**Man Who Spent Years Documenting America’s Most Inbred Family Reveals Shocking Experience**
If you’ve ever heard the strange and unsettling stories about the Whittaker family from Odd, West Virginia, you likely know they’re often referred to as America’s most inbred family.
Filmmaker and photographer Mark Laita, who has been documenting the Whittakers for nearly two decades, recently opened up about the most shocking thing he’s witnessed during his time with them.
The Whittakers: America’s “most inbr£d” family. pic.twitter.com/oDepEMBcoW
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### Unusual Communication and Difficult Beginnings
Unlike most families, the Whittakers communicate using grunts, barks, and hand gestures. When Laita first visited them in 2004, he encountered family members like Ray, Betty, Kenneth, Timmy, and Lorene—and found their communication deeply unusual. Gaining access to the family was also challenging; local residents, suspicious and armed, tried to keep outsiders away, fearing ridicule.
Over time, Laita earned their trust and included them in his photography book *Created Equal*, which highlighted cultural diversity in America. His encounters with the family, however, left lasting impressions.
### “Craziest Thing I’ve Ever Seen”
On the *Koncrete KLIPS* podcast, Laita recounted a surreal experience: he described driving down rural roads to find the family walking around with unfocused gazes, barking, and acting unpredictably. One family member would scream, drop his pants, run off, and kick a trash can—repeating this erratic behavior over and over.
Laita suspects that generations of inbreeding may have led to the physical and mental conditions affecting family members like Lorene, Ray, Freddie, and cousin Timmy. Though he can’t confirm their parents were blood relatives, he says the Whittakers represent the most extreme case he’s encountered.
### Tensions Over Money
Laita’s work helped raise funds for the family, but problems soon followed. After YouTuber Tyler Oliveira posted a video that included an interview with Betty Whittaker—where she claimed she didn’t know where the money had gone—Laita responded with frustration. He insisted he had always supported the family and even showed proof of financial transfers.
Still, money disputes continued. At one point, a rumor spread that Larry Whittaker had died. Laita later discovered Larry was alive, and the false report had been spread by his daughter, who confessed she lied to receive \$1,000 for a fake funeral. She admitted her drug addiction influenced her actions. Though Laita gave Larry \$700 to help his daughter start a new life, he later found out Larry kept the money.
Laita confessed to a cousin of the family that he was unsure what more he could do to help and considered walking away entirely.
### Reconnection and a Warning
Recently, Laita reconnected with the family. Larry apologized publicly for the way Laita had been treated, and Laita accepted the apology, telling him he and his audience missed them. Still, Laita warned the public against trying to visit the family, saying they’re protected by local relatives and neighbors who resent outsiders intruding.
### A Disturbing Family History
The Whittakers’ genealogy is filled with repeated intermarriage over generations. According to local Pastor William Plumley, the documentary has had both positive and negative effects—it raised awareness and support but also attracted unwanted visitors.
Tracing their lineage reveals that identical twin brothers Henry and John Whittaker started a family line in which cousins frequently married. One of the most notable unions was between John Isom Whittaker and his first cousin Ada Rigg. Their daughter later married her double cousin, leading to further inbreeding, which Laita says contributed to the serious health issues in later generations.
Despite the chaos and controversy, the Whittaker family’s story is a haunting look at isolation, poverty, and the unintended consequences of generational inbreeding. Laita’s takeaway: this is a family that deserves understanding, not exploitation.