YEAR: 2026

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: May

DATE: 29

STATE: South Carolina

COUNTY: Spartanburg County

LOCATION DETAILS: [Investigator MM notes:

GPS for where the sasquatch was standing when first spotted:
35.027456, -82.102093

It was standing in the grassy devil strip between the parking lot and road, near the south entrance of the parking lot for the Ukranian/Russian "Way of Truth" Evangelical Christian church, 11 miles northwest of Spartanburg.

NEAREST TOWN: Inman

NEAREST ROAD: Hwy 292

OBSERVED: Riding down hwy 292 between Inman and Lyman South Carolina around 11:30pm. Topped a hill just before the Lake Cooley bridge when on my right my lights hit a very large creature. Bipedal, well over 6ft tall, closer to 7ft. Completely upright. When the lights hit it it turned and moved quickly back into the woods upright. My initial though was a bear but bear do not move that fluid on 2 feet. It was very dark so I couldn't make out any features. I stopped my car in the middle of the road and my passenger confirmed what I saw

OTHER WITNESSES: Yes, my front seat passenger saw it as well

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 11:30pm
Very dark conditions, a few streetlights on a rural road

ENVIRONMENT: Rural road. Few houses. A lake and a swamp nearby

Follow-up investigation report:

This case was investigated by our local investigator S.L. Here are the notes from his investigation after speaking with both eyewitnesses and looking around at the sighting location:

"On Sunday, May 31, 2026, at approximately 1:20 p.m., I spoke by telephone with the primary witness, Chris Marler, regarding a sighting that occurred late Friday night along Highway 292 between Inman and Lyman, South Carolina.

He stated that he and a friend were traveling on Highway 292 shortly before midnight. As they approached the area near New Cut Road, both observed what they described as a very large, dark figure near the edge of the roadway.

According to both witnesses, the figure immediately moved away from the road as their vehicle approached.

The passenger (Ethan) described the figure as being so large that his initial thought was that it looked like "a horse standing on its hind legs." He repeated that comparison several times during our conversation and explained that it was the only way he could adequately describe its size. He stated the figure appeared very dark in color and seemed to be covered in hair.

Chris, the driver, first observed the figure facing across the road, and then when it moved away from the roadway and toward the wood line. His initial impression was that it might have been a huge black bear standing upright. However, as he watched it move, he quickly dismissed that possibility. He described the figure as having a distinctly human-like shape and estimated that it stood well over seven feet tall with an exceptionally broad build.

Both witnesses independently described the figure as extremely large and dark in color. They also stated that the distance and brief duration of the sighting prevented them from seeing facial details. Both men stated that the figure's movements appeared more human than animal. Ethan emphasized that its mannerisms and body movements looked human.

After the figure disappeared into the woods, the witnesses continued driving and soon stopped at the next traffic signal on Highway 292. During their discussion, both commented on the creature's apparent size and agreed it looked large enough that it could have easily reached and touched the traffic signal.

Throughout our conversations, both witnesses remained consistent regarding the figure's size, color, movement, and direction of travel.

Chris provided a map image showing the exact location of the sighting and the direction the figure traveled after leaving the roadway. On the following day, I visited the area to conduct a follow-up investigation. I checked nearby properties for surveillance cameras that may have captured the incident. No cameras were located that appeared to cover the portion of the roadway where the sighting occurred.

I conducted a search of the wooded area where the witnesses reported the figure entered the tree line. The terrain consisted of mixed hardwood and pine forest with moderate undergrowth. I searched for tracks, broken vegetation, and other signs that something large had recently moved through the area.

After several hours of searching the large wooded area, I was unable to locate any tracks or physical evidence that could be directly connected to the sighting. I also did not observe any obvious signs of black bear activity in the immediate area, such as scat, stomp trails, territory markings, or other indicators that bears were regularly using the property.

The lack of physical evidence does not mean the witnesses did not observe something unusual. It only means that no identifiable sign was located during the follow-up investigation several days later.

On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, I conducted a follow-up interview with both eyewitnesses. During that conversation, they remained consistent with their earlier description and continued to express amazement at what he had observed. Their recollections remained consistent with each other and with the statements previously provided.

One detail that stood out during both interviews was the witnesses' repeated focus on the figure's size. Both men struggled to compare it to anything familiar and repeatedly returned to descriptions involving its enormous height and frame. While neither witness could positively identify what they had seen, both remained adamant that it was not a person or a bear.

Based on the interviews and my observations of both witnesses, I believe they were sincere in describing what they observed that evening. Neither appeared to be exaggerating the event, and both readily acknowledged how unusual their account sounded. Their statements remained consistent over multiple conversations and correspondences conducted across a period of several days.

S.L. -- South Carolina BFRO Investigator

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Investigator Notes from Matt Moneymaker:

I spoke with witness Chris Marler a few times. He is a credible witness. He works in Spartanburg for a dealership and service facility for large commercial trucks like Kenworth and Peterbilt. On the side he organizes local WWE styple wrestling events. That is relevant because he sees very large men often. He said this creature was larger than the largest man.

As the vehicle approach the parking lot for the church the headlights first caught the figure at roughly 150 feet distance. Chris slowed down as he would normally do when spotting an animal near the road at night. Both passengers observed it quickly walk across the parking lot and into the woods.

Even though the report and notes from investigatgor should make it very very clear that the witnesses did not get photos of the figure during the incident, nor did they stop to chase the figure or look for tracks ... some people need that extra help to understand the situation: No, they didn't get a photo or go look for tracks. The BFRO investigator went to look for tracks a few days later but found none.




















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