A caller's tip led police to a body buried in a shallow grave behind Rolling Acres Mall in Akron, Ohio, that might be connected to a job-seeking scam on Craigslist, the FBI said today.
The online job ad has already been implicated in the death of one man and the injury of another.
Although the identity of the body found this morning is still unknown, The Associated Press reported it might be that of a missing man in the area, Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon.
"It could be, it could not be," FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson told ABCNews.com. "We do not know until we get that autopsy."
The coroner will not examine the body until Saturday, she said.
"Cadaver dogs were the ones who hit on the grave -- it wasn't a situation where someone would walk by and see it," Anderson said.
Investigators finished recovering the body around 1 p.m., she said. "It's a tedious process to make sure evidence wasn't disturbed."
Now investigators are working to find out whether or not the man found dead today had answered an ad on Craigslist for a job working on an Ohio cattle farm.
Authorities had already identified two victims, one from Florida and one from South Carolina, who had responded to that ad. The men were told to bring all of their belongings, as they would be living on the farm.
The man from South Carolina was shot in the arm but managed to escape and inform authorities. As police investigated the shooting, they found the body of a missing man from Florida in a shallow grave outside Caldwell, Ohio, about 80 miles east of Columbus.
Authorities believe robbery was the motive, and on Nov.16 took two suspects into custody: a 16-year old high school student identified by ABC News' Columbus affiliate WSYX as Brogan Rafferty, and 52-year-old Richard Beasley.
Beasley's mother, Carol Beasley, 70, told ABCNews.com that she was shocked when she picked up her newspaper that morning and read about the murder. Although the paper did not specifically name her son, it identified a 52-year-old man from Noble County who was arrested Wednesday, just as her son was. "In my wildest dreams, I just couldn't imagine him harming someone," Beasley said. "I never imagined he would do the things he did."
She knew her son had been arrested as he walked down the street but believed it was related to failure to appear in court for two previous charges — aggravated trafficking in drugs and compelling prostitution.
"Although he did a lot of types of things, it seems that he worked with people on the border — drug addicts, street people — I just don't know if he crossed over the line or what happened," Beasley said. "It absolutely blew my mind when I read that this morning."
When asked about Brogan Rafferty, Beasley said that she has known him since he was 8 years old, since they go to the same church. Beasley called Brogan a "really nice kid" and said he struggled a bit in school and with his parent's divorce.
"They were friends," Beasley said. "Richard tried to mentor him, get him into history." Beasley said her son had been struggling financially to make ends meet, working as an unpaid chaplain, and had other problems. She said he had spent time in jail and desperately did not want to go back.
"I've lived long enough to know that you have to be prepared for anything," Beasley said. "I'm just praying they've got the wrong people."
Rafferty is being held at the Muskingum County Juvenile Detention Center, and Beasley is in custody at the Summit County Jail on a $1 million bond.
A judge has imposed a gag order so that no further information about the case could be released.
Craigslist, an online marketplace that hosts ads for a wide variety of sales and services, has been blamed for a number of crimes and deaths, including the 2009 murder of a New York masseuse allegedly killed by a Boston medical student she met through the website, and the 2010 murder of a Tacoma, Wash., man in a home robbery committed
2012年2月10日星期五
WSJ: Kodak Preparing for Bankruptcy
Eastman Kodak Co. is preparing for bankruptcy in the "coming weeks" in case efforts to sell its patents fall through, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The photography and imaging equipment company has long struggled with revamping itself as a technology company amid advancements in digital cameras and photo sharing. Shares of Kodak have closed under $1 for 30 consecutive trading days, the Journal reported.
Kodak has cut global staff to 18,800 from a peak of 145,300 in 1988. Jobs at its headquarter in Rochester, N.Y. were cut to 7,100 from 60,400 in 1982, according to the Associated Press.
The company is in discussions with potential lenders for $1 billion in financing to keep it afloat during bankruptcy proceedings, sources told the Journal.
Christopher Veronda, a spokesman for Eastman Kodak, told ABC News the company had no comment, "as it's our long-standing policy not to comment on market rumors or speculation."
If the company does file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it would operate normally and try to sell its 1,100 patents through a court-supervised bankruptcy auction, the Journal reported.
On Tuesday, Kodak disclosed the New York Stock Exchange warned the company's shares could be delisted unless it gets its finances in order in the next six months.
The company has been called Eastman Kodak Company since 1892 under George Eastman , who tinkered with film and photography machines. In 1888, the word KODAK was registered as a trademark for a camera that could be used by a larger market, according to the company.
The photography and imaging equipment company has long struggled with revamping itself as a technology company amid advancements in digital cameras and photo sharing. Shares of Kodak have closed under $1 for 30 consecutive trading days, the Journal reported.
Kodak has cut global staff to 18,800 from a peak of 145,300 in 1988. Jobs at its headquarter in Rochester, N.Y. were cut to 7,100 from 60,400 in 1982, according to the Associated Press.
The company is in discussions with potential lenders for $1 billion in financing to keep it afloat during bankruptcy proceedings, sources told the Journal.
Christopher Veronda, a spokesman for Eastman Kodak, told ABC News the company had no comment, "as it's our long-standing policy not to comment on market rumors or speculation."
If the company does file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it would operate normally and try to sell its 1,100 patents through a court-supervised bankruptcy auction, the Journal reported.
On Tuesday, Kodak disclosed the New York Stock Exchange warned the company's shares could be delisted unless it gets its finances in order in the next six months.
The company has been called Eastman Kodak Company since 1892 under George Eastman , who tinkered with film and photography machines. In 1888, the word KODAK was registered as a trademark for a camera that could be used by a larger market, according to the company.
McCain's, Er, Evolving Views on Mitt Romney
Sen. John McCain appeared in New Hampshire - his political wheelhouse, where he won the Republican primary twice - to endorse a former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney today in this year's nominating contest.
The Arizona senator delivered a stem-winder of a speech, criticizing President Obama for hurting the economy and saying that under Romney, Americans would not have a President who "leads from behind."
Needless to say, Senator McCain was not the biggest fan of Mitt Romney when they were running against each other in 2008 for the GOP nomination. And despite his endorsement of the former Massachusetts governor today, back then it sometimes seemed pretty personal.
The book Game Change reports that "McCain routinely called Romney an 'a$$hole' and a 'f!@#%ng phony'" in private.
McCain was less profane in public, though not particularly flattering:
On Good Morning America in October 2007, McCain said, "His record when he was in Massachusetts had many positions, most positions are direct contradictions to the ones he proclaims now, including being ardently being pro-choice, including saying he didn't want to go back to the Reagan-Bush years, which is obviously not something that most Republicans believe in, and supporting Democrats for various offices. So look, this debate is about our records, this is about being honest with the American people, and if you're really going to get their respect, I think you've got to respect them first."
See that 2007 interview here: (starting at about 3:30)
"It's not just the abortion issue, although he certainly was passionate in his advocacy for being pro-choice," McCain said on Face the Nation in October 2007. "I mean, look at literally every major issue, whether it be immigration reform or taxes or immigration or any other issue. There has been changes in his position and perhaps all of those are evolved. But I think that that brings to mind the question is, isn't consistency on fundamental issues an important factor in this race? And I don't think that consistency has been there."
And in Manchester, New Hampshire, that month, McCain told voters, "As we all know, when he ran for office in Massachusetts being a Republican wasn't much of a priority for him," McCain said. "In fact, when he ran against Ted Kennedy, he said he didn't want to return to the days of Reagan-Bush. I always thought Ronald Reagan was a real Republican."
"When Governor Romney donated money to a Democratic candidate in New Hampshire, I don't think he was speaking for Republicans…When he voted for a Democratic candidate for President, Paul Tsongas, I don't think he was speaking for Republicans. When he refused to endorse the Contract with America, I don't think he was speaking for Republicans. And when he was embracing the Democratic position on many major issues of the day, I don't think he was speaking for Republicans…So you'll understand why I'm a little perplexed when Mitt Romney now suggests that he's a better Republican than me or that he speaks for the Republican wing of the Republican Party."
McCain went on to win in New Hampshire in 2008. Not too long after, he got Romney's endorsement on Valentine's Day 2008.
The Arizona senator delivered a stem-winder of a speech, criticizing President Obama for hurting the economy and saying that under Romney, Americans would not have a President who "leads from behind."
Needless to say, Senator McCain was not the biggest fan of Mitt Romney when they were running against each other in 2008 for the GOP nomination. And despite his endorsement of the former Massachusetts governor today, back then it sometimes seemed pretty personal.
The book Game Change reports that "McCain routinely called Romney an 'a$$hole' and a 'f!@#%ng phony'" in private.
McCain was less profane in public, though not particularly flattering:
On Good Morning America in October 2007, McCain said, "His record when he was in Massachusetts had many positions, most positions are direct contradictions to the ones he proclaims now, including being ardently being pro-choice, including saying he didn't want to go back to the Reagan-Bush years, which is obviously not something that most Republicans believe in, and supporting Democrats for various offices. So look, this debate is about our records, this is about being honest with the American people, and if you're really going to get their respect, I think you've got to respect them first."
See that 2007 interview here: (starting at about 3:30)
"It's not just the abortion issue, although he certainly was passionate in his advocacy for being pro-choice," McCain said on Face the Nation in October 2007. "I mean, look at literally every major issue, whether it be immigration reform or taxes or immigration or any other issue. There has been changes in his position and perhaps all of those are evolved. But I think that that brings to mind the question is, isn't consistency on fundamental issues an important factor in this race? And I don't think that consistency has been there."
And in Manchester, New Hampshire, that month, McCain told voters, "As we all know, when he ran for office in Massachusetts being a Republican wasn't much of a priority for him," McCain said. "In fact, when he ran against Ted Kennedy, he said he didn't want to return to the days of Reagan-Bush. I always thought Ronald Reagan was a real Republican."
"When Governor Romney donated money to a Democratic candidate in New Hampshire, I don't think he was speaking for Republicans…When he voted for a Democratic candidate for President, Paul Tsongas, I don't think he was speaking for Republicans. When he refused to endorse the Contract with America, I don't think he was speaking for Republicans. And when he was embracing the Democratic position on many major issues of the day, I don't think he was speaking for Republicans…So you'll understand why I'm a little perplexed when Mitt Romney now suggests that he's a better Republican than me or that he speaks for the Republican wing of the Republican Party."
McCain went on to win in New Hampshire in 2008. Not too long after, he got Romney's endorsement on Valentine's Day 2008.
Family Massacre Survivor William Petit Engaged to Marry
Dr. William Petit, the sole survivor of the deadly home invasion that claimed the lives of his wife and two daughters in 2007, is engaged to be married.
Petit became engaged to photographer Christine Paluf after Christmas, he told The Hartford Courant in an email. Petit, 55, told the paper there is no set date for the wedding.
Paluf, 34, is a professional photgrapher who specializes in weddings, events and portraits. She also photographs events for the Petit Family Foundation, which works to honor the Petit's deceased family by supporting causes including education, victims of violence and those affected by chronic illnesses.
Photos of William Petit at foundation events are part of Paluf's online portfolio. The pair reportedly met through her photography work for his organization.
Petit's wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and the couple's two daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela, were killed during a July 2007 home invasion carried out by Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky.
The mother was strangled while the girls, tied to their beds, died when the house was set ablaze.
William Petit was the only one to survive. Brutally beaten with a baseball bat and left bound in the basement he managed to escape to a neighbor's house. Petit sat in the front row throughout the separate murder and sentencing trials of Hayes and Komisarjevsky . Both men were convicted and sentenced to be executed and are currently on Connecticut's death row.
"There is never complete closure when you lose your wife and family…but the first part is over and we think justice has been served," said Petit after the jury delivered its verdict for Komisarjevsky in a Connecticut courtroom on Dec. 9, 2011.
Paluf attended the Komisarjevsky trial with Petit and his family.
"We want to go forward with the Petit Family Foundation and create good out of evil," he said in December. "I will relax some and try to enjoy the holidays as best we can."
Petit became engaged to photographer Christine Paluf after Christmas, he told The Hartford Courant in an email. Petit, 55, told the paper there is no set date for the wedding.
Paluf, 34, is a professional photgrapher who specializes in weddings, events and portraits. She also photographs events for the Petit Family Foundation, which works to honor the Petit's deceased family by supporting causes including education, victims of violence and those affected by chronic illnesses.
Photos of William Petit at foundation events are part of Paluf's online portfolio. The pair reportedly met through her photography work for his organization.
Petit's wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and the couple's two daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela, were killed during a July 2007 home invasion carried out by Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky.
The mother was strangled while the girls, tied to their beds, died when the house was set ablaze.
William Petit was the only one to survive. Brutally beaten with a baseball bat and left bound in the basement he managed to escape to a neighbor's house. Petit sat in the front row throughout the separate murder and sentencing trials of Hayes and Komisarjevsky . Both men were convicted and sentenced to be executed and are currently on Connecticut's death row.
"There is never complete closure when you lose your wife and family…but the first part is over and we think justice has been served," said Petit after the jury delivered its verdict for Komisarjevsky in a Connecticut courtroom on Dec. 9, 2011.
Paluf attended the Komisarjevsky trial with Petit and his family.
"We want to go forward with the Petit Family Foundation and create good out of evil," he said in December. "I will relax some and try to enjoy the holidays as best we can."
Credit Card Rates Rise to 4-Year High
Credit card rates have risen to a four-year high—this, at a time when the Fed is practically begging banks to lug away free money. Does that mean that card companies are making out like bandits? And where can card customers expect card rates go in 2012?
"Rates currently are the highest since we've been tracking them," says Ben Woolsey, director of marketing for CreditCards.com, which has tracked card rates every week for the past four years. The average rate nationally right now, based on new card offers by 100 of the most popular issuers in the U.S., stands at 15.14 percent, up from 14.75 percent six months ago.
The average includes several different kinds of cards (airline, cash-back, low-interest, student, and business, for example) but excludes ones with introductory "teaser" rates. For cards with variable rates, only the lowest is considered for the average. Thus, some consumers are paying far more than the average suggests. The current rate for card holders with bad credit, for example, is 25 percent.
While credit card rates remain high, most other interest rates have reached 50-year lows. The prime rate, which banks charge their best customers, stands at just 3.25 percent. The federal discount rate -- that's what it costs banks to borrow from the Federal Reserve -- is just .75 percent.
Woolsey says the 15.14 percent average credit card rate represents a rise of some 300 basis points, or 3 percentage points, from where the average was in 2009 (12.3 percent) when Congress, in an attempt to reign in "unfair or deceptive" practices, passed the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act.
Some of that act's unintended consequences, he says, have arguably made life worse for consumers.
The CARD act restricts companies' ability to jack up rates on existing balances without first giving account holders proper notice; it forbids lenders from zinging customers with certain fees and penalties. It does not, however, address card interest rates per se. Prohibited now from raising rates on existing balances (except under certain circumstances), lenders are instead slapping higher rates on new accounts.
As for penalties, a survey by CreditCards.com finds that while 30 cards--including ones from Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank and HSBC--have done away with penalty rates, others have kept them and raised them. The average penalty rose from 27.9 percent in 2010 to 28.6 percent in 2011. Barclays, says the survey, charges the highest penalty rate: 30.24 percent.
Just because a lender lowers or dispenses with its penalty interest rate, however, doesn't mean its customers necessarily are better off: the lender still can charge a penalty fee, lower the account's credit limit or close the account altogether.
Does all this mean, then, that card companies are making juicy profits? Not necessarily, says professor Todd Zywicki of George Mason University. It's true that the Fed has lowered the rates it charges banks, but credit card rates are less closely tied to the cost of funds than are mortgages or car loans.
With car loans, he says, the underlying cost of funds represents perhaps 80 percent of a lender's expenses; with home loans, 90 percent. "For credit cards, it's more like 30 to 40 percent," he tells ABC News. Moreover, credit card accounts are expensive for banks to run, what with customer service costs and so many small transactions needing to be processed. Charge-offs and defaults are higher than for other kinds of loans.
What can card holders expect average rates to do for the rest of 2012? Come down, says Ben Woolsey. "I'd guess they will start to trend downward as the economy improves. By December, I'd expect to see them in the range of 13 to 14 percent. That's my gut feeling."
Consumers can fight back over high interest rates on their cards, though it may be more difficult for those with damaged credit or high balances. Bankrate.com has a free tool that lets you sort card offers by rate and perks. Many people have been able to negotiate lower rates with their existing cards simply by calling the customer service number.
"Rates currently are the highest since we've been tracking them," says Ben Woolsey, director of marketing for CreditCards.com, which has tracked card rates every week for the past four years. The average rate nationally right now, based on new card offers by 100 of the most popular issuers in the U.S., stands at 15.14 percent, up from 14.75 percent six months ago.
The average includes several different kinds of cards (airline, cash-back, low-interest, student, and business, for example) but excludes ones with introductory "teaser" rates. For cards with variable rates, only the lowest is considered for the average. Thus, some consumers are paying far more than the average suggests. The current rate for card holders with bad credit, for example, is 25 percent.
While credit card rates remain high, most other interest rates have reached 50-year lows. The prime rate, which banks charge their best customers, stands at just 3.25 percent. The federal discount rate -- that's what it costs banks to borrow from the Federal Reserve -- is just .75 percent.
Woolsey says the 15.14 percent average credit card rate represents a rise of some 300 basis points, or 3 percentage points, from where the average was in 2009 (12.3 percent) when Congress, in an attempt to reign in "unfair or deceptive" practices, passed the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act.
Some of that act's unintended consequences, he says, have arguably made life worse for consumers.
The CARD act restricts companies' ability to jack up rates on existing balances without first giving account holders proper notice; it forbids lenders from zinging customers with certain fees and penalties. It does not, however, address card interest rates per se. Prohibited now from raising rates on existing balances (except under certain circumstances), lenders are instead slapping higher rates on new accounts.
As for penalties, a survey by CreditCards.com finds that while 30 cards--including ones from Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank and HSBC--have done away with penalty rates, others have kept them and raised them. The average penalty rose from 27.9 percent in 2010 to 28.6 percent in 2011. Barclays, says the survey, charges the highest penalty rate: 30.24 percent.
Just because a lender lowers or dispenses with its penalty interest rate, however, doesn't mean its customers necessarily are better off: the lender still can charge a penalty fee, lower the account's credit limit or close the account altogether.
Does all this mean, then, that card companies are making juicy profits? Not necessarily, says professor Todd Zywicki of George Mason University. It's true that the Fed has lowered the rates it charges banks, but credit card rates are less closely tied to the cost of funds than are mortgages or car loans.
With car loans, he says, the underlying cost of funds represents perhaps 80 percent of a lender's expenses; with home loans, 90 percent. "For credit cards, it's more like 30 to 40 percent," he tells ABC News. Moreover, credit card accounts are expensive for banks to run, what with customer service costs and so many small transactions needing to be processed. Charge-offs and defaults are higher than for other kinds of loans.
What can card holders expect average rates to do for the rest of 2012? Come down, says Ben Woolsey. "I'd guess they will start to trend downward as the economy improves. By December, I'd expect to see them in the range of 13 to 14 percent. That's my gut feeling."
Consumers can fight back over high interest rates on their cards, though it may be more difficult for those with damaged credit or high balances. Bankrate.com has a free tool that lets you sort card offers by rate and perks. Many people have been able to negotiate lower rates with their existing cards simply by calling the customer service number.
Man Claims He Used iPad to Cross Into US
A Canadian man traveling by car to Vermont claimed his iPad helped save the day after he realized he left his passport, which is required to cross into the United States, at his home in Quebec.
Martin Reisch, 33, said he arrived at Canada's Stanstead crossing and proceeded to the U.S. border post at Derby Line, Vt. He showed the U.S. officer his Canadian driver's license, Medicaid card and a digital scan of his passport he had on his iPad on Dec. 30.
"He didn't say much," Reisch told ABCNews.com. "He took it with a serious face and went into the border patrol house. Five minutes later he came out and said 'Merry Christmas. You can go through.'"
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection today called Reisch's story "false."
"In this case, the individual had both a driver's license and birth certificate, which the CBP officer used to determine identity and citizenship in order to admit the traveler into the country," the agency said in a statement.
But Reisch isn't backing down from his story.
"I can't lie. I don't even know where my birth certificate is," he said. "Maybe they are making an official statement to help lessen the impact."
The story went viral after Reisch's friends retweeted his experience.
"I don't want to start anything," he said of all the attention he has received. "But this sounds like it's taking a turn for the worse."
He added that his experience does make him think about how technology can be used for identification purposes when traveling at some point in the future.
"I think mobile devices could develop applications with security protocols so it's possible to bring your ID without having it stolen," he said. "Obviously not just a jpeg scan of your passport."
Martin Reisch, 33, said he arrived at Canada's Stanstead crossing and proceeded to the U.S. border post at Derby Line, Vt. He showed the U.S. officer his Canadian driver's license, Medicaid card and a digital scan of his passport he had on his iPad on Dec. 30.
"He didn't say much," Reisch told ABCNews.com. "He took it with a serious face and went into the border patrol house. Five minutes later he came out and said 'Merry Christmas. You can go through.'"
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection today called Reisch's story "false."
"In this case, the individual had both a driver's license and birth certificate, which the CBP officer used to determine identity and citizenship in order to admit the traveler into the country," the agency said in a statement.
But Reisch isn't backing down from his story.
"I can't lie. I don't even know where my birth certificate is," he said. "Maybe they are making an official statement to help lessen the impact."
The story went viral after Reisch's friends retweeted his experience.
"I don't want to start anything," he said of all the attention he has received. "But this sounds like it's taking a turn for the worse."
He added that his experience does make him think about how technology can be used for identification purposes when traveling at some point in the future.
"I think mobile devices could develop applications with security protocols so it's possible to bring your ID without having it stolen," he said. "Obviously not just a jpeg scan of your passport."
Mayan Ruins in Georgia? Archeologist Objects, Debate Breaks Out Online
The textbooks will tell you that the Mayan people thrived in Central America from about 250 to 900 A.D., building magnificent temples in Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and southern Mexico.
But could they possibly have left stone ruins in the mountains of North Georgia? Richard Thornton thinks so. He says he's an architect and urban planner by training, but has been hired to research the history of native people in and around Georgia since 2003. On Examiner.com, he wrote about an 1,100-year-old archeological site near Georgia's highest mountain, Brasstown Bald, that he said "is possibly the site of the fabled city of Yupaha, which Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto failed to find in 1540."
This might all be fairly arcane stuff, except that an archeologist he cited, Mark Williams of the University of Georgia, took exception. In the comments section after Thornton's piece, he wrote, "I am the archaeologist Mark Williams mentioned in this article. This is total and complete bunk. There is no evidence of Maya in Georgia. Move along now."
Immediately the story exploded. In comments on Examiner, as well as on Facebook and in emails, users piled on. One woman called Williams "completely pompous and arrogant." A man wrote he was "completely disrespectful to the Public at large." Another said he would urge the state of Georgia to cut off funding for Williams' academic department at the university.
All of this left Thornton, who writes often about the Maya for Examiner.com, "dumfounded."
"I actually was giving Williams a plug," he said in an interview with ABC News. "I've got a regular readership, but this thing just went viral."
Thornton, who said he is Georgia Creek Indian by birth, told how he studied under Roman Pina-Chan, a leading Mexican archeologist who happens to be of Mayan origin. Pina-Chan, he said, noted many cultural connections between archeological sites in Georgia and Mayan sites in Central America.
Some of Thornton's conclusions about the Mayan connection to the southern U.S., he said, are based on oral history. There are place names in Georgia and North Carolina, he said, that are very similar to Mayan words. (Words like "mako" and "Kukulkan," he said, are of Mayan origin, and will be recognized by scholars of Mayan history.) The ruins near Brasstown Bald, he said, also include mounds and irrigation terraces similar to those found at Mayan settlements in Central America.
Williams, the doubting archeologist, had many online defenders. "While there are many, many compelling parallels between Central American and North American indigenous mythologies," wrote one, "that does not mean there was direct evidence that the post-Classic Period Collapse Maya emigrated all the way to Georgia."
Williams stood his ground against Thornton's suggestion that Brasstown Bald has any Mayan roots. "The sites are certainly those of Native Americans of prehistoric Georgia," he wrote in an email. "Wild theories are not new, but the web simply spreads them faster than ever."
But could they possibly have left stone ruins in the mountains of North Georgia? Richard Thornton thinks so. He says he's an architect and urban planner by training, but has been hired to research the history of native people in and around Georgia since 2003. On Examiner.com, he wrote about an 1,100-year-old archeological site near Georgia's highest mountain, Brasstown Bald, that he said "is possibly the site of the fabled city of Yupaha, which Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto failed to find in 1540."
This might all be fairly arcane stuff, except that an archeologist he cited, Mark Williams of the University of Georgia, took exception. In the comments section after Thornton's piece, he wrote, "I am the archaeologist Mark Williams mentioned in this article. This is total and complete bunk. There is no evidence of Maya in Georgia. Move along now."
Immediately the story exploded. In comments on Examiner, as well as on Facebook and in emails, users piled on. One woman called Williams "completely pompous and arrogant." A man wrote he was "completely disrespectful to the Public at large." Another said he would urge the state of Georgia to cut off funding for Williams' academic department at the university.
All of this left Thornton, who writes often about the Maya for Examiner.com, "dumfounded."
"I actually was giving Williams a plug," he said in an interview with ABC News. "I've got a regular readership, but this thing just went viral."
Thornton, who said he is Georgia Creek Indian by birth, told how he studied under Roman Pina-Chan, a leading Mexican archeologist who happens to be of Mayan origin. Pina-Chan, he said, noted many cultural connections between archeological sites in Georgia and Mayan sites in Central America.
Some of Thornton's conclusions about the Mayan connection to the southern U.S., he said, are based on oral history. There are place names in Georgia and North Carolina, he said, that are very similar to Mayan words. (Words like "mako" and "Kukulkan," he said, are of Mayan origin, and will be recognized by scholars of Mayan history.) The ruins near Brasstown Bald, he said, also include mounds and irrigation terraces similar to those found at Mayan settlements in Central America.
Williams, the doubting archeologist, had many online defenders. "While there are many, many compelling parallels between Central American and North American indigenous mythologies," wrote one, "that does not mean there was direct evidence that the post-Classic Period Collapse Maya emigrated all the way to Georgia."
Williams stood his ground against Thornton's suggestion that Brasstown Bald has any Mayan roots. "The sites are certainly those of Native Americans of prehistoric Georgia," he wrote in an email. "Wild theories are not new, but the web simply spreads them faster than ever."
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