Posted by: Loren Coleman on August 27th, 2012

You knew it was bound to happen.



Randy Lee Tenley, 44, of Kalispell, Montana, reportedly was wearing a Ghillie suit, dressed as a Bigfoot, and trying to create a Bigfoot sighting on U.S. Highway 93. Yes, he was attempting to pull off a hoax.

Instead, he ended up dead, struck by two automobiles, on Sunday evening, August 26, 2012, south of Kalispell.

Tenley was first struck by a vehicle driven by a 15 year old Somers girl in the southbound, right lane. She could not get out of the way fast enough to avoid hitting Tenley.

Then Tenley was struck again by a vehicle driven by a 17 year old Somers girl who hit his body in the road.

The first crash occurred at about 10:30 p.m. at mile marker post 106.9.

Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Jim Schneider told the media: “The mechanics of the crash, everything of that nature, you know that stuff doesn’t change. It’s still a crash involving vehicles and a pedestrian. So we’re still doing the same investigation, but once we started speaking to parties, then someone involved in it, trying to ascertain exactly what brought that gentleman out to Highway 93…I would not guess that would motivate anybody to be out on Highway 93.”

Schneider says that they are awaiting toxicology results to determine if alcohol may have been a factor in Tenley’s behavior.

Schneider says friends of the victim said Tenley was wearing a military-style camouflage ghillie suit in hopes of creating a Bigfoot hoax.

My condolences to Tenley’s family and friends, needless to say, but, also, I have great sympathy and empathy for the two teenagers whose lives have been traumatized forever because of the unwise decision of an older man who should have known better. My hope is that these two young people are receiving counseling and support due to this death caused by Mr. Tenley’s unfortunate hoaxing behavior.

I have not been able to obtain Mr. Tenley’s photo or one of his Ghillie suit. Images here are file photos.

Update:

The Internet, Bigfoot forums, Twitter, Facebook, and social media, in general, have exploded with discussion of this news. Despite that, the actual new news in this story is slim.

Sources: 1, 2, 3.

About Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.