`HANNIBAL' INCREASING INTEREST IN CANNIBALS?

`HANNIBAL' INCREASING INTEREST IN CANNIBALS?

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (Wireless Flash) -- Interest in the new cannibal movie "Hannibal is making the phone ring off the hook for a researcher who is investigating one of the most infamous cases of cannibalism in American history. Museum of Western Colorado curator David Bailey says he's receiving calls from reporters around the globe who want to know more about Alferd Packer -- a Colorado man convicted of killing and eating the remains of five men in 1874. At the time, Packer admitted to eating the bodies to avoid starvation and claimed another traveler hacked his companions to death with an axe. Bailey believes Packer's story and, next week, he and a team of scientists will examine the scene of the crime for more evidence. Although it's just a coincidence that the case is back in the news at the same time as the release of Hannibal, Bailey admits the film has beefed up international interest in his research.