Several anonymous press releases appeared following the discovery, which led to suggestion that the Marree man was created by people from the United States. The releases quoted measurements in miles, yards and inches, instead of the metric system usually used in Australia. They also said "your State of SA", "Queensland Barrier Reef" and mentioned Aborigines "from the local reservations", reservations being a term more commonly associated with the North American Indians. The press releases also mentioned the Great Serpent in Ohio, which is not well known outside of the United States. However, it has been conjectured that these features of the press releases may have been red herrings inserted to provide the illusion of American authorship.
At the site in a small pit was found what appeared to be a satellite photo of the figure, a jar containing a small flag of the United States, and a note which referred to the Branch Davidian cult who were infamous for being attacked in the Waco raid in 1993. These were the only manmade items found at the site when it was discovered. Later, the police did eventually find four wheel drive and truck tracks, along with some used toilet paper.
