Grandsons describe what it was really like growing up in 'America’s most inbred family'
The media attention received by 'America's most inbred family' has often been unwanted and led to a difficult childhood for some of the younger members of the family.
Photographer Mark Laita first captured the Whittaker family in 2004 and again in 2009, and he now provides update on the remaining family members on his YouTube channel.
But although it has shed a light on the circumstances they live in, and money has been raised to help them, it seems as if their viral fame actually led to the family splitting up, which has left some members such as Brandon and Luis without much of a family to call their own.
The grandsons of Larry Whittaker, spoke to Laita for his YouTube channel about their struggles growing up as part of the Whittaker family and the treatment they received because of it.
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They said: "Growing up as a kid, it got pretty rough around the age of five or six. We went into foster care when I was six. I spent my seventh birthday in there and when we got out, we weren't allowed to come back up here. We weren't allowed to see our grandpa."
He also revealed that their grandfather Larry tried to shoot one of their stepdads because he was abusing the boys' mother, who also was a user of crack cocaine.
Brandon revealed that his mother Betty progressed from pills to crack cocaine and eventually became less involved in his life, leaving him largely to fend for himself from around age ten.
Timmy, Lorraine and Ray were all taken away by the state and the remaining siblings Betty and Larry seem to have no idea as to where they now might be.
Because of Laita's videos, the family had a lot of visitors over the years but they didn't always appreciate seeing people come by.
Brandon added: "Cars would come down here and mess around I won't lie to you, I went outside and I would throw rocks at them. I'd bring out potatoes and eggs. I would use rocks and sticks and just throw it at them."
Laita recalled one moment which left him feeling haunted as the family's fame proved to be a bad thing.
"We came around to this road, which turns into a country road, which turns into a dirt road," he recalled.
"Then we come to this trailer and then a little shack on the other side of the road. And there's these people walking around and their eyes are going in different directions and they are barking at us
"One guy, you would look him in the eye or say anything and he would just scream and go running away, and his pants would fall around his ankles, and he would go running off and go and kick a garbage can. And this would happen over and over. It was out of control - the craziest thing I have ever seen.
"I strongly discourage anyone attempting to look for the Whittakers as their armed neighbours and the Raleigh County deputies both make it clear that curious visitors are not welcome," he added.
However, it seems as if the family are not being treated with 'love' rather than hate, although both Brandon and Luis admitted that they were struggling to make a life for themselves.
James Moorhouse