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Regardless, You May Never Eat Beef Jerky With The Same Satisfaction Again.

Benjamin GroffMedia© | benandsteve.com | ©2026

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Internet Claim: Man Used Missing Men’s Bodies To Make Famous Beef Jerky

Local authorities arrested Buckworth on suspicion of using human meat for the jerky he sold to the public, and police needed to find the source of the meat.

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A grotesque story now circulating again on Facebook, TikTok, and other social media platforms claims a man from Wenatchee was arrested after investigators supposedly discovered his “best-selling jerky” was made from human meat. The post names a man called “Ross Buckworth,” claims missing workers were connected to the case, and attempts to present itself as a real criminal investigation.

There is just one problem.

None of it is true.

The story is a recycled internet hoax that has been reposted for years in slightly different versions. In some versions the suspect is named “Ross Buckworth.” In others, “Leslie Buckworth.” Sometimes the story claims the events happened in Washington state. Other times it says Montana. The details change because the story itself is fabricated. 

Fact-checking organizations previously traced earlier versions of the same claim to satire and fake-news style websites. Snopes labeled one widely shared version as satire. Another debunk pointed directly to a satirical source site that openly described itself as a humor publication. 

What appears to have confused many readers is that the hoax borrows pieces from a real Wyoming wildlife-poaching case involving illegal jerky sales. In that legitimate case, Wyoming investigators discovered a man had been selling jerky made from poached mule deer and antelope while marketing it as beef jerky. DNA testing confirmed the meat came from illegally killed wildlife — not humans. 

The actual Wyoming case involved wildlife violations investigated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Authorities charged the suspect with poaching-related crimes, illegal sale of game meat, and hunting violations. No accusations involving human remains or cannibalism were ever part of the case. 

That real story appears to have been twisted into sensational clickbait.

The viral post also shows several classic signs of internet fabrication:

• No legitimate law enforcement agency confirms the arrest. 
• No credible newspaper or television outlet reported the story. 
• The alleged suspect cannot be verified through official records. 
• The details change depending on who reposts it. 
• The story uses shock value designed to trigger emotional reactions and sharing. 

This is how many social media hoaxes survive. They blend one small piece of reality with outrageous fiction, then rely on people sharing before checking the facts.

In today’s online environment, shocking stories spread faster than verified information. The more disturbing the claim, the more engagement it receives. Algorithms reward outrage, fear, and disgust because people react emotionally before they pause to ask whether something is actually true.

That is exactly why stories like this continue to resurface every few years.

The “human jerky” story is not a hidden crime finally exposed to the public.

It is internet folklore dressed up as breaking news. And on this occasion, if you happen to see the story floating around Facebook, TikTok, or anywhere else online, you have the official blessing of benandsteve.com and GroffMedia©2026 — Truth Endures — to politely inform whoever is posting it that it is, without question, truly FAKE NEWS!

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Groff Media ©2026 benandsteve.com Truth Endures