FBI Analysis of Suspected Bigfoot Hair — Pacific Northwest (1976)

In 1976, Peter Byrne of the Bigfoot Information Center and Exhibition in The Dalles, Oregon submitted fifteen hair samples to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for analysis. The samples had been collected from various locations across the Pacific Northwest where Bigfoot activity had been reported, including alleged nest sites and trail markings. Byrne requested that the FBI compare the hairs against their extensive reference collection of known animal hair. The results, which were declassified and released in 2019 under a Freedom of Information Act request, revealed that the FBI's analysis concluded the hairs belonged to members of the deer family. Assistant Director Jay Cochran Jr. wrote to Byrne that the hairs were 'of deer family origin,' effectively ruling out an unknown primate. The episode is notable as one of the few instances where a major federal law enforcement agency conducted formal laboratory analysis of alleged Bigfoot evidence. While the results were negative, the FBI's willingness to perform the analysis — and their straightforward, non-dismissive response — reflected the seriousness with which the Bigfoot question was treated in the 1970s, the peak decade for Sasquatch research in North America.