YEAR: 2004

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: November

DATE: 18

STATE: Missouri

COUNTY: Barry County

LOCATION DETAILS: I can show you the place where I saw it.

NEAREST TOWN: Purdy

NEAREST ROAD: C Highway

OBSERVED: On November 18, 2004 at approximately 6:45 pm, I was traveling south on a winding, dirt road less than 5 miles from my home on C Hwy between McDowell and East Purdy, Mo.

As I drove along, I noticed ahead in the ditch line, an animal. I know that there is a mule that often gets out nad roams the area, so I slowed down considerably so as not to hit her.

As I got closer, it stood up, facing my Explorer. Instead of moving into the headlight beam as a deer or something would do, it came at an angle from the ditch, towards the passenger side of my truck. It was in my estimate, at least as tall as I am (5'8") covered with hair. The hair was a buff or light color.

All I really remember at that point is hitting the lock button on my doors and screaming. It came up to the passenger side window and I could see it's chest. If I saw the face, I do not recall it, just the chest in the window. I was screaming and hit the accelorator and sped away as fast as I could. I don't know what it was, only that I have never seen anything like it before in my life.

But, it does make me wonder about events that have happened around our house in the past. In the spring of this year, my dogs started going crazy barking and I stepped out onto the porch to see what was wrong. I hear a scream that I took to be a mountain lion. Knowing that I had a dog in the back pasture, I went to my truck and went to the back to let her into the main pasture with the other dogs. I noticed on my way down to the back pasture that my very large dogs had all of my goats in a tight knot by the small barn and the dogs were in a semi-circle around the goats. When I got to the back, to let the other dog in, I noticed that there was no sound at all in the woods nearby. My dogs were silent. The dog that I went down to get was terrified and rushed through the open gate as soon as I opened it. I went back to the house and went to bed.


The next day the neighbor told me that my dogs had fought something behind his house at about 3 am. He didn't know what it was, only that it was large. When I checked my dogs out, they did not have the slash cuts they would have had, if they had tangled with a mountain lion. There were scrapes but that was about it.

Our fence at the back of the place was also pushed down. Our fence consists of cattle panels that are 52" tall. They are hooked to the post with heavy wire ties. I can not bend the ties with my bare hands. At the place where the fence was pushed down, the panel was loose from the post and the clips were in the brush. AT the time I thought it odd, as a mountain lion would not have been capable of doing this. A bear could, but not a cougar.

ALSO NOTICED: Fencing pushed down at back of our place

OTHER WITNESSES: Unfortunately I was alone.

OTHER STORIES: I got the nerve up to tell the mother of my son's friend about what I had seen. She then related that her husband had seen almost the same creature, only taller and bigger, not a mile from my home on C Highway. He was traveling the road on a motorcycle and noticed and awful odor. He then saw it and said that it stepped over the fence with no effort and crossed the road in two strides. He can better descibe the face and eyes.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 6:45 pm approximately
It was dark and the road was isolated and dark.

ENVIRONMENT: There is a creek on the West side of the road, rough wooded terrain past the creek and rough wooded terrain on the EAst side of the road. At the point where I saw it, there is a hay field between the creek and the road.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

I spoke with the witness by phone.

The animal was very humanlike in form. It was walking upright and she could see the arms, chest and head but could not make out any features.

The close proximity of the animal prevented her from being able to see other details such as gait or swinging arms.

About BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

Stan Courtney has a special interest in wildlife audio recording. He has attended numerous BFRO Expeditions. See Stan's blog StanCourtney.com for recordings he has collected over the years.

Stan Courtney can be reached at illinois@bfro.net