First it was Bigfoot. Then it was "Big deal."

Now it could be big trouble.

Sure, you remember that little news item Friday: Two men claimed to have found, in the north Georgia mountains, the remains of a Bigfoot, thought by believers to be a primate missing link that has eluded humans for centuries. The guys had a big press conference and everything.

Well, someone finally was allowed to examine the "body" that Matt Whitton and Rick Dyer have had stashed in a chest freezer for the past month or so. And doggone it, brace yourselves -- it was just a rubber-and-fur costume!

A self-described Bigfoot hunter named Tom Biscardi apparently paid Whitton and Dyer an undisclosed sum for the "body" and to help reveal it to the world. Reportedly when Biscardi finally realized the blindingly obvious fraud, he hurried to the men's California hotel room to get his money. Whitton and Dyer, like the money, were gone.

But even that narrative could be part of the hoax. For all we know, Biscardi is playing along to help bring closure to this whole affair. It could be an elaborate practical joke, hatched in the minds of two Georgia men who apparently aren't currently employed, and perhaps wanted to alleviate summertime boredom.

Whatever. Case closed. Now if you'll excuse us, we're off to check reports that the Loch Ness Monster has been spotted at Thurmond Lake.