Desk clarification
A note on the woods witnesses
Participation in a prank is not corroboration of a later sighting.
The men who arranged the snipe hunt were not described as witnesses to the figure Wong Gai reported after they left. Our follow-up distinguishes those accounts.
The Tribune’s use of “search” refers to the department’s response to Gai’s report. It should not be read as confirmation of the subject’s identity. Chief Hootie’s statement says the identification remains unsettled.
Statements referred to in this report
Read the department’s statement on the Fort Vale Police website. Wong Gai has published his own observations on his investigator’s site.