Despite their reputation as the most inbred family in the country, the Whittaker family has managed to capture the public's attention over their life.
Photographer Mark Laita has had the privilege of documenting the Whittaker family's way of life, and through his interactions with them, he has developed a close bond.
In a YouTube video, Mark takes the Whittakers on a visit to their family cemetery in Raleigh County, West Virginia.
During this visit, he notices that one of their family members, James Thomas Whittaker, has his name misspelled on his gravestone.
It reads "J.T Whitaker" instead. The headstones of Freddy Whittaker and Barbara Whittaker are also shown, with some numbers written backward.
While their mother, Gracie, is the only family member to have a professionally made gravestone, the rest of the family takes pride in creating their own memorials.
After the cemetery visit, Mark treats the family to a meal at Burger King, where they encounter a fan who approaches them and engages in a friendly conversation.
To support the Whittaker family, Mark set up a GoFundMe page on behalf of the YouTube channel Soft White Underbelly, aiming to help them purchase a new home.
The family's inbreeding can be traced back to a pair of identical twin brothers, Henry and John, whose children married each other and continued the pattern in subsequent generations.
This resulted in severe physical and mental impairments among their descendants.
Betty, one of the children born into this family, has taken on the responsibility of caring for her 14 siblings, as she vowed to her mother that she would not marry.
During Mark's visit, he observed that some family members, like Ray and Lorene, communicate primarily through grunts, barks, and movements, rather than words.
Despite their limited verbal communication, they seemed to understand the filmmaker's questions without difficulty.
Videographer Mark Laita, who produced the series for his channel "Soft White Underbelly," aimed to raise funds to improve the family's living conditions.
He set up two separate GoFundMe campaigns that successfully accumulated the substantial amount mentioned.
However, in an interview with YouTuber Tyler Oliveira, one family member named Betty Whittaker claimed ignorance about the donated money's whereabouts, leaving Laita furious.
He had expected the family to be aware of the funds since they often requested significant amounts for various expenses.
Laita expressed his disbelief at Betty's response, stating that she must know exactly where the money went.
Laita believed that the funds he helped raise had significantly improved the Whittakers' living conditions. However, he felt betrayed by their apparent lack of gratitude.
He decided to terminate both GoFundMe campaigns, effectively cutting off the family's access to the remaining donated funds.
