For days we’ve been obsessed, OBSESSED with the story of the Montauk Monster first broken on Gawker. The backstory: A creature no one can officially identify floated ashore in the Long Island town of Montauk, NY two weeks ago and was photographed by a group of friends who happened to be passing by. Said photograph was sent to Gawker where a media buzz has slowly built. Until now, there was only one photograph that existed. (It’s posted after the jump.) The people who took it claim to have possession of the corpse, but are being very evasive about where it’s being held. But now Newsday has managed to locate some new witnesses who came on the scene before the famous photographs were taken. They, too have photographs (one is pictured above) that reveal a more freshly washed-up, bloated and blue corpse. The picture is taken from a different angle than the last, revealing our Monty is, indeed, a boy monster. Details from the Newsday story are after the jump. Plus two video interviews with the witnesses who claim to have the corpse.

The Newsday story starts out with some strong medicine:

A. Something really did wash up in Montauk, one sunny day, two weeks ago.

B. More than four people saw it.

C. More than one person photographed it.

It’s “C” that’s the news today so what did the other photographer have to say?

“It looked like nothing I’d ever seen before,” said Ryan O’Shea, of Brooklyn. “It looked like it died angry.”

They were so puzzled by what they saw, they left and came right back, with more friends.

The second time around, Christina Pampalone, of East Northport, borrowed O’Shea’s camera. She aimed and kept on firing.

The result is lots of — ew — gross photos of a carcass that looks more domestic than exotic, a bloated dog, not the Hound from Hell.

It shows ears. A big swatch of fur. And its proportions appear to be less distorted — making the head appear to be a suitable complement to the body.

It was relatively small, roughly 2-1/2 to 3 feet long, [O’Shea] said.

Newsday reporter Joye Brown sent the digital photographs from O’Shea’s camera to the experts at Plum Island. Oh yes. This might be a good time to tell you that the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is located just a few miles from the beach where the beast was found. One prevailing theory is that this is some escaped experiment gone awry. Anyway, Newsday heard nothing back from Plum Island in time for their story. In a video below, however, CNN reports that Plum Island officially claims to have nothing to do with the beast.

The Newsday story ends with no less than eight accounts from people writing or calling in to say that they, too, have spotted a corpse like this in the area. One even says he saw the creature ALIVE in the dunes of Montauk.

One thing’s for certain: summer is more fun since Monty appeared. Just so long as his family doesn’t come back for revenge.

The Original Photograph Sent To Gawker.

Video Interview With Photographers Of The Original Photograph On Plum TV.

CNN Coverage Featuring An Interview With A Guy Who Still Has The Corpse

‘Montauk Monster’ witnesses emerge [Newsday]
Montauk Monster [Gawker]