cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1900897

A hoaxed Facebook post sparked concern from some extremely gullible Hoosiers who believed a man-eating turtle was in Bloomington’s Lake Monroe. The article by a wannabe screenplay writer Kevin Goodman said that a 9ft long and 300-year-old snapping turtle had killed a person in the lake according to “forensic scientists at Purdue University”. The piece said decapitated human remains were found recently. The post contained additional false details and was easy to fact-check with Purdue U. and the coroner.

For a previous version of a giant turtle in Indiana, see Beast of Busco. https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mqr/2015/09/unsolved-histories-a-giant-turtle-a-stubborn-man-and-dredging-up-a-myth/