(WSB Radio) -- Investigators looking into the discovery of a Bigfoot in north Georgia say the whole thing is a hoax. Tom Biscardi, who appeared with Mat Whitton and Rick Dyer as a California press conference last week, apparently paid the two Georgia men money to obtain possession of the alleged Bigfoot which was contained in a freezer.

WSB's Sandra Parrish reports

Hear last week's press conference announcing the find

According to www.searchingforbigfoot.com, the hoax became apparent once the freezer started thawing. The site says the Bigfoot is actually a rubber monkey suit.

Steve Kulls, executive director of squatchdetective.com and host of Squatchdetective Radio, says in a posting on a Web site run by Bigfoot researcher Tom Biscardi that as the ``evidence'' was thawed, the claim began to unravel as a giant hoax.

First, the hair sample was burned and "melted into a ball uncharacteristic of hair,'' Kulls said in the posting.

The thawing process was sped up and the exposed head was found to be "unusually hollow in one small section.'' An hour of thawing later and the feet were exposed and they were found to be made of rubber.

Matt Whitton, an officer who has been on medical leave from the Clayton County Police Department, and Rick Dyer, a former Georgia corrections officer, announced the find in early July on YouTube videos and a Web site.

"Everyone who has talked down to us is going to eat their words,'' Whitton said at the time.

Phone calls to Whitton and Dyer went unreturned on Tuesday. But the voicemail recording for their Bigfoot Tip Line which proclaims they search for leprechauns and the Loch Ness monster has been updated and announcing they're also in search of ``big cats and dinosaurs. If you see any of those, give us a call.''

The website reports that Whitton and Dyer both signed a document admitting the hoax and a promissary note but skipped town before a meeting with Biscardi.

WSB News has been unable to contact Whitton or Dyer.

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