No, There is Not A “Man Eating” Snapping Turtle in Lake Monroe

By: Corbin Lingenfelter, News Director

Bloomington- Over the weekend, a post on Facebook was making the rounds on user’s feeds.

The post claimed a decapitated body was pulled from Lake Monroe and a Forensic Scientist at Purdue University, Dr. Eric Paddlejack, claimed a “nine-foot snapping turtle” was the cause of the victim’s death.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources provided us with a quote on the hoax.

“This post is a hoax and there is no truth to any of the claims it makes.” Said Captain Jet Quillen with the Indiana DNR District 6 post.

The supposed Dr. Paddlejack is also a hoax, as there is no record of him or her at Purdue University according to University Senior Marketing and Public Relations Director Tim Doty.

The post appears to be from a non-media or public official Facebook user. The story is completely false, from a body pulled from the lake, to the claimed “monster”.