Members of West Virginia's Whittakers family would BARK at people and only communicate through grunts while living in squalor overrun with animals

daily mail ^

[algore]

The Whittakers are three siblings named Lorraine, Timmy, and Ray. Their parents were double first cousins, The Sun reported - first cousins, twice, because they share both sets of grandparents.

The genetic complications have caused a host of behavioral issues

Laita was first acquainted with the West Virginia family in 2004 when he took pictures of them.

He decided to come back years in 2020

In an interview with Koncrete podcast, recorded before Christmas, Laita recalled the most bizarre moments with the family.

'It was out of control,' he said.

'There's these people walking around and their eyes are going in different directions and they are barking at us.

'And [this] one guy, you'd look at him in the eye or say anything and he would just scream and go running away and his pants would fall around his ankles.'

Laita said the family have received a surge in interest since he first photographed and then filmed them. He said he needed a police escort to visit.

Laita recalled the building up of his relationship with the inbred family, particularly with family members named Ray, Betty, Kenneth, Ray, Timmy and Lorraine.

The first time he approached them was in the early 2000s when he was initially met by 'protective' neighbors with a shotgun.

'They don't like people coming to ridicule these people,' Laita said on the podcast.

At the time, Laita wanted to take photos of the Whittakers for his book, 'Created Equal.' The book told stories of diverse cultures in the US.

While he wasn't initially welcomed, he was eventually allowed to snap a few shots and even gifted some to the family.

One of the filmmaker's latest videos from 2021 showed the family's rundown conditions, with the group living in a small and overcrowded home with several animals.

[Graybeard58]

As of February 2014, 24 U.S. states prohibit marriages between first cousins, 19 U.S. states allow marriages between first cousins, and seven U.S. states allow only some marriages between first cousins

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Yes and they had fertility issues. Later their family did not continue the practice.

You can get away with it for one generation maybe but two is pushing your luck and at three you will definitely have problems.

With full siblings it happens even faster.

[cherry]

sad and pathetic to make fun of these people....