we don’t know. Life is so beautiful, and I’m wasting my years.
“I lost 125 pounds and decided to get a divorce … It motivated me to chase my dreams and live my life.”
