In a documentary, Mark Laita talks about his shocking encounter with the Whittakers, an American family that is regarded as the most inbred in the country.
He claims that filming the family for the project was like a scene from the 1972 film “Deliverance.”
Mark was then escorted by a law enforcer to meet the Whittakers, who live in Odd, a small community in West Virginia.
His videos have been viewed millions of times and Mark was able to reflect on his first impression of the Whittakers during a podcast episode of Koncrete KLIPS.
Mark said that filming the family for the project was like a scene from the 1972 film “Deliverance.”
He said that they encountered a group of people who were constantly barking at them as they walked along a country road. One of the individuals would then scream and run away, while another would attempt to kick a garbage container.
The incident was out of control, and it left Mark stunned. The Whittakers, who are regarded as the most inbred family in the US, live in a rundown shack.
They have no education, and their home is in a poor state. When Laita visited the family, he found three siblings living in a dirty house with several dogs.
Some of the family members could barely talk, and they seemed to be suffering from health issues.
In his videos on YouTube, Laita warned the people who were making fun of the family that they would be chased away if they did so.
He also stated that they were being protected by their neighbors. After convincing the family, Laita was able to get them to let him take photos for their loved ones’ funeral.
Laita stayed with the family during his first visit, and he later made a documentary about the Whittakers called “Inbred Family” in 2020.
The YouTube channel “Soft White Underbelly” posted the video, which showed him talking to the family members, including Ray, Betty, Timmy, and Lorraine.
One of their older siblings, Freddie, died due to a heart condition.
Betty was asked if she knew the reason why her parents and siblings had disabilities, and she refused to confirm or deny whether they were related.
Laita stated that he could not confirm that the Whittakers were related, as this was the most extreme case he had encountered.
Inbreeding most likely caused the physical and mental conditions exhibited by the Whittaker siblings, including Ray, Lorraine, Timmy, and Freddie.
A year after Laita’s visit, Betty revealed that her parents were first cousins. In 2022, a relative named Kenneth talked about the family’s facial and mental health issues.
Kenneth then said that the family’s unusual eye direction could be caused by coal mining.
Laita’s videos have raised funds for the family, and he is now trying to buy them a new home.