Two Oklahoma men went noodling (catching catfish by hand), but only one returned.
Larry Doil Sanders, 53, killed his fishing buddy, Jimmy Knighten because he believed Knighten beckoned Bigfoot to dine on Larry.
The two men went to the South Canadian River in Pontotoc County, Okla. to do some “noodling,” which involves using their hands as bait, annoying catfish into biting them, then grabbing the fish by the mouth. The sport is considered dangerous yet popular with rednecks sportsmen.
This brief video breaks down the art and science of noodling.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Knighten used a “Bigfoot call” or summoned Bigfoot in some other manner. Sanders is lucky his friend didn’t signal Bigfoot with a Sasquatch mating call.
The Elk Mound Bigfoot Research Center has recordings of seven supposed Bigfoot sounds and “knocks.”
FACT-O-RAMA! An undated map claims there have been almost 147 Sasquatch sightings in Oklahoma, including four in Pontotoc County where Larry thought he was Bigfoot’s main course.
Sanders claims Knighten “called” Sasquatch and then attempted to abandon Sanders to the hunger pangs of the camera-shy beast. That’s when Sanders, fearing he was about to be a happy meal for a “squatch,” began to beat, choke, and drown Knighten. Sanders claims they fought for almost an hour before Knighten was killed.
Knighten’s ex-wife, Stacey Kelley, described Knighten as “just a decent old rural boy. He is the kind of person who would truly love you to death.”
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Now it gets even weirder. Sander’s daughter is dating Knighten’s son. When the young man asked about his dad’s deliverance from the woods, Sanders simply replied, “Your dad’s not coming back.”
Sanders admitted to his daughter that he killed Knighten. The police then arrested Sanders on an unrelated warrant regarding bringing meth into a jailhouse. That’s when he admitted to killing his fellow noodler and drew a map to help authorities find Knighten’s body.
From the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) arrest report:
LARRY advised he believed JIMMY was trying to get away from him so that the sasquatch could eat LARRY. LARRY would not let JIMMY get away. LARRY punched JIMMY and struck JIMMY with a stick. LARRY and JIMMY fought for an extended amount of time on the ground.
Authorities also report that Knighten seemed to be under the influence of something when he was arrested.
Knighten’s ex-wife has established a GoFundMe for funeral expenses. The GoFundMe bio on Knighten claims he has “leaves behind 4 kids, numerous bonus kids, 6 grandkids and numerous neices, [sic] and nephews, cousins and friends.”
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