To Our Supporters,
I need to share some honest thoughts about where this project stands and what comes next.
Losing Jeff Changed Everything
On September 9th, 2025, my friend and colleague Dr. Jeff Meldrum passed away. Nobody saw this coming. Jeff was 67 and still going strong. He was the other half of this project.
For those who don't know, Jeff Meldrum was the most respected scientist in this field.
Period.
When other academics laughed at Bigfoot research, Jeff brought real science to the table. He gave this subject credibility. His book "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science" is still the gold standard.
Jeff wasn't just going to appear in this documentary. He was the central figure. The whole film was being built around his scientific approach. He was also writing the companion book, "Legend Meets Science II," to go along with the film.
We completed one shoot with Jeff, but we had a final interview planned for after the conclusions of the forensic testing.
That interview can never happen now.
I worked with Jeff on the original documentary back in 2003. We've been friends and collaborators for over twenty years. You can't just replace someone like Jeff Meldrum. There is no one else like him.
The Other Challenges
On top of losing Jeff, we've hit other walls.
In the early days of shooting we had production delays from the COVID pandemic winding down. That set us back from the start.
The DNA research being done by Darby Orcutt at NC State University keeps getting delayed. His lab had to relocate. There's been staff turnover and university paperwork holding things up. We've been waiting on Darby's results for a long time now, and we're still waiting.
One hair sample in particular looked promising and was supposed to go through next-generation sequencing, but that work remains incomplete. We can't finish the documentary without this science, and Darby's timeline is not something we control.
We have always planned to collaborate with other labs, but we needed the preliminary results from Darby's lab first before we could move forward with them.
Finding anyone willing to do legitimate analysis has been a constant battle.
Costs have gone through the roof since we started. Inflation hit indie projects like ours hard.
What We're Doing Now
We are still waiting on Darby. In December he received another grant to speed up the sequencing of the DNA. We are still waiting.
Science takes time. Real science does not work on documentary production schedules. We have always said this project would be driven by real science, and that means we wait for real results.
In the meantime, production has continued. We have shot approximately 25 terabytes of footage, including 2 trips to Snelgrove Lake. The footage is there. The story is there. We are waiting on the science.
Fulfilling Your Rewards
We are currently waiting on Kickstarter's decision to release the backer fulfillment information. I am positive we will get that approval. Once we do, we will begin preparing all the rewards to ship out together, regardless of where you backed the project. Whether you backed on Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or our website, you will be treated the same.
From there we will assemble all the physical goods and get everything signed that was promised and get them to you. Stand by.
The only reward we cannot fulfill right now is the documentary itself.
Going Forward
For anyone who still wants to support this work, we're moving to a donation model. No more reward tiers or promises tied to a delivery date. If you believe in what we're doing and want to help cover field work, lab costs, and production, you can donate. But there are no strings attached and no expectations. Think of it like supporting ongoing research, not buying a product.
Thank You
Some of you have been with us from the start. I know three years is a long time to wait. I appreciate your patience more than I can say.
I honestly don't know when it will be done. But it will be done.
Thank you for sticking with us.
Doug Hajicek
January 26th, 2026