- Class 1a
- Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.1a A sasquatch/bigfoot specimen has been collected (alive or dead).
- Class 1b
- Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.1b A report investigation results in a sasquatch observation or the documentation of clear tracks or other forms of physical evidence by an investigator.
- Class 1c
- Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.1c An investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot by a very reliable observer is a distinct possibility, tangible corroborating evidence is documented, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 1d
- Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.1d A visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility involving two or more reliable observers, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 2
- Class 2, Competency: Reports involving sightings by professionally trained or highly skilled observers.2 Investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility, the observer is exceptionally trustworthy, professionally trained, and experienced in the outdoors and/or is accustomed to looking for and recording details (e.g., biologist, anthropologist/archaeologist, ranger, trapper/tracker/seasoned hunter, bird watcher, game warden, naturalist, law enforcement), and other explanations can be reasonably excluded.
- Class 3a
- Class 3, Credibility: Sightings or possible wood ape evidence reported by credible witnesses.3a Investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility, the observer is credible, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 3b
- Class 3, Credibility: Sightings or possible wood ape evidence reported by credible witnesses.3b Unidentifiable vocalizations were reported and there is accompanying tangible evidence to possibly indicate the presence of a sasquatch/bigfoot, the observer is very reliable, and other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 3c
- Class 3, Credibility: Sightings or possible wood ape evidence reported by credible witnesses.3c No visual encounter occurred, but physical evidence was found to indicate the presence of a sasquatch/bigfoot (tracks, hair, scat, etc.), the observer is very reliable, and other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
Case: 01080001
Class 3aMedical research biologist (now a NAWAC investigator) recalls face-to-face boyhood encounter on grandfather's farm.
Report Details
Occurrence date: June/1989
Location: Marion County, TX
Nearby/Vicinity: Jefferson
Time / Conditions: 12:00 — Nice day, clear skies with comfortable temperatures for early summer.
# of Witnesses: 1
Location: Marion County, TX
Nearby/Vicinity: Jefferson
Time / Conditions: 12:00 — Nice day, clear skies with comfortable temperatures for early summer.
# of Witnesses: 1
Witness Account:
At the time of my experience I was 9 1/2 years old. My mother was ill in Houston, and I was sent along with my younger brother and sister to my grandparent?s cabin for the summer. They owned land and a cottage just outside of Jefferson near a community called Berea. It was a place that I had visited often until the place was sold in the 1990s. The road that led towards their property was known back then as Route 4, but now known as Berea 3. This road dead ended into two gates, one which led to a large cattle barn on the left and the other which led to my grandparent's property. There was no road that led from the gate to the cabin, but rather a rudimentary roadway best described as a pathway through the grass, with worn, tire-beaten tracks ? I will call this the roadway to the house. This was a very secluded area, with no development that I know of, from this property all the way to Linden, Texas. I always remember this area being referred to as "International Paper."
It was about noon in late June when my grandmother and aunt were preparing a picnic for the five of us for lunch. Having remembered a particular spot that I thought would be nice for a picnic I took off to scout the area. I headed toward the gate at the entrance and reached the spot that I had in mind, but found that the area was too overgrown and turned around to head back. Around halfway, I began to hear a rustle in the woods that seemed to be coming right towards me. I was very excited! I can remember my exact thought process to this day. I immediately thought, "All right - I'm gonna see a big deer any second...or maybe it's Mr. [neighbor] running through the woods on a hunt...or maybe it's Mr. [neighbor] chasing a deer!" At this moment the cracking of the twigs, leaves, and pine saplings became very intense and was just about on me, coming toward the "roadway" and from my right. As I focused on the location of the ruckus, the animal came into view from the thicket and this is what I saw; it was not what I expected: At about 15-20 yards to my right, it came into view and turned to its right (towards me and parallel to the roadway). It was moving, on all fours, at what I would call a hustled pace, almost as if it was running from something. When it was at about 9-12 yards from me and about two feet off of the roadway, it used a rather large (4ft) wooden fence post to hoist/propel itself into a bipedal progression, using its left arm and hand. Its change in gait or posture did not result in a change in its speed. It then took a few running steps before passing behind a five foot sapling and stopping right before me. I could hear and feel the weight of this animal as it impacted the ground. There was nothing that obstructed my view during this chain of events, other than the split second that it ran behind and past the small twig of a tree. When it reached me, it immediately stopped and squared its shoulders at me. I had never been so scared in my life, even to this very day. At only a distance of maybe 7-8 feet with nothing in between us, I completely froze and even held my breath hoping that maybe it wouldn?t see/hurt me and just leave (this was my instinctive reaction). I never felt that it was charging me, but rather that it happened upon me by accident. This creature seemed to be just as startled to see me as I was to see it. His facial expression and body mannerisms told me that he was caught off guard and seemed very apprehensive as if it wasn?t sure what to do. We locked eyes with each other for a number of seconds before he turned his upper torso back and to his right (as if looking over its shoulder), shifting his weight onto his right leg, as if considering to take off, only to turn back to me and lock eyes again, and repeating this twice more. (I almost have to demonstrate this as it is very hard to put into words.) He seemed to be curious about me but looked like he wanted to get the hell out of there. He stood unobstructed right before my eyes for what seemed like an eternity, but probably only lasted maybe 8-10 seconds.
While this was taking place, I saw in my periphery that my younger brother (about 60 yards away) was running towards us from my left and calling out my name. I wanted to yell for him to stop as he did not know what stood before me. This was about the time when the creature started to look back over its shoulder although not in the same direction of my approaching brother. After several seconds he made the move turning back and to his right and took off sprinting on two legs, using his hands to tunnel his way through the thicket. I paused for a second as it gained some distance from me, turned, and ran back towards the house grabbing my brother in route.
These events are forever tattooed into my brain.
The following are details and observations that should be noted:
First and foremost, I cannot explain enough how human-like this creature was. From its facial features and expression, body language, and walking/running gait, this creature was scarily human other than its other body characteristics. Even at my age, I could tell that this was an intelligent creature by the way it seemed to be assessing his circumstances. I also cannot express enough how fluid this creature was in shifting from a four legged "run" to a bipedal running gait. This creature does not have any problems, or handicap whatsoever, in its gait, ability to walk or run on two legs, or to progress from one to the other while moving at a high rate of speed. It was very much more human than "ape." I don?t really like to use the word ape when describing it.
With understanding of my own height at the time and after taking that into consideration, I would estimate the creature to stand between 7 1/2 - 8 1/2 feet tall (though I want to say closer to 8 - 8 1/2). He had very broad shoulders and heavy muscle structure. This was a massive creature that I would guess weighed in the vicinity of four to five hundred pounds, but I can honestly see it pushing 600 plus pounds. It was huge and stout. It was also very trim and did not exhibit a pronounced abdominal region as an herbivore will. The hair color was a deep reddish-brown rusty color, but dark overall. I want to say that it had a mix of different colored strands, some being reddish, some black, but mostly brown overall. It did not appear shiny, but rather dull and coarse. I would guess the length to be about 3"-4" in length. The hair covered most of the body, not including the face (with the exception of cheeks and jawline), forehead, palms of the hands, and the hair appeared much thinner on the thoracic (chest) and abdominal regions. Its head was cone-shaped slightly to the back (or crown) of the head with the hair growing up and back not growing down into the face. There was a forehead, as the hairline on the head did not extend down to its brow line (which was pronounced). Its neck was very thick and maybe short. I also believe that it may have had a restricted ability to swivel its head from side to side, as a human might do. Because my eyes were fixed on his face, I did not get a look at its feet or genitals, though I feel sure that it was a male, for it exuded masculinity. Its eyes were a dark brown and its skin looked somewhat tough and weathered. I have difficulty describing the color of its skin. I can only describe it as an overly weathered and medium toned skin (not black or brown) with a face that seemed more human than ape.
Hand/foot prints:
I never revisited that area on foot again during that trip, and there was nothing in this world that could have gotten me out there either. Large footprints, however, have been found by myself and other family members on a couple of other occasions in this same area. Their testimony would need to come from them as it is not a part of my own personal experience.
Sounds:
The creature never made any vocalizations, nor did I smell any horrid odor (this may have been due to me holding my breath and being scared out of my wits).
I could better get this across by speaking with someone. I'm pretty confident that the area's common wildlife could not have produced some of the calls, screams, and growling type noises that we?ve heard at that place.
Additional observations:
I have tried to be thorough and to give true and correct detail of my personal experience. In the early summer of 1976, there was a two week period of experiences that I will not go into, as I was not there to witness them. There are five members of my family that may be willing to explain their stories. They are quite interesting indeed.
Investigator's Observations
Investigator(s): Tod Pinkerton and Ken Helmer
This investigation was conducted as a result of an incident that allegedly occurred in Marion County, Texas, in June 1989.
The principal witness was aged nine and one-half years old. No other family members were directly involved in the encounter, although the witness's younger brother (seven years) was involved immediately after the subject fled the scene. The witness stated that he was so shocked at the sight of the sasquatch that he was unable to move or breathe throughout the encounter. Instead he maintained eye contact throughout the event, which lasted approximately 20 to 25 seconds. After the subject left the scene, the witness ran back towards the house, gathering up his little brother who was approximately 60 yards away. The witness stated that he was not immediately able to tell anyone what he had seen; only that his family could tell he had seen something which shook him up. Despite this, the family continued on with their picnic that day in another spot closer to the house.
The witness stated that after a time he was able to share the incident with his family, who did not seem to take his encounter seriously for several years. He stressed that he has never changed his story that he told his family and friends, and that we could contact them to verify that. The family did not really begin to believe him until they realized there seemed to be a pattern of other possible sightings by family members, which seemed to add validity to the witness's claim.
The witness seemed utterly convinced that he had an encounter with a sasquatch, which could not have been mistaken for a person or animal. The witness says just talking about it today still raises goose bumps on his body.
The Subject:
Per the witness, the subject was first heard moving through the brush and dense undergrowth at a distance outside of 20 yards. At approximately 15 - 20 yards the subject was observed approaching him from his right while moving quadrapedally. The movement was described as quick and fluid. The witness stated that the subject appeared to be looking down; he was unable to discern the face or upper chest movement during the approach. The witness stated that he was uncertain if the subject was moving quadrapedally before he saw it or if it had turned to quadrapedal locomotion in order to duck under some brush. At 10 - 12 yards away the subject used its left arm/hand to pull itself into a running, bipedal stride by grabbing the top of an old wooden post from the movement position. After pulling itself to its full height, the subject continued in fluid motion to move the 10 - 12 yards bipedally to position itself nearly parallel to the witness. At this point it turned its entire body to face the witness. It was 10 feet away. The witness described the subject as being eight to eight and one-half feet tall. The subject was trim, well built along the lines of a bodybuilder, with no noticeable flab or gut. The hair was described as being reddish, black and brown across the body, with thinner areas being the upper chest. No hair was observed on the palms; the feet were not visible in the grass and undergrowth. The face/head was described as having a hairless forehead, nose, and check areas. The hair in the beard region was shorter than the rest of the body, but not dirty or unkempt in appearance. The witness noticed neither ears nor sign of genitalia, though felt strongly that the subject was male. In addition he stated that the teeth which he briefly saw did not appear to have fangs, but were squared in a fashion similar to human, or ?horse,? teeth. He also remembered the chin being similar to that of a human.
The subject?s head and face seemed to taper up and back in kind of a cone-like fashion. The hair on the head seemed to naturally flow from the scalp line up to the top of the cone. The eyes were described as brown, with the whites clearly visible, much like eyes of human. The skin tone on the face appeared to be a light gray with light "earthy" undertones, and had a weathered appearance. The witness said the color of the face did not resemble that of European, African, or Hispanic peoples. The neck was described as appearing powerful, with the muscles of the upper shoulders/back/body tapering up to it, much like a bodybuilder or steroid user might appear. The subject had broad shoulders, and in general the mass of the limbs, body, and head were much greater than that of an average-sized man.
The witness indicated that while he did not hear any vocalizations from the subject, he did remember several very sharp, deep breaths as if it were exhausted from exertion. The witness also clearly remembered the sounds of the footsteps of the subject. The impact of the subject?s feet with the ground indicated great weight to the witness; in his words: ?it was like you could feel the weight of it running.? The witness was unable to discern any sort of body odor, although he thinks one reason may have been because he was holding his breath at the time of the incident.
After the subject turned and squared its shoulders towards him, the witness said that it stared intently at him for a short while (six seconds) as if trying to determine what exactly he was. It was standing fully upright, with no noticeable slouch or hunchback posture. The subject began to appear to shift its weight from one foot to the other, while at the same time turning its body at the hips/waist to look in the direction of the cabin (opposite the way it had come). The witness said he had the feeling that the subject was sort of weighing its options. The subject repeated this behavior three times over 10 - 15 seconds. When it would turn away during this time it did so with its entire upper body and not turning its neck too much. After that, the subject turned and began to move at a fast run/jog directly into the woods straight away from the witness. The witness stated that it remained upright upon departing the scene, and did not resume moving again on all fours while within earshot. Instead it used its long arms and hands out in front of it to sort of swim (push the trees/brush aside) through the woods. Once again no sounds could be heard other than the disturbance it made while moving through the woods away from the witness. While standing the subject was fully erect, but when it ran away, it moved forward in a slightly stooped posture. Its hair was probably four inches long and the witness did not recall it being unkempt or matted. The arms were longer than human arms, but were not quite to the knees. Once the subject pulled itself into an upright position, and stopped moving, the witness stated he had a clear, unobstructed view of it from the top of its head to most of the way down the leg minus the feet. However, he was struck with fear/amazement and only concentrated on the subject?s eyes/face for the most part. The witness said that in looking in the subject?s eyes he could see the expression of its face which to him gave a sense that the creature was really thinking about what to do.
The location was described as being on a ranch road/rural driveway at the end of Berea 3. This location is approximately two to three miles northwest of Jefferson, Texas, in Marion County. The nearby terrain was described as being either wooded with pines and underbrush, or cleared for pasture in a few areas. The small wooded area where this encounter took place was thick with small pines, hardwoods, grasses, blackberry vines and other low-growing vegetation. The witness stated that wild fruits like mayhaw and blackberries were locally abundant during their respective seasons. Also numerous wild animals including large populations of deer and hogs were present.
The encounter paralleled the small ranch road off the end of Berea 3, just off the road itself. There are numerous water sources (creeks, ponds, etc.) within the area, though the actual location was neither low nor swampy. The witness also stated that his grandfather probably had a small garden near the cabin, most likely consisting of tomatoes, beans, and the like. No known caves are located in the vicinity, though there was one very old abandoned homestead present in the area. The closest neighbor as the crow flies lived approximately one-quarter mile away. The witness thought that at the time perhaps 20 people lived in the three square miles or so surrounding the location of the incident.
The time of year was given as late June. The sky was thought to be clear to partly cloudy, with relatively cool temperatures given the time of the year. The time of day was approximately noon.
The witness stated that his aunt had a close visual experience approximately 10 years prior in almost the exact same location while returning home from a date after dark. She was able to see the outline of a tall, bipedal creature not more than a few feet from her while she attempted to step through a barbwire fence. In addition, the witness stated that on numerous occasions loud howls similar to the so-called "Ohio Howl" could be heard in the nearby woods. On some occasions things would hit the side of the cabin during the night.
Also, apparently the witness's grandfather lost his prized bull calf, an Angus/Simmental breed, which appeared to have been killed by something that apparently twisted its neck several times and then drug it about 50 yards away only to get tangled underneath a barbwire fence. The calf weighed approximately 500 pounds.
The witness was very adamant that what he saw was a sasquatch and not another wild animal or human being. When asked about the possibility of misidentifying a bear or even an unusually large human being, the witness replied in a straightforward manner: ?These suggestions are simply absurd and would be laughable if it wasn?t for the fact that this is not a light-hearted subject for me. I know what I saw and it is as simple as that.?
One must also take into account the closeness of the encounter (10 feet), and that the witness was by his statement able to clearly see the subject for around 20 - 25 seconds (6 - 7 seconds moving towards him on all fours, 10 - 15 seconds standing upright and still).
Furthermore, his story has been very consistent through numerous discussions now with a number of various NAWAC investigators including Alton Higgins, Daryl Colyer, Monica Rawlins, Chris Buntenbah, Craig Woolheater and others; the witness is now himself a volunteer investigator with the NAWAC.
This investigation was conducted as a result of an incident that allegedly occurred in Marion County, Texas, in June 1989.
The principal witness was aged nine and one-half years old. No other family members were directly involved in the encounter, although the witness's younger brother (seven years) was involved immediately after the subject fled the scene. The witness stated that he was so shocked at the sight of the sasquatch that he was unable to move or breathe throughout the encounter. Instead he maintained eye contact throughout the event, which lasted approximately 20 to 25 seconds. After the subject left the scene, the witness ran back towards the house, gathering up his little brother who was approximately 60 yards away. The witness stated that he was not immediately able to tell anyone what he had seen; only that his family could tell he had seen something which shook him up. Despite this, the family continued on with their picnic that day in another spot closer to the house.
The witness stated that after a time he was able to share the incident with his family, who did not seem to take his encounter seriously for several years. He stressed that he has never changed his story that he told his family and friends, and that we could contact them to verify that. The family did not really begin to believe him until they realized there seemed to be a pattern of other possible sightings by family members, which seemed to add validity to the witness's claim.
The witness seemed utterly convinced that he had an encounter with a sasquatch, which could not have been mistaken for a person or animal. The witness says just talking about it today still raises goose bumps on his body.
The Subject:
Per the witness, the subject was first heard moving through the brush and dense undergrowth at a distance outside of 20 yards. At approximately 15 - 20 yards the subject was observed approaching him from his right while moving quadrapedally. The movement was described as quick and fluid. The witness stated that the subject appeared to be looking down; he was unable to discern the face or upper chest movement during the approach. The witness stated that he was uncertain if the subject was moving quadrapedally before he saw it or if it had turned to quadrapedal locomotion in order to duck under some brush. At 10 - 12 yards away the subject used its left arm/hand to pull itself into a running, bipedal stride by grabbing the top of an old wooden post from the movement position. After pulling itself to its full height, the subject continued in fluid motion to move the 10 - 12 yards bipedally to position itself nearly parallel to the witness. At this point it turned its entire body to face the witness. It was 10 feet away. The witness described the subject as being eight to eight and one-half feet tall. The subject was trim, well built along the lines of a bodybuilder, with no noticeable flab or gut. The hair was described as being reddish, black and brown across the body, with thinner areas being the upper chest. No hair was observed on the palms; the feet were not visible in the grass and undergrowth. The face/head was described as having a hairless forehead, nose, and check areas. The hair in the beard region was shorter than the rest of the body, but not dirty or unkempt in appearance. The witness noticed neither ears nor sign of genitalia, though felt strongly that the subject was male. In addition he stated that the teeth which he briefly saw did not appear to have fangs, but were squared in a fashion similar to human, or ?horse,? teeth. He also remembered the chin being similar to that of a human.
The subject?s head and face seemed to taper up and back in kind of a cone-like fashion. The hair on the head seemed to naturally flow from the scalp line up to the top of the cone. The eyes were described as brown, with the whites clearly visible, much like eyes of human. The skin tone on the face appeared to be a light gray with light "earthy" undertones, and had a weathered appearance. The witness said the color of the face did not resemble that of European, African, or Hispanic peoples. The neck was described as appearing powerful, with the muscles of the upper shoulders/back/body tapering up to it, much like a bodybuilder or steroid user might appear. The subject had broad shoulders, and in general the mass of the limbs, body, and head were much greater than that of an average-sized man.
The witness indicated that while he did not hear any vocalizations from the subject, he did remember several very sharp, deep breaths as if it were exhausted from exertion. The witness also clearly remembered the sounds of the footsteps of the subject. The impact of the subject?s feet with the ground indicated great weight to the witness; in his words: ?it was like you could feel the weight of it running.? The witness was unable to discern any sort of body odor, although he thinks one reason may have been because he was holding his breath at the time of the incident.
After the subject turned and squared its shoulders towards him, the witness said that it stared intently at him for a short while (six seconds) as if trying to determine what exactly he was. It was standing fully upright, with no noticeable slouch or hunchback posture. The subject began to appear to shift its weight from one foot to the other, while at the same time turning its body at the hips/waist to look in the direction of the cabin (opposite the way it had come). The witness said he had the feeling that the subject was sort of weighing its options. The subject repeated this behavior three times over 10 - 15 seconds. When it would turn away during this time it did so with its entire upper body and not turning its neck too much. After that, the subject turned and began to move at a fast run/jog directly into the woods straight away from the witness. The witness stated that it remained upright upon departing the scene, and did not resume moving again on all fours while within earshot. Instead it used its long arms and hands out in front of it to sort of swim (push the trees/brush aside) through the woods. Once again no sounds could be heard other than the disturbance it made while moving through the woods away from the witness. While standing the subject was fully erect, but when it ran away, it moved forward in a slightly stooped posture. Its hair was probably four inches long and the witness did not recall it being unkempt or matted. The arms were longer than human arms, but were not quite to the knees. Once the subject pulled itself into an upright position, and stopped moving, the witness stated he had a clear, unobstructed view of it from the top of its head to most of the way down the leg minus the feet. However, he was struck with fear/amazement and only concentrated on the subject?s eyes/face for the most part. The witness said that in looking in the subject?s eyes he could see the expression of its face which to him gave a sense that the creature was really thinking about what to do.
The location was described as being on a ranch road/rural driveway at the end of Berea 3. This location is approximately two to three miles northwest of Jefferson, Texas, in Marion County. The nearby terrain was described as being either wooded with pines and underbrush, or cleared for pasture in a few areas. The small wooded area where this encounter took place was thick with small pines, hardwoods, grasses, blackberry vines and other low-growing vegetation. The witness stated that wild fruits like mayhaw and blackberries were locally abundant during their respective seasons. Also numerous wild animals including large populations of deer and hogs were present.
The encounter paralleled the small ranch road off the end of Berea 3, just off the road itself. There are numerous water sources (creeks, ponds, etc.) within the area, though the actual location was neither low nor swampy. The witness also stated that his grandfather probably had a small garden near the cabin, most likely consisting of tomatoes, beans, and the like. No known caves are located in the vicinity, though there was one very old abandoned homestead present in the area. The closest neighbor as the crow flies lived approximately one-quarter mile away. The witness thought that at the time perhaps 20 people lived in the three square miles or so surrounding the location of the incident.
The time of year was given as late June. The sky was thought to be clear to partly cloudy, with relatively cool temperatures given the time of the year. The time of day was approximately noon.
The witness stated that his aunt had a close visual experience approximately 10 years prior in almost the exact same location while returning home from a date after dark. She was able to see the outline of a tall, bipedal creature not more than a few feet from her while she attempted to step through a barbwire fence. In addition, the witness stated that on numerous occasions loud howls similar to the so-called "Ohio Howl" could be heard in the nearby woods. On some occasions things would hit the side of the cabin during the night.
Also, apparently the witness's grandfather lost his prized bull calf, an Angus/Simmental breed, which appeared to have been killed by something that apparently twisted its neck several times and then drug it about 50 yards away only to get tangled underneath a barbwire fence. The calf weighed approximately 500 pounds.
The witness was very adamant that what he saw was a sasquatch and not another wild animal or human being. When asked about the possibility of misidentifying a bear or even an unusually large human being, the witness replied in a straightforward manner: ?These suggestions are simply absurd and would be laughable if it wasn?t for the fact that this is not a light-hearted subject for me. I know what I saw and it is as simple as that.?
One must also take into account the closeness of the encounter (10 feet), and that the witness was by his statement able to clearly see the subject for around 20 - 25 seconds (6 - 7 seconds moving towards him on all fours, 10 - 15 seconds standing upright and still).
Furthermore, his story has been very consistent through numerous discussions now with a number of various NAWAC investigators including Alton Higgins, Daryl Colyer, Monica Rawlins, Chris Buntenbah, Craig Woolheater and others; the witness is now himself a volunteer investigator with the NAWAC.
Photos
