Rosario Monachino
America’s most inbred family has had a transformation.
The Whittakers have had their life documented by filmmaker Mark Laita – who made a short film about them that documented their day-to-day life.
The family has resided in Odd, West Virginia, for generations and has a history of genetic defects due to inter-family marriages.
The relationship has faced some serious issues in recent times – but before the breakdown, Laita offered a kind gesture to some of the Whittakers that left them transformed.
The family reportedly started with twin brothers Henry and John Whittaker in 1887.
Documents have shown that Henry married Sally Burton, and they had seven children, including John Emory Whittaker, born in 1913.
John married his own first cousin, Ada Riggs, and they had nine children, including Gracie Irene Whittaker, born in 1920.
Gracie and John married in 1935 and had their first daughter, Aileen Violet Whittaker, in 1937, who was the first of 15 children that the couple had.
The siblings have trouble communicating due to being non-verbal.
But despite this, the Whittakers seem to comprehend the filmmaker’s questions.
“They understand what you talking about,” a relative tells Laita. “If they don’t like it, they start yelling – let you know they don’t like that idea.”
In one scene in his documentary Inbred Family -The Whittakers, Laita approaches Ray asking about his brother who he lost.
Ray simply responds by grunting and pointing in the opposite direction.
Ray and Lorraine seem to be the only family members who are non-verbal and need other family members to speak for them.
Meanwhile, other family members are unsure about their conditions – which include them being cross-eyed.
In another scene, Laita asks Betty, a member of the family, why she believes they have so many abnormalities, but she says she doesn’t know.
He then asks Kenneth and also mentions why their eyes aren’t facing forward.
“Might be coal mining,” he simply responded.
Laita’s initial encounter with the family in 2004 was met with resistance from protective neighbors.
Despite this, he persevered and eventually gained the family’s trust, featuring them in his book ‘Created Equal’.
In a podcast interview, Laita vividly described his experiences with the Whittakers: “It was like that little scene from Deliverance that everyone knows. We came around to this road, which turns into a country road, which turns into a dirt road,” he recalled.
“Then we come to this trailer and then a little shack on the other side of the road. And there’s these people walking around and their eyes are going in different directions and they are barking at us.”
While Laita couldn’t confirm inbreeding within the family, he speculated it might contribute to observed physical and mental characteristics.
The filmmaker organized fundraising campaigns for the Whittakers through his YouTube channel.
However, recent events have strained this relationship.
A controversy arose when another YouTuber interviewed Betty Whittaker, who claimed ignorance about the raised funds’ whereabouts.
This upset Laita, who defended his actions and decided to discontinue fundraising for the family.
Further complications arose with a false report of Larry Whittaker’s death, which was later revealed to be a lie fabricated by his daughter for financial gain.
Laita now advises against visiting the Whittakers, noting their protected status among neighbors.
Local pastor William Plumley commented on the documentary’s impact: “I think the documentary about them is good and bad, good because it has helped them. But also it’s brought a lot of people to the area who just want to mess with them.”
But before the relationship between Laita and the Whittakers hit this rough patch, he gifted the family a kind gesture which left them transformed.
Four members of the family – Ray, Betty, Larry, and Lorene – were taken to a salon in Beckley, West Virginia, which is about 30km away from their home.
The filmmaker documented their makeover on his channel.
At the salon, Ray and Timmy had a fresh shave and a hair trim, while Betty and Lorene had their hair washed and styled.
Ray’s beard was shaved off and he was left with a stylish mustache.
Laita can be heard saying: “Look at you guys. You guys all look great.”
Related Article: America’s Most Inbred Family Started With Twin Brothers Whose Kids Married Each Other
Related Article: America’s Most Inbred Family Started With Twin Brothers Whose Kids Married Each Other
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