HOUSTON – With cash in hand, people lined up to catch a glimpse of Bigfoot at the Alamo Drafthouse movie theater in west Houston.
The crowds were drawn by self-proclaimed "master Bigfoot tracker" Rick Dyer, who claims to have killed the mythical beast near San Antonio in 2012.
Dyer has been taking the "body" on tour to prove that Bigfoot does exist.
Dyer said this tour is about removing the stigma attached to his name following a noted hoax in 2008 when he also claimed to have captured Bigfoot.
"Why should people believe this is real, given the 2008 hoax you were a part of?" asked Local 2's Robert Arnold.
"Well, it's not important if people believe it's real or not, that's totally up to them," said Dyer.
"When are you going to release the scientific evidence you say proves all this?" asked Arnold.
"Whenever I want to; I mean it's my body, it's mine," said Dyer. "This is about redemption for me and my name, and if it continues to make people happy then I will do it for as long as I can."
Dyer said the real joy comes from seeing the excited faces of children who climb into his brightly painted Bigfoot trailer and take a look at the body he has stored under glass.
"Kids love it, if I could do this forever just to show it to kids, that's what I'd do," said Dyer.
"If it's not about the money, it's about seeing the look on kids faces, then why do you charge money?" asked Arnold.
"Well, we need fuel for the truck, we need fuel for the generators, we need to eat," said Dyer, who also claimed he has had to use his own money to supplement travel expenses.
Dyer was also unfazed by detractors who've posted videos online calling him a "hoaxster" and "conman."
"The more haters I get the better," said Dyer. "So if you have any haters you can give them to me."
As for those who paid to see a "body" Dyer affectionately calls "Hank," they all agreed it was an enjoyable experience.
"For the body, it was so awesome," said 13-year-old Nick Maystrik. "When I saw it I thought, 'Yeah, why not?' It could be Bigfoot."
"That's quite a story, that's quite a Bigfoot," said Alexandra Drake.
"I think it's pretty convincing," said Zack Angeli, who believes he's had his own brushes with Bigfoot near Dayton. "We've actually had our own encounters at our deer lease, something similar to this, so we're curious on what it looked like."
Dyer will putting "Hank" on display again Tuesday at the Alamo Drafthouse movie theater on Highway 249 near Louetta.
