The alleged New York Bigfoot known as Dack has run into an obstacle more formidable than a dark Adirondack trail: Cornell University. The school says it never tested any supposed Sasquatch corpse, undercutting a hunter’s claim that the 8-foot specimen is nearly 60% Neanderthal just as he prepares to bring it back to the state fair.
Charles Stuart, who calls himself Snake the Bigfoot Hunter, says he found decomposing remains in the Adirondack Mountains in 2024, named the specimen Dack and estimated it stood 8 feet tall and weighed about 300 pounds. According to ClickOnDetroit, Stuart claims DNA work associated with Cornell’s Veterinary DNA Lab showed 58.5% Neanderthal or Denisovan DNA and 41.5% human DNA.
Stuart’s own website doubles down on the claim, describing Dack as verified remains and promoting a return to the Great New York State Fair. The site says the exhibit will include new artifacts and touts the alleged specimen as the only verified Bigfoot remains available for public viewing.
But Cornell’s response, reported by the New York Post, is blunt: The university said it has never tested any supposed Sasquatch corpse. Cornell also said documents posted on Stuart’s website were not products of the university and that it never presented him with a testing report.
The Bigfoot World Is Hardly Rallying Behind Dack
The pushback is not limited to Cornell. The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, founded in 1995, describes itself as a network dedicated to investigating Sasquatch sightings and physical evidence. Its founder and director, Matthew Moneymaker, has called Stuart a “hoaxer” and “scammer” in criticism reported by OutKick.
That leaves the central evidence resting on Stuart’s account and an alleged DNA report that has not been authenticated by Cornell or independently confirmed. Stuart has denied fabricating the results and has framed the dispute as a David-versus-Goliath fight against an Ivy League institution.
The Disputed Specimen Is Still Scheduled For Syracuse
The 2026 Great New York State Fair is scheduled for Aug. 26 through Sept. 7, according to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Stuart’s website says Dack will be on display there again and that the exhibition is free, while the New York Post reported that fair representatives did not respond to questions about the exhibit.
Until authenticated lab records, transparent testing methods and independent verification emerge, Dack remains an alleged specimen rather than a scientific breakthrough. For fairgoers, that may be enough mystery to fill a booth, but it is not enough to make Cornell’s name part of the proof.
