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The Whittakers aka “America’s most inbred family” living in the town of Odd, West Virginia, gained international recognition when photographer Mark Laita photographed them for his 2008 book Created Equal.
The family was once again brought back into the spotlight after Mark visited them in 2020 to record a documentary, which depicted the horrors of inbreeding and the poor conditions the surviving family members were living in. The videos quickly went viral, gaining more than 25 million views. Mark also spoke about the Whittaker family on the Konkrete Podcast.
Inbreeding is held partially accountable for the family’s undiagnosed developmental issues. Among the members, Ray and his cousin Timmy communicate through faint grunts, whereas Ray's sibling Lorraine is unable to speak.
It was noted in the interview that inbreeding was a common occurrence in that region of the United States.
Effects of inbreeding among humans include heart disease, blindness, limb malformations, and more
Children born from inbreeding are exposed to a higher risk of recessive genetic disorders. Inbred offspring also suffer from heart disease, lung function disorders, and reduced cognitive disabilities. They are also more prone to contracting other diseases.
The most common physical signs of inbreeding in humans are reduced height, decreased cognitive abilities, and muscular function. Studies have confirmed that inbreeding can lead to an increase in several genetic disorders, such as loss of hearing, blindness, limb malformations, disorders in the development of private parts, neonatal diabetes, schizophrenia, speech disorders, facial asymmetry, and several others.
Inbreeding also causes decreased fertility, birth rate, and immune functions. It also increases the chances of infant mortality.
The Whittaker family's inbreeding started with first cousins marrying each other
In Mark Laita’s 2020 documentary, details about the inbred family’s lineage became clearer. The family currently consists of three siblings named Timmy, Ray, and Lorraine. Reportedly, the family also consists of other members, whom Mark did not get the chance to meet.
While early reports on the family stated that the siblings’ parents were siblings themselves, the family later confirmed to Mark that their parents were double first cousins. As per reports, the inbred siblings’ parents were first cousins, born from twin brothers.
Twins John and Henry's children Gracie and John, who were first cousins, decided to get married and eventually had 15 children of their own. Some of them died as infants, while others died at a young age. The surviving siblings suffer from certain undiagnosed mental disorders along with physical deformities.
Mark Laita's experience with the family
Mark claimed that the neighbors of the family are incredibly protective of them since they live in a vulnerable state where they mostly communicate through grunts and bark noises. The photographer himself was threatened by a neighbor with a shotgun the first time he visited them. Mark spoke about the neighbors on the Konkrete podcast and said:
"They are kind of protected by the neighbors and the relatives don’t like these people coming to ridicule them."
Mark further described first seeing the Whittaker family members and recalled some hectic scenes he witnessed:
“There’s these people walking around and their eyes are going in different directions and they are barking at us.”
He added that the situation was out of control and it was the craziest thing he had ever seen.
Mark Laita previously launched a fundraiser campaign on GoFundMe in 2022 to help improve the living conditions of the Whittaker family. The fundraiser has since raised $46,433.
The photographer also chronicles this seldom-seen slice of Appalachia regularly for his podcast, Soft White Underbelly, which specializes in “interviews and portraits of the human condition” for an audience of 4.56 million YouTube subscribers. He also included a follow-up video on the Whittaker family on his podcast.
