Loch Ness Monster Dead? 'We Don't Know Where She's Gone,' Says Expert (PHOTO)
Is the Loch Ness monster dead? That's the question on the mind of many, as there haven't been any confirmed sightings of the water-dwelling sea beast in over a year. The legendary creature, said to inhabit the depths of a lake in Inverness, Scotland could be gone forever.
The Loch Ness monster's death theory was created by Gary Campbell, who has kept detailed reports about every sighting of the creature for 17 years. Interest in Nessie has waned since the 21st century, but now he worries that the beast may be no more.
"It's very upsetting news and we don't know where she's gone," he told BBC. "The number of sightings has been reducing since the turn of the century but this is the first time in almost 90 years that Nessie wasn't seen at all."
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Although there were three reports of the Loch Ness monster alive and well in 2013, those were later debunked, according to the Inverness Courier. So far, no one has seen the monster, nicknamed Nessie, in over 18 months.
One such fake picture was created by George Edwards, who admitted he used a fiberglass shell, placed it in the lake and snapped the high-resolution photo. He feels no remorse about the act, as he was able to make money off of the many believers in the Loch Ness monster.
"Why should I feel guilty for having a bit of fun?" Edwards said on "In Search Of," a show about unexplained mysteries. "These so-called experts come along with their theories about big waves and big fish, and their visitor centre, but I'm sick to death of them."
"Where would Loch Ness be without the world's best known forgery, the Surgeon's Photograph?" he added, referencing the most widely-circulated 1930s picture of the beast that turned out to be a fake.
Still Campbell, who clearly has a vested interest in the creature— he said his list of sightings goes 1,500 years back to 565 A.D.— believes Nessie will definitely return.
"So far 1,036 reported sightings have been recorded and there were some in 2012," he said. "I'm convinced that Nessie has just taken some time out and will be back with a vengeance this year."
