The first sighting of Jesus in Vitruvian County happened in 1848, during the Great Awakening, when an image of Christ reportedly appeared in a melting snowdrift outside of Mule Butte. Thousands made a pilgrimage before the effigy melted, though no photographs were taken due to the landowner’s insistence that it would be “unholy.” The second such sighting occurred in 2024, at Randall’s Bodega in Brass Hoop.

A patron found a “mangled” bag of Doritos on a store shelf there, likely the result of a factory error, and convinced Randall to let them have it for half price. Inside, though, they found a malformed Dorito with what the anonymous customer asserted was a perfect and diving image of Jesus in the medium of corn and nacho powder. A video and stills of the incident soon went viral, and Randall immediately purchased the bag from the customer on the spot for $100 plus a second, pristine, bag of Doritos.

The fervor soon escalated as Randall put it on display in his bodega, using it to drive business while also listing it on eBay for $10,000. The situation soon became complicated, though, as Frito-Lay, the manufacturer, claimed that any such sale was a violation of their rights and that they could and would reclaim the chip by refunding its full purchase price of $1.75. A spokesperson said that the image “proves beyond a doubt that divine providence smiles upon Frito-Lay LLC GmbH and its affiliates and subsidiaries” with the chip slated for a “place of honor in the Frito-Lay Snack Museum.” A spokeperson for the state attorney general immediately countersued, claiming that a law from 1853 gave the state “right of first refusal to acquire any and all religious artifacts and icons;” claiming eminent domain, they attempted to seize the chip themselves.

Events culminated in a standoff between Randall and a private security firm he had hired, Frito-Lay lawyers and members of the same security firm that they had hired, and a detachment of state police. Through a chain of happenstance that is not entirely clear to this day, Randall’s Bodega was burned to the ground, three people died, and the chip was lost.

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