The Whittaker family, from West Virginia, has a complicated history with inbreeding – but they’re proud of who they are

They’ve become one of the most well-known families in America – but not many people actually know them personally.

The Whittaker family, from the small village of Odd, 75 miles from Charleston, West Virginia, is known as America’s most inbred family. Their complex history involves inbreeding, with some family members communicating through grunts and barks due to their inability to use words or sign language.

Yet, they comprehend every word spoken to them, and many of the younger generation have completed high school education. In a conversation with filmmaker Mark Laita, Brandon and Luis, grandsons of Larry Whittaker, opened up about their upbringing and the opportunities they missed due to their secluded life in Odd.

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Mark has been fostering a relationship with the family since July 2020, when he released a documentary about them on his YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly. In a recent video, Brandon, 21, shared that his aunt Betty Whittaker raised him from three months old until he was seven, as his mother had moved to North Carolina, reports the Mirror.

His brother, Luis, 19, added: “I stayed in North Carolina until I was about two. Then she [his mom] brought me back up here [to Odd] and I stayed with my grandpa. I’m a lot closer to him. [I grew up with] no dad and barely saw my mom.”

“I plan on getting away [from Odd] soon. I’m pushing for Indiana right now [as there’s more opportunities].”

The brothers shared how “drugs were everywhere” when growing up in Odd – and how they’ve destroyed many peoples’ lives. Luis said: “There are fewer opportunities living here. Every day you’ve got to think if you’ll pull through or not – and make it until the end of the day.

The Whittakers are known as America's most inbred family (Image:Soft White Underbelly /Youtube)

Mike added: “And then what happens to some people is the weekend comes around and drugs are being offered.”

Agreeing with Mike, Luis expressed his fears: “That’s what I’m scared of every day. I don’t want to see myself doing that. I saw my mom doing it too much and it’s just something I don’t want to do.”

Brandon, a father expecting a third child, expressed concern about raising kids in such an environment: “I worry about them [growing up here]. It’s one of my biggest worries. I honestly don’t think I’m going to stick around here too much longer.

“I’m working on getting a place. As soon as I can get enough saved up, I’ll probably get away from here. There isn’t anything here for me, really, except for them [the Whittakers].”

He elaborated on his reasons for staying in Odd, primarily to protect his Aunt Betty and the rest of his family from being taken advantage of. Recalling his most cherished moments with the Whittakers, he shared: “Freddy (his late uncle) and I used to fish around here all of the time. He’d always have a can of worms and a fishing pole every week and come up here. He’d want to go behind the chicken pen and fish. I miss that sometimes.”

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Luis also reminisced about their childhood pranks on Freddy, saying: “Freddy was a lot calmer than Ray (his uncle) until you really pushed him. If Betty went out and you told him she wasn’t getting any chicken, he’d trash the house apart. That was his favorite part about every month because he got fried chicken.

“Ray was nuts. He used to run off all the time and everything. He actually got lost for about three days, Ray did.”

He added: “I remember when he was walking up there [up a hill], and he got bit by a copperhead. He walked down the road, got a shovel, walked back up there and brought the snake back down alive on the shovel to show us what he was talking about.

“He kept pointing to his hand and his shovel. They let him keep the snake. They killed it and put it in a little tube for him and he kept it for the longest time.”