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America’s ‘most inbred family’ show 'cramped living conditions' after losing home to fire

Home> Community> Life

Published 13:09 29 Dec 2024 GMT

America’s ‘most inbred family’ show 'cramped living conditions' after losing home to fire

Footage from the Whittakers' property shows the charred remains of the home

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

A large family which has been dubbed the 'most inbred' in America have shared insight to their current living conditions after losing their home to a fire.

The Whittaker family, from the town of Odd, West Virginia, have offered updates into their lives at various points over the years with the help of documentarian Mark Laita, who shares videos about the Whittakers on his YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly.

Just before Christmas, Laita shared a new video titled 'Mobile Home Fire at the Whittakers', which shows members of the family walking through grounds filled with charred objects.

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The mobile home was completely destroyed (YouTube/Soft White Underbelly)
The mobile home was completely destroyed (YouTube/Soft White Underbelly)

A staircase leading to what once appears to have been a porch is visible among the wreckage, though now it leads to nothing but more dirt and damage.

"Look at this," Laita says in the video. "Everything is burned."

No one was in the house at the time of the fire, which occurred earlier in December, and the family members living at the property have now been forced to squeeze inside another home across the street, with Laita describing it as 'crowded'.

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Furniture has been crammed into the home the family members are now sharing along with their three dogs.

In the footage, at least six members of the family can be seen sitting inside the home as they describe seeing 'smoke' after the blaze broke out.

Conditions have been described as 'crowded' after the fire (YouTube/Soft White Underbelly)
Conditions have been described as 'crowded' after the fire (YouTube/Soft White Underbelly)

"The side of the camper was bright red," one member recalls. "When [one relative] opened the door, it blew him back."

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Health issues caused by inbreeding are believed to have begun in the Whittaker family after twin brothers Henry and John each welcomed children.

The kids intermarried and had more than 12 children of their own. The inbreeding led to both physical and mental defects, with some members of the family only able to communicate through grunts and barks.

In the wake of the blaze, Soft White Underbelly has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help the Whittakers replace the mobile home that was lost.

According to the page, which has a target of $16,000, any money raised will go towards clearing the remains of the burned home, obtaining a new mobile home and furnishing the new home.

"100% of the funds raised will go to the companies that will be clearing the debris and positioning the new mobile home, not the family," the page explains, though Laita jokingly added: "Whatever money is leftover will be spent on a night at a nearby strip club for [family members] Ray and Timmy."

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Soft White Underbelly

Topics: Health, Life, Money

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

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