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TWO men who went missing during a forest search for Bigfoot have been found dead.
The men, both from Portland, Oregon, were reported missing by a family member on Christmas Day.
They had set out on Christmas Eve to search for the legendary creature in eastern Skamania County, Washington State, but failed to return home.
A massive search involving more than 60 people was launched and a vehicle linked with the men was found off a road near Willard, Wash.
The bodies of the men, 37 and 59, were eventually found after three days in a heavily wooded area of Gifford Pinchot National Forest, according to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office.
Their cause of death appeared to be “exposure, based on weather conditions and ill-preparedness”, police said.
The area had been battered by snow, rain and low temperatures in the days leading up to the men going missing.
The search was hampered by “difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions” as crews faced conditions such as “freezing temperatures, snow, high water levels,” law enforcement said.
Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is a large, hairy figure resembling a human thought to live in north-western parts of the U.S. and Canada.
Its existence has been the subject of debate for decades amid hundreds of reported sightings.
Who is Bigfoot?
Bigfoot, also commonly known as Sasquatch, is a large, hairy figure of folklore said to live in the forests of North America.
He has the build of a large, muscular human or ape-like creature and is roughly 9 feet tall with thick dark brown or reddish hair.
Its existence is the subject of debate, but Bigfoot has grown into a cultural icon in Canada and the USA.
Various forms of evidence have been offered over the decades including stories of claimed sightings and alleged photographs, video and audio recordings.
Hair samples and casts of large footprints have even been offered, thought the scientific community reject this evidence as a hoax or misidentification.
Sceptics have suggested reported sightings may have mistaken a bear standing up on two legs for the mythical creature.
More than 700 reports of Bigfoot sightings in Washington state have been submitted to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, the group says.
In Skamania County, harming Bigfoot is punishable by a $1,000 fine and can include jail time.
This law is meant to protect the mysterious creature and prevent hunters with large beards from accidentally getting shot.
