- 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: 23012001
Class 1dHusband and wife observe "massive" figure at back of property
Report Details
Occurrence date: January/2023
Location: Cleveland County, OK
Nearby/Vicinity: Cleveland County
Time / Conditions: 19:00
# of Witnesses: 2
Location: Cleveland County, OK
Nearby/Vicinity: Cleveland County
Time / Conditions: 19:00
# of Witnesses: 2
Witness Account:
We live near OKC, and have a creek in the back of our property. My wife and I were in our car on 1/7/23 at 7:15 PM when we saw the figure as we pulled into our driveway! The headlights kind of lit it up like a reverse silhouette. It was down in the trees about 100 yards from us. We think it was gray or tan, maybe light brown, because of how the lights hit it. The elevation drops off by the tree line, and I couldn't see its legs. It was walking at an angle away from us, turned a little to its left, raised its right arm up, placed it on a tree, paused for a brief second, then walked directly into the woods. The speed it disappeared into the woods was fast. It did not appear to run because it wasn't bobbing up and down like it was. It seemed to take large strides and was gone. It was huge. The torso was very thick, as was its arm. When we got into our house, I walked onto our back patio and could smell something like a skunk scent. This could be totally coincidental, but it's something I noticed.
Based upon the trees were the figure was observed, I would estimate the height to be at least 7'6". Also, the woods it went into were pretty thick. I would hurt myself moving into the woods in the daylight as quickly as it moved in the dark. The entire encounter lasted about 5-6 seconds.
Investigator's Observations
Investigator(s): Phil Burrows and Andrew Hickman
This investigation was conducted as a result of an incident that allegedly occurred in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, within the South Canadian River watershed, in January 2023. NAWAC Investigators Phil Burrows and Andrew Hickman interviewed the primary witness via telephone on January 20, 2023. The witness and his wife are highly educated professionals. They requested strict confidentiality; therefore, the precise location of the alleged encounter and other information have been sanitized to protect their privacy and security.
After exchanging written correspondence with the primary witness over several days, we spoke with him on the telephone on the evening of January 20, 2023. The witness had previously informed us that he did not want any investigators to come to the property. Standard practices for NAWAC Investigators where recent reports are concerned include a comprehensive onsite examination; however, in this case, we agreed to limit the investigation to a telephone dialogue. It is not the most productive or preferred mode of inquiry; however, NAWAC Investigators always carefully respect their claimants’ preferences. Despite the inherent limitation of telephone interviews, we decided to proceed with the investigation. In this way, we would be no less hamstrung than if the incident had happened several years before (reported encounters from years ago rarely yield any onsite affirmation).
The witness took us through the encounter that ostensibly occurred on the evening of Saturday, January 7, 2023, at approximately 7:15 PM. The witness and his family were returning home from recreational activities. The family resides on a multi-acre piece of land in a semi-rural area in Cleveland County, south of Oklahoma City, just north of the South Canadian River. A tributary creek that feeds the South Canadian River runs through their property. Dense riparian greenbelts are common throughout this part of the county. Accordingly, the witnesses’ property is subject to densely wooded areas. The witness told us that it was just outside such a densely wood area where he and his wife first observed a curious, upright, hair-covered figure, perhaps a football field away from them at the back of their property, as they began to pull into their garage.
He first observed the subject “standing in the tree line” at the back of the property. His vehicle’s headlights illuminated the subject. The subject was facing away from the vehicle. His wife observed the subject as well, just as he asked her, “What is that?” The subject was light in coloration, possibly “tan, light brown,” or perhaps even “gray.” The coloration was uniform. The figure’s lower torso was concealed because of the curvature of the terrain; however, the observers could tell that it was “massive” in size.
The observers watched the subject as it raised its right arm and then disappeared into the dense woods, retreating toward the nearby tributary creek of the South Canadian River. The witness estimated that he and his wife observed the unknown figure for approximately six seconds.
The witnesses were confident that what they saw was not a human. The witness told us that had he and his wife believed there was any chance it had been a trespassing human, they would have immediately summoned law enforcement to their property. The physical characteristics, behavior, and size of the subject belied the possibility of a human.
As noted in his written report, after he stepped out of the back door of his residence, the witness noted a curious odor somewhat reminiscent of a skunk. The witness attempted a physical examination of the site where the subject had stood and found no corroborating sign. However, he and his wife took some measurements and now estimated the subject’s height to be approximately seven feet six inches in height (7’6”).
Since the initial observation, the family has not observed anything else of pertinence. We did not talk to the second witness out of respect for the witnesses’ wishes. The wife was with the children at the time of our phone call, and the witnesses did not want their children to know anything about the encounter. We found the primary witness to be highly credible.
This report reinforces the North American Wood Ape Conservancy’s long-held hypothesis that the riparian perimeters of the Canadian River may serve as a transitory route for wood apes moving east to west and west to east. Movement along the watershed might serve to reconstitute presumably isolated gene pools situated in remote pockets. This report, among others, supports this hypothesis.
This investigation was conducted as a result of an incident that allegedly occurred in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, within the South Canadian River watershed, in January 2023. NAWAC Investigators Phil Burrows and Andrew Hickman interviewed the primary witness via telephone on January 20, 2023. The witness and his wife are highly educated professionals. They requested strict confidentiality; therefore, the precise location of the alleged encounter and other information have been sanitized to protect their privacy and security.
After exchanging written correspondence with the primary witness over several days, we spoke with him on the telephone on the evening of January 20, 2023. The witness had previously informed us that he did not want any investigators to come to the property. Standard practices for NAWAC Investigators where recent reports are concerned include a comprehensive onsite examination; however, in this case, we agreed to limit the investigation to a telephone dialogue. It is not the most productive or preferred mode of inquiry; however, NAWAC Investigators always carefully respect their claimants’ preferences. Despite the inherent limitation of telephone interviews, we decided to proceed with the investigation. In this way, we would be no less hamstrung than if the incident had happened several years before (reported encounters from years ago rarely yield any onsite affirmation).
The witness took us through the encounter that ostensibly occurred on the evening of Saturday, January 7, 2023, at approximately 7:15 PM. The witness and his family were returning home from recreational activities. The family resides on a multi-acre piece of land in a semi-rural area in Cleveland County, south of Oklahoma City, just north of the South Canadian River. A tributary creek that feeds the South Canadian River runs through their property. Dense riparian greenbelts are common throughout this part of the county. Accordingly, the witnesses’ property is subject to densely wooded areas. The witness told us that it was just outside such a densely wood area where he and his wife first observed a curious, upright, hair-covered figure, perhaps a football field away from them at the back of their property, as they began to pull into their garage.
He first observed the subject “standing in the tree line” at the back of the property. His vehicle’s headlights illuminated the subject. The subject was facing away from the vehicle. His wife observed the subject as well, just as he asked her, “What is that?” The subject was light in coloration, possibly “tan, light brown,” or perhaps even “gray.” The coloration was uniform. The figure’s lower torso was concealed because of the curvature of the terrain; however, the observers could tell that it was “massive” in size.
The observers watched the subject as it raised its right arm and then disappeared into the dense woods, retreating toward the nearby tributary creek of the South Canadian River. The witness estimated that he and his wife observed the unknown figure for approximately six seconds.
The witnesses were confident that what they saw was not a human. The witness told us that had he and his wife believed there was any chance it had been a trespassing human, they would have immediately summoned law enforcement to their property. The physical characteristics, behavior, and size of the subject belied the possibility of a human.
As noted in his written report, after he stepped out of the back door of his residence, the witness noted a curious odor somewhat reminiscent of a skunk. The witness attempted a physical examination of the site where the subject had stood and found no corroborating sign. However, he and his wife took some measurements and now estimated the subject’s height to be approximately seven feet six inches in height (7’6”).
Since the initial observation, the family has not observed anything else of pertinence. We did not talk to the second witness out of respect for the witnesses’ wishes. The wife was with the children at the time of our phone call, and the witnesses did not want their children to know anything about the encounter. We found the primary witness to be highly credible.
This report reinforces the North American Wood Ape Conservancy’s long-held hypothesis that the riparian perimeters of the Canadian River may serve as a transitory route for wood apes moving east to west and west to east. Movement along the watershed might serve to reconstitute presumably isolated gene pools situated in remote pockets. This report, among others, supports this hypothesis.
