WEBVTT 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:21.620 from the unexplained to the mundane join us on 00:00:21.620 --> 00:00:33.380 our journey to the fringe hello and welcome to 00:00:33.380 --> 00:00:35.359 journey to the fringe where we shine lights on 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:38.119 fringe topics and chelsea one thing we really 00:00:38.119 --> 00:00:41.320 need to address yeah we either need to acknowledge 00:00:41.320 --> 00:00:44.579 that ghost hunters are out there trying to kill 00:00:44.579 --> 00:00:49.009 ghosts or They need a better name. It's just, 00:00:49.009 --> 00:00:51.789 it's simple. Do you think that's why they never 00:00:51.789 --> 00:00:55.369 appear to ghost hunters? I'm just worried they've 00:00:55.369 --> 00:00:58.210 been killing them this whole time. Wow, my mind 00:00:58.210 --> 00:01:01.929 is blown. I think you're right. Yeah, ghost finders. 00:01:02.329 --> 00:01:05.129 Yeah, ghost finders, ghost spotters. I mean, 00:01:05.170 --> 00:01:07.629 we have bird watchers. You can have ghost watchers, 00:01:07.790 --> 00:01:10.310 but like ghost hunters, it's very clear what 00:01:10.310 --> 00:01:12.109 you're trying to do. And we need a better name 00:01:12.109 --> 00:01:14.170 if that's not what you're trying to do. Holy 00:01:14.170 --> 00:01:17.930 shit. Wow. We are your podcast host, Taylor and 00:01:17.930 --> 00:01:20.969 Josie, who cannot stew on this. You need to move 00:01:20.969 --> 00:01:23.890 on because we have a different episode to move 00:01:23.890 --> 00:01:27.650 on to. Here today, doing another Halloween episode, 00:01:27.829 --> 00:01:30.209 and that means a creature feature. And I think 00:01:30.209 --> 00:01:33.829 - It's Halloween month. Yeah. I got my spooky 00:01:33.829 --> 00:01:38.549 Halloween skull right here to remind me of what 00:01:38.549 --> 00:01:41.409 I'm doing right now. To keep you humble. Exactly. 00:01:41.689 --> 00:01:44.049 Keep me on task. Let me go to your head. Yeah. 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:47.519 Right, I'm recording a Halloween episode. I only 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:51.879 have one cryptid today. This story is the story 00:01:51.879 --> 00:01:56.019 of the Deer Man, specifically of central Alberta. 00:01:56.500 --> 00:01:59.420 We're going back to our roots here. I did not 00:01:59.420 --> 00:02:01.859 know about this guy. Yeah, well you're about 00:02:01.859 --> 00:02:05.180 to learn something more. I was just wearing a 00:02:05.180 --> 00:02:09.180 jacket growing up. Yeah, this might be him. Throughout 00:02:09.180 --> 00:02:12.939 2019, an anonymous cryptozoologist from central 00:02:12.939 --> 00:02:16.139 Alberta documented a string of alleged Deer Man 00:02:16.139 --> 00:02:20.819 encounters on his blog AlbertaDeerman .com .blog, 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:23.580 all of which are supposed to have taken place 00:02:23.580 --> 00:02:26.539 in rural communities across the Canadian prairies 00:02:26.539 --> 00:02:30.580 throughout 2018. Why you would do research like 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:34.060 this and remain anonymous? No idea. But this 00:02:34.060 --> 00:02:37.319 guy is from Alberta, so you know, intentions 00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:40.900 could be blurry. All this guy has on his website 00:02:40.900 --> 00:02:44.680 is blog entries of encounters. Not sure where 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:47.360 he got them because all the eyewitnesses are 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:49.879 unnamed, claiming that all of them requested 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:52.860 that their names be withheld for fear of ridicule. 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:55.439 And he doesn't seem to do much more than a handful 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:58.719 of those blog entries. I did a quick search and 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:01.860 there have been Deer Man sightings also in Ohio, 00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:06.580 Oklahoma, and Delaware. So if we have another 00:03:06.580 --> 00:03:10.080 episode, let's do that. This one's gonna be a 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:13.560 little bit of a funner episode. So without further 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:15.800 ado, here's the first sighting of the Alberta 00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:18.960 Deer Man. Now, this report isn't based on the 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:21.439 experience of a single person, but instead a 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:24.169 husband and wife. a church -going couple who 00:03:24.169 --> 00:03:26.669 were retired and who both worked for the county 00:03:26.669 --> 00:03:29.090 of Lacombe and both couldn't believe what they 00:03:29.090 --> 00:03:32.830 had seen. As they always did on that day, they 00:03:32.830 --> 00:03:35.289 ate together, had coffee, and decided to drive 00:03:35.289 --> 00:03:37.590 through the country, a tradition they kept for 00:03:37.590 --> 00:03:40.509 the latter part of 20 years. On that fateful 00:03:40.509 --> 00:03:43.189 morning, the two drove through the fog and turned 00:03:43.189 --> 00:03:45.710 off the main highway 50 and decided it would 00:03:45.710 --> 00:03:48.270 be a nice change if they drove down Range Road 00:03:48.270 --> 00:03:52.500 225. A decision that would soon lead to a sighting 00:03:52.500 --> 00:03:55.719 that would never be forgotten. While they drove 00:03:55.719 --> 00:03:58.199 slowly through the fog, they both claimed they 00:03:58.199 --> 00:04:01.000 saw something moving in and out of the fog with 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:03.719 such great speed that it couldn't have been a 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:06.740 map. While they continued to drive, they could 00:04:06.740 --> 00:04:09.719 swear it looked like a deer, but it was too large 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:13.259 to be a deer. Not wanting to scare the unknown 00:04:13.259 --> 00:04:16.420 skittish animal, the husband slowed to a stop 00:04:16.420 --> 00:04:19.240 and waited for a moment or two. in the hopes 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:21.939 of having it run away, in the hopes of not hitting 00:04:21.939 --> 00:04:25.920 it. Slowly, the husband began driving again and 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:28.339 was forced to slam on the brakes as standing 00:04:28.339 --> 00:04:31.279 just a few feet in front of them was the dear 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:34.699 man. It stood perfectly still and slowly stood 00:04:34.699 --> 00:04:37.720 up on its hind legs and is said to have towered 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:40.399 over their car. Without a second thought, the 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:42.819 husband slammed on the horn and stepped on the 00:04:42.819 --> 00:04:45.970 gas. The fear took hold of him just before his 00:04:45.970 --> 00:04:48.509 car was to make contact with the deer man and 00:04:48.509 --> 00:04:51.310 it bolted into the fields covered by the thick 00:04:51.310 --> 00:04:54.449 fog. The couple had no idea what they saw and 00:04:54.449 --> 00:04:57.370 didn't stop until they reached their home and 00:04:57.370 --> 00:05:01.509 ran inside. Encounter number two. This encounter 00:05:01.509 --> 00:05:04.589 is shared by a retired librarian whose name has 00:05:04.589 --> 00:05:08.209 been held back for fear of ridicule. It was early 00:05:08.209 --> 00:05:10.870 in the morning and she was making coffee and 00:05:10.870 --> 00:05:13.449 breakfast. She glanced out her window as the 00:05:13.449 --> 00:05:16.029 coffee was brewing. Standing just a few yards 00:05:16.029 --> 00:05:18.970 away was the Deer Man. She recalled that it stood 00:05:18.970 --> 00:05:22.029 perfectly still like a statue and their eyes 00:05:22.029 --> 00:05:25.790 locked and neither one of them blinked. And before 00:05:25.790 --> 00:05:28.269 she knew it, the creature, why didn't she blink? 00:05:29.789 --> 00:05:33.829 She is also a deer man. She will not identify 00:05:33.829 --> 00:05:36.649 herself. I assume when they say something doesn't 00:05:36.649 --> 00:05:38.769 blink it's because it's a paranormal virgin. 00:05:39.050 --> 00:05:41.290 Like I don't understand when she's not blinking. 00:05:41.329 --> 00:05:44.410 Just take her like staring contest very seriously. 00:05:44.569 --> 00:05:47.569 Yeah, maybe she's entranced and before she yeah, 00:05:47.709 --> 00:05:50.649 maybe she's a trained staring artist. Staring 00:05:50.649 --> 00:05:53.990 contest enthusiast. Staring contest. Why is that 00:05:53.990 --> 00:05:56.290 suddenly a tongue twister? Before she knew it, 00:05:56.389 --> 00:05:59.250 the creature slowly made its way to the window. 00:05:59.589 --> 00:06:03.029 Its non -blinking eyes were almost hypnotic. 00:06:03.230 --> 00:06:05.689 maybe it was her eyes could it not have this 00:06:05.689 --> 00:06:08.910 been a regular deer could have been but no this 00:06:08.910 --> 00:06:11.930 is deer man if you didn't listen to the title 00:06:11.930 --> 00:06:17.430 of the episode as this bond was made i don't 00:06:17.430 --> 00:06:21.970 know why it's being described it was quickly 00:06:21.970 --> 00:06:32.170 cut off as the deer blinked just kidding And 00:06:32.170 --> 00:06:34.970 it turned around and began to make its way back 00:06:34.970 --> 00:06:37.810 to where it came from. But not before taking 00:06:37.810 --> 00:06:41.129 a few of the crab apples from her tree. Ever 00:06:41.129 --> 00:06:43.930 since then, she has continued to wake up at the 00:06:43.930 --> 00:06:47.170 same time every single day in the hopes of catching 00:06:47.170 --> 00:06:50.250 a glimpse of what she said was the most majestic 00:06:50.250 --> 00:06:53.329 animal she's ever seen. What the fuck is the 00:06:53.329 --> 00:07:00.100 story? I can't tell if you're active or not at 00:07:00.100 --> 00:07:06.420 this point. This is a serious story. Okay. She 00:07:06.420 --> 00:07:09.240 never felt fear like the others who've reported 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:11.519 their encounters with the Deer Man. Oh, she wasn't 00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:14.040 scared of the Deer Man. It could have been a 00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:16.199 regular deer, don't you think? If it was stealing 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:20.100 crab apples. And she wasn't scared. There's nothing 00:07:20.100 --> 00:07:23.120 in the story that would say a deer couldn't do 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:27.350 that. Yeah, no. I'm not gonna lie. The writing 00:07:27.350 --> 00:07:30.870 on this blog was absolutely atrocious. It was 00:07:30.870 --> 00:07:34.029 just so bad. And the stories that I'm telling 00:07:34.029 --> 00:07:37.850 you, I had to make many changes to them to make 00:07:37.850 --> 00:07:41.709 them at least readable. However, I'm only one 00:07:41.709 --> 00:07:44.569 person and it was so, so bad. I can't even... 00:07:44.569 --> 00:07:47.050 I just need to ask you, the changes you made, 00:07:47.350 --> 00:07:49.750 were they to make it readable or more deer -like? 00:07:50.110 --> 00:07:54.230 The crabapple was mine. Just kidding. Do you 00:07:54.230 --> 00:07:59.360 like it? If you liked it, I put it in there. 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:02.360 No, it was to make it more readable. There were 00:08:02.360 --> 00:08:05.540 words in there that made it completely illegible. 00:08:05.860 --> 00:08:09.300 Like she was a librarian. I'll get to my thoughts 00:08:09.300 --> 00:08:11.759 at the end of this, but I just usually think 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:14.500 of librarians as people who have a good handle 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:19.220 on the language. Yeah, I don't know necessarily 00:08:19.220 --> 00:08:23.680 that it was actual people's encounters more than 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:26.300 someone just they were all written in the same 00:08:26.300 --> 00:08:28.779 style. To be honest with you, they are all horrible. 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:32.840 They all had redundant sentences all over the 00:08:32.840 --> 00:08:35.159 place. It was pretty bad. And I'd like to point 00:08:35.159 --> 00:08:38.090 out at this point. We still have no description 00:08:38.090 --> 00:08:41.129 of the actual Dear Man. I'm not sure if that's... 00:08:41.129 --> 00:08:45.330 But I never know whether or not I should or if 00:08:45.330 --> 00:08:47.470 I just missed it because I wasn't paying attention 00:08:47.470 --> 00:08:50.809 for like a two minute window. Yeah, I'd prefer 00:08:50.809 --> 00:08:53.509 not to take any blame for that. I'd like to put 00:08:53.509 --> 00:08:57.269 it squarely on the blog poster's shoulders. Is 00:08:57.269 --> 00:08:59.370 it the blog person's shoulders or is it just 00:08:59.370 --> 00:09:01.690 the fact that we assume we know what a Dear Man 00:09:01.690 --> 00:09:05.039 looks like? Yeah, here's the thing. I thought 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:08.659 this would be a fun one to share because I don't 00:09:08.659 --> 00:09:11.559 know that I would take this one too serious, 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:14.840 but I felt like I should still cover it and it's 00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:17.940 this Deer Man of Central Alberta. So I couldn't 00:09:17.940 --> 00:09:21.480 not cover this and it deserves a Halloweeny episode, 00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:24.620 I thought. Yeah. So story number three is the 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:27.360 farmer and the Deer Man. This report takes place 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:32.649 smack dab right in Highway 53. west of Donalda, 00:09:33.029 --> 00:09:35.230 and it deals with a farmer and his livestock. 00:09:35.850 --> 00:09:38.309 If you are the faint of heart, I suggest you 00:09:38.309 --> 00:09:40.669 understand that in the world of the living, life 00:09:40.669 --> 00:09:43.470 is born and taken away. With that being said, 00:09:43.549 --> 00:09:45.950 a farmer was awoken one night to the sound of 00:09:45.950 --> 00:09:49.269 his pig screaming with fear. This woke him up 00:09:49.269 --> 00:09:51.570 and caused him to run outside in his underwear. 00:09:52.090 --> 00:09:55.029 Brandishing a rifle, he scanned the area and 00:09:55.029 --> 00:09:58.409 found that all his pigs were accounted for. And 00:09:58.409 --> 00:10:01.480 this checks out because it is Alberta. I can't 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:03.580 tell you how many times I saw someone running 00:10:03.580 --> 00:10:08.580 with a remote in their underwear. And it's just 00:10:08.580 --> 00:10:11.179 habit, you gotta go check your pigs. Yeah, exactly. 00:10:12.139 --> 00:10:16.299 My pigs, they yell. Is there a chance that someone 00:10:16.299 --> 00:10:19.440 wears underwear? I don't see why not. I mean, 00:10:19.700 --> 00:10:22.159 we don't have a description of them, so your 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:24.830 guess is as good as mine here. Not knowing just 00:10:24.830 --> 00:10:27.570 what spooked the pigs, he fired two rounds into 00:10:27.570 --> 00:10:30.230 the air in the hopes of scaring what he only 00:10:30.230 --> 00:10:33.450 assumed was a coyote or perhaps another vastly 00:10:33.450 --> 00:10:36.850 larger predator. But on that night, he was called 00:10:36.850 --> 00:10:41.330 yet again. Vastly larger predator in central 00:10:41.330 --> 00:10:46.509 Alberta. Yeah, dear man. Yeah. It's either coyote 00:10:46.509 --> 00:10:52.600 or dear man. Yeah. You never heard that? Either 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:55.659 Coyote or Deer Man or One -Eyed Jack. Which was 00:10:55.659 --> 00:10:58.259 Deer Man more or less. Yeah, he's pretty much 00:10:58.259 --> 00:11:01.500 Deer Man now that I think of it. So that one 00:11:01.500 --> 00:11:03.980 night he was called yet again to check on his 00:11:03.980 --> 00:11:07.100 cows this time who were crying out in the night. 00:11:07.340 --> 00:11:09.539 The farmer didn't know what to make of it and 00:11:09.539 --> 00:11:12.019 quickly got his son and ran towards the barn. 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:15.100 The cows were clearly spooked and were stomping 00:11:15.100 --> 00:11:20.759 their hooves and shrieking. Sorry, I don't know 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:24.240 why they're shrieking. Like, someone was there 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:28.559 or something. As people who farmed cows, that's 00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:33.580 not how cows act. Even if someone was there or 00:11:33.580 --> 00:11:39.450 something, they don't shriek or something. They 00:11:39.450 --> 00:11:41.490 have slightly different moods depending on the 00:11:41.490 --> 00:11:43.970 circumstances, but not ever considered a shriek. 00:11:44.230 --> 00:11:47.070 I would say that a pig would shriek before a 00:11:47.070 --> 00:11:49.330 cow would, but even then a pig would squeal. 00:11:49.570 --> 00:11:52.929 Yeah, and a cow would squeal even before it would 00:11:52.929 --> 00:11:55.789 shriek. It's true, it's true. He already crossed 00:11:55.789 --> 00:11:58.850 off a coyote as it would have ran away by now 00:11:58.850 --> 00:12:01.529 and everything looked clear. Coyotes don't wear 00:12:01.529 --> 00:12:05.070 underwear. Nope. He was about to leave the barn. 00:12:05.340 --> 00:12:08.320 That was until he heard the floor creak above 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:11.480 him in the hayloft. That's when he realized that 00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:14.240 whatever it was was hiding up above. He said 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:17.220 he initially thought it could be kids, perhaps 00:12:17.220 --> 00:12:20.980 wanting to tip a cow or try to rob him before 00:12:20.980 --> 00:12:24.000 he could say a single word. We had two options. 00:12:24.860 --> 00:12:28.679 This is rural Alberta. Yeah, lots of kids robbing 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:31.379 people out there. Or tipping cows. And those 00:12:31.379 --> 00:12:34.799 are like two things they're doing. Before he 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:37.519 could say a single word, a noise that filled 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:40.480 him with fear echoed through the barn, driving 00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:43.860 his animals into a frenzy. Before he could do 00:12:43.860 --> 00:12:47.179 anything, the mysterious figure jumped down and 00:12:47.179 --> 00:12:49.960 bolted through the night. This wasn't the end 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:52.940 as he fired another shot and this time almost 00:12:52.940 --> 00:13:02.490 hit the deer man. It's a deer man now. It was 00:13:02.490 --> 00:13:05.210 too late and the creature vanished into the night. 00:13:05.590 --> 00:13:08.750 The animals were all unharmed and were on edge 00:13:08.750 --> 00:13:11.610 for the rest of the night. After a few days, 00:13:12.029 --> 00:13:14.330 the dust settled down and life returned to normal 00:13:14.330 --> 00:13:16.990 for the most part. But now he sleeps with one 00:13:16.990 --> 00:13:19.669 eye open and his rifle loaded next to his bed. 00:13:19.970 --> 00:13:22.190 I wonder if he sleeps with actual clothes on 00:13:22.190 --> 00:13:24.309 so he doesn't have to run outside his underwear 00:13:24.309 --> 00:13:29.220 anymore. I got another one. Citing four. This 00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:32.480 is in William Canyon Trail in Denalda. Again, 00:13:32.700 --> 00:13:35.899 founded in 1911, Denalda is a village located 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:37.600 in central Alberta. I don't know why I didn't 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:39.860 start with this one and is known for having the 00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:42.519 largest lamp in the world. That's totally an 00:13:42.519 --> 00:13:47.919 Alberta thing. Yep. They got a lot of large things. 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:51.740 While an elderly woman whose name she didn't 00:13:51.740 --> 00:13:54.539 want to reveal out of fear of public scrutiny. 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:57.299 recalled her sighting of the elusive deer man 00:13:57.299 --> 00:13:59.879 as she was committed to doing her daily hike 00:13:59.879 --> 00:14:02.659 routine in order to stay fit and active. She 00:14:02.659 --> 00:14:04.740 was alone and just thought that day would be 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:07.299 like any other. She recalled that she heard nothing 00:14:07.299 --> 00:14:10.700 but silence, a common trait when about to witness 00:14:10.700 --> 00:14:13.879 the deer man. She was taken aback by this as 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:17.000 she usually heard birds or other hikers in the 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:20.340 area, but not today. Yeah. Yeah, she stopped 00:14:20.340 --> 00:14:23.080 and was feeling a sense of dread. Soon she heard 00:14:23.080 --> 00:14:26.259 the sound of a twig snapping. As she turned around, 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:30.019 she came face to face with the dear man who stood 00:14:30.019 --> 00:14:34.500 before her like that of a statue. Is this her? 00:14:34.620 --> 00:14:38.000 citing, or is this her romantic novel rendition 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:42.059 of it? Yeah, I'm gonna go back again. It's probably 00:14:42.059 --> 00:14:46.039 the blog writers romantic Dear Man novel. Because 00:14:46.039 --> 00:14:48.720 I am now picturing this as like a seven part 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:52.360 series Dear Man, the untameable, the romantic 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:57.549 novels. Yeah Amazon if you will notice the writing 00:14:57.549 --> 00:15:00.350 style is much the same for every single sighting 00:15:00.350 --> 00:15:04.049 Yeah, and it there's not much eyewitness about 00:15:04.049 --> 00:15:07.149 it. I would say don't all that is in the middle 00:15:07.149 --> 00:15:10.549 of nowhere, Alberta It is I didn't look at that 00:15:10.549 --> 00:15:12.950 actually look home. Yeah, just above Stettler. 00:15:13.070 --> 00:15:15.129 Yeah, you didn't mention the big lamp though 00:15:15.129 --> 00:15:17.570 No, I did not mention the big lamp for I've not 00:15:17.570 --> 00:15:19.490 seen the big lamp not middle of nowhere. There's 00:15:19.490 --> 00:15:22.200 a big lamp Yeah, biggest city is either Red deer, 00:15:22.340 --> 00:15:25.039 which is pretty big or cameras. Yes. Oh, it's 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:29.019 over there. Equal parts between. OK, so let's 00:15:29.019 --> 00:15:31.240 remember that she just turned around. She heard 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:33.419 a twig snap. Could have been her stepping on 00:15:33.419 --> 00:15:36.440 a twig. That was not clarified for us at this 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:39.779 point. Turns around. Deer man's there. The feeling 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:42.659 of terror washed over her and she didn't move 00:15:42.659 --> 00:15:45.519 an inch. The deer man took a step towards her 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:49.440 and towards a clear few feet taller than her. 00:15:49.740 --> 00:15:52.720 That sentence didn't even make sense. It attempted 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:55.960 to communicate, she recalled, as if it was trying 00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:59.039 to talk, but all it could mutter was that of 00:15:59.039 --> 00:16:03.740 what a deer makes while warning others. What? 00:16:05.159 --> 00:16:08.080 Have you ever heard a deer warn you of something? 00:16:08.899 --> 00:16:11.240 What does it say? He's saying it like we should 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:17.879 know. I don't know. I really don't know. Yeah, 00:16:17.879 --> 00:16:21.690 I don't know. the day was cool and damp though 00:16:21.690 --> 00:16:25.669 this was completely naked like a wild man okay 00:16:25.669 --> 00:16:28.389 yeah this is the romantic novel version she just 00:16:28.389 --> 00:16:31.389 alludes to that there's dick flopping out like 00:16:31.389 --> 00:16:36.029 everywhere it didn't show any effects of said 00:16:36.029 --> 00:16:43.279 weather not a shiver or a tremble It reached 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:47.120 out with his hand in an attempt to touch it. 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:54.600 Before it could, in the distance, a conversation 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:57.080 could be heard between two other hikers and a 00:16:57.080 --> 00:17:00.659 dog that was barking like it was rabbit. The 00:17:00.659 --> 00:17:03.100 next thing she knew, the dear man bolted from 00:17:03.100 --> 00:17:05.920 the scene. Just what it was about to do is up 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:09.660 for debate. But one thing for sure is, if this 00:17:09.660 --> 00:17:12.039 creature was attempting to communicate with a 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:14.759 person, where was it about to prey on its next 00:17:14.759 --> 00:17:17.819 victim? No one can say for sure, but its fear 00:17:17.819 --> 00:17:20.759 of being spotted by people wasn't an issue before, 00:17:21.019 --> 00:17:24.119 until the sound of a dog. Is this creature afraid 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:27.420 of our four -legged companions? Or did it fear 00:17:27.420 --> 00:17:30.740 retaliation if it decided to be hostile in search 00:17:30.740 --> 00:17:34.099 of food? After the event took place, she decided 00:17:34.099 --> 00:17:36.720 to run towards the others and warn them of what 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:39.579 she had witnessed. Not knowing exactly what she 00:17:39.579 --> 00:17:41.980 was talking about, they believed she saw something 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:45.259 truly terrifying. As they left her, they had 00:17:45.259 --> 00:17:48.200 to restrain their dog as it began going crazy, 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:50.700 attempting to break itself free from its owners 00:17:50.700 --> 00:17:53.759 and run to the unknown. Okay, I have one last 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:57.059 one. This sighting comes in from a 17 year old 00:17:57.059 --> 00:17:59.559 kid traveling to see his friends on a Friday 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:03.259 night on a May long weekend. usually these details. 00:18:04.019 --> 00:18:06.579 He was cruising around and exploring the countryside, 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:09.579 but on this day he got lost driving down Rage 00:18:09.579 --> 00:18:13.039 Road 174. It's such vague details with all of 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:16.680 a sudden a very specific detail. Yeah. And decided 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:19.160 to pull off the road and turned off to the Crop 00:18:19.160 --> 00:18:22.700 Production Services Road. As he was driving way 00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:25.240 below the speed limit in an attempt to find his 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:28.000 way back, he coasted until he came to a complete 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:31.420 stop at the site that befell him. was one of 00:18:31.420 --> 00:18:35.200 monstrous. The very thought of a half man half 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:38.460 deer on all fours standing perfectly still. Well 00:18:38.460 --> 00:18:40.480 there's one thing we found out about Deer Man 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:44.220 so far and that is that he stands perfectly still. 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:47.539 That's about the only thing that we can put together 00:18:47.539 --> 00:18:51.519 from all of these. His dick is swaying. We can't 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:55.880 get that from one story. Especially from the 00:18:55.880 --> 00:19:03.579 last one. He was definitely naked. The strange 00:19:03.579 --> 00:19:06.019 creature was attempting to cross the rope but 00:19:06.019 --> 00:19:09.839 stood perfectly still like a statue. What? It 00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:12.180 was attempting to cross the rope but it stood 00:19:12.180 --> 00:19:16.299 perfectly still. Perfectly deer like. Oh my god. 00:19:16.500 --> 00:19:19.220 That is perfectly deer like actually. They freeze. 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:23.980 Oh, someone is here. I must freeze. yeah right 00:19:23.980 --> 00:19:27.819 in front of the fast moving object not knowing 00:19:27.819 --> 00:19:30.440 what to do he just sat there his mouth wide open 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:36.359 i don't know if this is the deer or the boy the 00:19:36.359 --> 00:19:40.140 stench of musk filled the air and soon seconds 00:19:40.140 --> 00:19:43.259 turned into minutes he was afraid to move even 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:45.920 an inch as he thought at any moment that beast 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:48.920 could attack him and do god knows what thoughts 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:50.920 were racing through his head and his parents 00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:54.500 not knowing where he was of him not graduating 00:19:54.500 --> 00:19:57.079 not going to prom and not being able to follow 00:19:57.079 --> 00:20:00.839 his dreams the deer man slowly stood up revealing 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:04.859 its true height and slowly it began to walk towards 00:20:04.859 --> 00:20:16.299 the car moving just like that of a deer very 00:20:16.299 --> 00:20:20.079 quickly in skittish movements but very slowly. 00:20:20.779 --> 00:20:23.720 While the temperature dropped, steam can be seen 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:27.420 shooting out of its nose. It silently towards 00:20:27.420 --> 00:20:30.380 him and began letting out snorts that cut through 00:20:30.380 --> 00:20:33.180 the air and filled him with fear. Just as the 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:35.819 dear man stood a few feet from the driver's side 00:20:35.819 --> 00:20:39.180 window, the young man began to cry and without 00:20:39.180 --> 00:20:42.299 a spare second, he threw the vehicle into drive 00:20:42.299 --> 00:20:45.619 and sped off. The last of the dear man occupying 00:20:45.619 --> 00:20:48.160 the same distance as the nameless individual 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:51.619 was that he slowly began to run towards the vehicle 00:20:51.619 --> 00:20:54.259 until it gave up. Through his rear -view mirror, 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:56.880 he saw it get back on all fours and return into 00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:02.829 the darkness. I didn't give you all the stories. 00:21:03.250 --> 00:21:05.390 I'm going to be honest with you. I thought the 00:21:05.390 --> 00:21:08.470 Dear Man was a fun thing and it was the Dear 00:21:08.470 --> 00:21:12.089 Man of Central Alberta. And I just, once I started 00:21:12.089 --> 00:21:14.289 reading this and editing this, I was like, there's 00:21:14.289 --> 00:21:18.029 no way I can't do this in all of its glory. It 00:21:18.029 --> 00:21:20.009 hasn't happened. It does need to be a romantic 00:21:20.009 --> 00:21:25.380 novel series. It does. So to me, just my feel 00:21:25.380 --> 00:21:28.079 of it, and I hate to do this on a Halloween episode, 00:21:28.099 --> 00:21:30.700 but I also love to do this on a Halloween episode. 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:34.680 I feel like Taylor will regain what I lost on 00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:38.599 this, but I honestly feel like it's a 17, 18 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:40.839 year old who was like, I'm gonna start a blog. 00:21:41.299 --> 00:21:44.940 It's like someone who doesn't really have a working 00:21:44.940 --> 00:21:47.440 idea of cryptids. I could slap something together 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:50.440 much better. And there is an actual dear man 00:21:50.440 --> 00:21:53.079 out there, like I listed. There's a bunch in 00:21:53.079 --> 00:21:58.579 Ohio, Delaware, Oklahoma. it's actually out there. 00:21:58.940 --> 00:22:01.880 This guy could have given it much more details 00:22:01.880 --> 00:22:04.180 to make it a little bit more substantial, but 00:22:04.180 --> 00:22:06.680 he clearly just made it all up. I was really 00:22:06.680 --> 00:22:11.059 hoping for more. Or he just accepted stories 00:22:11.059 --> 00:22:15.380 too. No, because these are all written in the 00:22:15.380 --> 00:22:18.160 same exact narrative. They are all written in 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:20.809 the same person. That doesn't mean... that he 00:22:20.809 --> 00:22:23.390 didn't have other people give him stories and 00:22:23.390 --> 00:22:26.890 he wrote them. That's true. He could have got 00:22:26.890 --> 00:22:30.150 some ideas, but you can tell he made up the details. 00:22:30.230 --> 00:22:32.470 He wrote the stories. There's no eyewitness. 00:22:32.569 --> 00:22:36.289 There's no quotes. There's no consensus. There's 00:22:36.289 --> 00:22:38.710 not even a description of the creature. We all 00:22:38.710 --> 00:22:41.329 have to just assume that we're all seeing the 00:22:41.329 --> 00:22:45.390 same thing and that is a deer head on a human 00:22:45.390 --> 00:22:48.420 body. Is that what you get from it? That's what 00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:53.259 I'm seeing in my mind. It's a human body with 00:22:53.259 --> 00:22:56.119 a deer head. Yeah, no, that's got to be what 00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:59.799 it is. Deer man. Maybe it's a human with deer 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:03.359 horns. Fully deer to the bottom of the neck and 00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:05.960 then human all the way down from there. Yeah. 00:23:07.180 --> 00:23:10.460 All of its genitalia glory. Yeah, yeah, no, I 00:23:10.460 --> 00:23:13.690 definitely picture it with human genitals. But 00:23:13.690 --> 00:23:16.769 I like it's not even like this guy was taking 00:23:16.769 --> 00:23:19.609 encounters and just did a shitty job Relaying 00:23:19.609 --> 00:23:22.170 them like these are not encounters. They are 00:23:22.170 --> 00:23:25.170 not at all He didn't give descriptions or anything 00:23:25.170 --> 00:23:27.630 and the funny thing that I found about this is 00:23:27.630 --> 00:23:30.730 blogs actually linked back to this citing it 00:23:30.730 --> 00:23:34.589 as a source When they say dear man is a cryptid 00:23:34.589 --> 00:23:36.589 because he came up in my research and I was like, 00:23:36.589 --> 00:23:40.950 oh he sounds good and people give vague descriptions 00:23:40.950 --> 00:23:43.690 and then say that it links back to this guy here's 00:23:43.690 --> 00:23:45.970 the blog and then these are stories directly 00:23:45.970 --> 00:23:49.150 from the blog there's literally last it was updated 00:23:49.150 --> 00:23:52.170 with years ago this guy says stay tuned i'm gonna 00:23:52.170 --> 00:23:55.230 give you more stories he never comes back with 00:23:55.230 --> 00:24:00.069 and yeah so i was hoping for more i got too much 00:24:00.069 --> 00:24:03.150 into the research before these are highly edited 00:24:03.150 --> 00:24:06.769 by me and you listen to them they're not great 00:24:07.069 --> 00:24:09.710 No, Chelsea, it's trying to give us the best 00:24:09.710 --> 00:24:13.109 representation of the stories. I really did. 00:24:13.210 --> 00:24:16.529 And I read them so nicely for you. And so when 00:24:16.529 --> 00:24:19.470 it's not a Halloween episode, because it's a 00:24:19.470 --> 00:24:22.450 scary time of year, you got to like I don't want 00:24:22.450 --> 00:24:25.069 to put too much stress on you being too scared. 00:24:25.269 --> 00:24:27.769 So I needed to lighten it up a little. We'll 00:24:27.769 --> 00:24:30.210 have another scary episode of the other Dear 00:24:30.210 --> 00:24:33.250 Man sightings and we'll we'll do an actual Dear 00:24:33.250 --> 00:24:36.920 Man episode for you. But. Without further ado, 00:24:37.059 --> 00:24:39.799 I think Taylor needs to redeem this episode now. 00:24:40.180 --> 00:24:43.160 You're welcome. I think I can, Chelsea, because 00:24:43.160 --> 00:24:47.480 the next story I knew it comes most strictly 00:24:47.480 --> 00:24:50.779 from police reports. OK, that's much better. 00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:54.819 Almost the opposite of what I just did. Yeah, 00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:57.240 I think this is going to be good because Chelsea, 00:24:57.240 --> 00:24:59.420 we're going to be taking a look at the big muddy 00:24:59.420 --> 00:25:03.299 monster, which I almost see. I think he almost 00:25:03.299 --> 00:25:06.230 sounds like a blues guitarist. but he is not 00:25:06.230 --> 00:25:11.509 he is a cryptid in murphysboro illinois wow illinois 00:25:11.509 --> 00:25:15.369 again eh yeah i told you i had a theme what's 00:25:15.369 --> 00:25:18.609 going on in illinois a quiet town nestled along 00:25:18.609 --> 00:25:21.950 the big muddy river what unfolded over the course 00:25:21.950 --> 00:25:25.720 of two weeks will become one of the most thoroughly 00:25:25.720 --> 00:25:28.319 documented cryptic cases of American history. 00:25:28.440 --> 00:25:31.319 What? Complete with official police reports, 00:25:31.799 --> 00:25:34.019 terrified witnesses, and a mystery that still 00:25:34.019 --> 00:25:37.559 lingers to this day. So, Chelsea? Yeah? We're 00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:41.079 going back to June 25th, 1973. OK, quick question. 00:25:41.099 --> 00:25:43.380 Is this him bowling? Oh, yeah. That's that big 00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:46.519 muddy boy. OK, he's bowling, I think. Yeah. I 00:25:46.519 --> 00:25:48.140 mean, he's got the thick thighs that I'm looking 00:25:48.140 --> 00:25:50.960 for. Yeah. Just brace yourself. This might be 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:55.200 a Bigfoot episode. Okay, but Dear Man was in 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:57.900 it, so it's not fully... We can't commit it to 00:25:57.900 --> 00:26:02.059 a full episode. Big Muddy Monster might be a 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:04.680 Bigfoot. I'm just warning everybody at the start. 00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:08.460 He does look like a Bigfoot, yep. But I welcome 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:11.359 him with open arms. I do. I'll accept him as 00:26:11.359 --> 00:26:14.359 he is. We're gonna start on June 25th, 1973. 00:26:14.839 --> 00:26:17.400 A humid Monday night in Murfreesboro, Illinois. 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:21.460 Around 11 pm, Randy Needham and Judy Johnson, 00:26:21.579 --> 00:26:24.599 two young locals, were parked near the Riverside 00:26:24.599 --> 00:26:27.900 Park boat dock, a secluded area along the Big 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:30.220 Muddy River popular with couples looking for 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:32.660 privacy. I'm sure they were just taking in the 00:26:32.660 --> 00:26:35.700 views, hoping to see some Deer Man dong or something 00:26:35.700 --> 00:26:44.910 like that. Suddenly, the quiet evening was shattered 00:26:44.910 --> 00:26:48.269 by a loud rustling in the nearby woods. At first, 00:26:48.269 --> 00:26:50.190 they thought it might be a raccoon or a deer, 00:26:50.390 --> 00:26:52.390 but then something enormous emerged from the 00:26:52.390 --> 00:26:54.690 trees. According to their statements in the police 00:26:54.690 --> 00:26:58.269 report, the creature was at least seven feet 00:26:58.269 --> 00:27:01.720 tall, possibly taller. was covered in long, shavy, 00:27:01.859 --> 00:27:05.460 matted hair or off -white hair, soaked and streaked 00:27:05.460 --> 00:27:08.619 with mud. Its eyes glowed red in the darkness 00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:11.180 and it emitted a stench so overpowering that 00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:13.599 both witnesses described it as sickening, a mix 00:27:13.599 --> 00:27:17.269 of rotting garbage and sulfur. The creature didn't 00:27:17.269 --> 00:27:19.890 make any vocal sounds, but it moved with purpose. 00:27:20.170 --> 00:27:22.670 Stepping toward the car, Needham and Johnson 00:27:22.670 --> 00:27:25.450 panicked. They sped away and drove straight to 00:27:25.450 --> 00:27:27.869 the Murfreesboro Police Department, visibly shaken 00:27:27.869 --> 00:27:31.150 and nearly incoherent with fear. Officer Nash 00:27:31.150 --> 00:27:33.849 and Officer Manwaring were dispatched to the 00:27:33.849 --> 00:27:36.509 scene. When they arrived, they found large, fresh 00:27:36.509 --> 00:27:38.829 footprints in the mud, approximately 10 to 12 00:27:38.829 --> 00:27:41.549 inches long and deeply pressing to the ground, 00:27:41.890 --> 00:27:44.049 suggesting a creature of considerable height. 00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:47.299 The officers also noted a lingering odor in the 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:50.059 air describing it in the reports as strong and 00:27:50.059 --> 00:27:52.720 offensive. They reached the area with flashlights 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:55.160 but found no sign of the creature however the 00:27:55.160 --> 00:27:57.279 physical evidence footprints broken branches 00:27:57.279 --> 00:27:59.460 and the pungent smell was enough to convince 00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:02.859 them that something unusual had occurred. Chief 00:28:02.859 --> 00:28:06.000 Toby Berger was notified and took the report 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:08.839 seriously. He later stated that the witnesses 00:28:08.839 --> 00:28:11.640 appeared genuinely terrified and that their story 00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:14.809 remained consistent under questioning. The police 00:28:14.809 --> 00:28:17.589 report from that night is one of the most detailed 00:28:17.589 --> 00:28:20.630 in the entire Big Muddy Monster case and it set 00:28:20.630 --> 00:28:22.869 the tone for the investigation that followed. 00:28:23.930 --> 00:28:26.029 The siting wasn't just the beginning, it was 00:28:26.029 --> 00:28:28.349 the catalyst. It turned a quiet river town in 00:28:28.349 --> 00:28:30.950 the epicenter of one of the most documented cryptic 00:28:30.950 --> 00:28:33.210 investigations in US history. And it's still 00:28:33.210 --> 00:28:35.349 one of the most compelling accounts not just 00:28:35.349 --> 00:28:37.809 because of what was seen but because of how seriously 00:28:37.809 --> 00:28:41.400 it was taken by law enforcement. The next day, 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:44.859 Chief Toby Berger launched a full -scale investigation. 00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:47.480 Officers returned to the scene with tracking 00:28:47.480 --> 00:28:50.000 dogs. According to the report, dogs picked up 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:52.759 a scent but refused to follow it. Something about 00:28:52.759 --> 00:28:55.500 the trail terrified them. The detail was noted 00:28:55.500 --> 00:28:58.299 explicitly in the police documentation, adding 00:28:58.299 --> 00:29:01.039 credibility to the fear surrounding the creature. 00:29:02.339 --> 00:29:06.279 Now, around 10 .30pm that evening, June 26th, 00:29:06.220 --> 00:29:08.920 A call came in from Cheryl Ray, a resident near 00:29:08.920 --> 00:29:12.579 the park. She and her daughter had seen a large 00:29:12.579 --> 00:29:14.880 hairy creature moving through their backyard. 00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:18.559 Officer Nash and Manwaring were dispatched immediately. 00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:21.079 According to the police report filed that night, 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:23.059 the woman described the creature as very tall, 00:29:23.160 --> 00:29:26.269 covered in white hair, and walking upright. She 00:29:26.269 --> 00:29:28.789 said it passed through her yard, heading towards 00:29:28.789 --> 00:29:30.789 the woods, and her daughter, who was visibly 00:29:30.789 --> 00:29:33.349 frightened, corroborated the sighting. Both described 00:29:33.349 --> 00:29:36.069 a terrible smell that lingered in the air after 00:29:36.069 --> 00:29:38.809 the creature disappeared. When officers arrived, 00:29:39.150 --> 00:29:41.609 they noted several physical signs, broken branches, 00:29:42.289 --> 00:29:44.970 disturbed underbrush, and a trail of large footprints 00:29:44.970 --> 00:29:47.990 leading away from the property. Prints were similar 00:29:47.990 --> 00:29:50.650 to those found the night before. Deep impressions 00:29:50.650 --> 00:29:54.109 left roughly 10 to 12 inches long, spaced in 00:29:54.109 --> 00:29:56.950 a way that suggests a bipedal gait. The police 00:29:56.950 --> 00:29:59.410 report also mentions that the officers themselves 00:29:59.410 --> 00:30:01.450 detected the odor described by the witnesses. 00:30:01.690 --> 00:30:04.210 It was strong, accurate, and unlike anything 00:30:04.210 --> 00:30:07.250 they had encountered before. One officer compared 00:30:07.250 --> 00:30:10.069 it to a mix of sewage and wet dog, while another 00:30:10.069 --> 00:30:12.559 said it was enough to make you gag. Tracking 00:30:12.559 --> 00:30:15.099 dogs were brought in again and once more they 00:30:15.099 --> 00:30:16.980 picked up the scent, but just like the previous 00:30:16.980 --> 00:30:19.559 night they refused to follow it. The report notes 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:22.660 that dogs whined and backed away, clearly disturbed 00:30:22.660 --> 00:30:25.819 by whatever they sensed in the woods. Chief Berger 00:30:25.819 --> 00:30:28.799 later commented that his second sighting, coming 00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:31.779 from a residential area involving a child, added 00:30:31.779 --> 00:30:34.380 a new layer of concern. The consistency in the 00:30:34.380 --> 00:30:36.680 creature's description, its size, hair color, 00:30:36.839 --> 00:30:39.059 smell, and speed matched the previous report 00:30:39.059 --> 00:30:41.460 almost exactly and the physical evidence gave 00:30:41.460 --> 00:30:44.440 weight to the claim. In the early hours of June 00:30:44.440 --> 00:30:48.440 27th at 2am, Officer Nash was patrolling near 00:30:48.440 --> 00:30:51.579 the Big Muddy River, close to the area of previous 00:30:51.579 --> 00:30:54.119 sightings. The night was quiet, humid, and heavy 00:30:54.119 --> 00:30:57.460 with tension. Murfreesboro had already seen two 00:30:57.460 --> 00:31:00.259 unsettling reports in his many days and officers 00:31:00.259 --> 00:31:03.160 were on edge. While scanning the brush with his 00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:06.059 spotlight, Nash noticed movement. Something large 00:31:06.059 --> 00:31:08.240 and fast starting through the undergrowth. He 00:31:08.240 --> 00:31:10.700 radioed for backup immediately with the minutes 00:31:10.700 --> 00:31:14.140 chief Toby Berger. Officer Manwaring and several 00:31:14.140 --> 00:31:16.339 other officers arrived on the scene. According 00:31:16.339 --> 00:31:18.500 to the police report filed that morning, the 00:31:18.500 --> 00:31:20.839 team began a coordinated search of the wooded 00:31:20.839 --> 00:31:23.859 area near the river. They moved slowly, flashlights 00:31:23.859 --> 00:31:26.640 cutting through the dense foliage, weapons drawn 00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:29.420 not out of aggression but caution. The previous 00:31:29.420 --> 00:31:31.819 reports had described a creature that was massive, 00:31:32.039 --> 00:31:34.380 unpredictable and foul -smelling. Then they found 00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:37.390 a trail of fresh footprints. These prints were 00:31:37.390 --> 00:31:39.809 similar to those documented on June 25th and 00:31:39.809 --> 00:31:43.329 26th, approximately 10 -12 inches long. Deeply 00:31:43.329 --> 00:31:45.630 embedded in the soft ground, spaced in a way 00:31:45.630 --> 00:31:49.069 that suggested a bipedal gait. The officers also 00:31:49.069 --> 00:31:51.569 noted broken branches and disturbed vegetation, 00:31:51.849 --> 00:31:54.329 consistent with something large moving through 00:31:54.329 --> 00:31:57.049 the area. But the most striking detail in the 00:31:57.049 --> 00:31:59.589 report was the smell. Once again, the officers 00:31:59.589 --> 00:32:02.930 described a strong offensive odor, lingering 00:32:02.930 --> 00:32:06.849 in the air like a warning. One officer compared 00:32:06.849 --> 00:32:09.150 it to rotting meat mixed with stagnant water. 00:32:09.289 --> 00:32:11.630 Another said it was unlike anything I've ever 00:32:11.630 --> 00:32:14.470 smelled in my career. Despite the physical evidence, 00:32:14.670 --> 00:32:17.269 the creature itself remained elusive. The team 00:32:17.269 --> 00:32:19.869 continued searching for over an hour, but the 00:32:19.869 --> 00:32:22.769 trail eventually went cold. The report notes 00:32:22.769 --> 00:32:25.269 that the terrain became too difficult to navigate 00:32:25.269 --> 00:32:28.170 and the visibility was limited. Still, the officers 00:32:28.170 --> 00:32:30.190 were convinced that something had passed through, 00:32:30.450 --> 00:32:33.849 something big, fast, and very real. Later that 00:32:33.849 --> 00:32:36.410 day, a local resident named Ray Miller contacted 00:32:36.410 --> 00:32:38.809 the police to report a sighting near his home. 00:32:39.069 --> 00:32:41.410 He described the creature as gorilla -like but 00:32:41.410 --> 00:32:44.549 taller, with long white hair and glowing eyes. 00:32:44.990 --> 00:32:47.289 Though his account wasn't filed as a formal report, 00:32:47.369 --> 00:32:49.630 it was added to the investigation notes and matched 00:32:49.630 --> 00:32:52.490 the previous descriptions almost perfectly. The 00:32:52.490 --> 00:32:54.410 third encounter marked a turning point in the 00:32:54.410 --> 00:32:57.410 investigation. It wasn't just isolated witnesses 00:32:57.410 --> 00:33:00.390 anymore, it was trained officers working through 00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:03.619 together, documenting physical evidence in real 00:33:03.619 --> 00:33:06.279 time. The consistency across all three reports, 00:33:06.619 --> 00:33:08.920 size, hair, color, odor, and behavior, suggests 00:33:08.920 --> 00:33:11.440 a pattern, and the fear was no longer just among 00:33:11.440 --> 00:33:14.579 civilians. It had reached the rank of law enforcement. 00:33:15.019 --> 00:33:17.160 By now, the story had reached local newspapers, 00:33:17.519 --> 00:33:20.039 and they ran headlines like, monster sighted 00:33:20.039 --> 00:33:23.099 in Murfreesboro. Reporters from Chicago and St. 00:33:23.240 --> 00:33:26.279 Louis arrived. Riverside Park became a circus 00:33:26.279 --> 00:33:29.279 of monster hunters, skeptics, and curious families. 00:33:29.640 --> 00:33:33.279 And on the evening of July 7th, a group of local 00:33:33.279 --> 00:33:36.099 teenagers reported a new sighting near the Big 00:33:36.099 --> 00:33:38.700 Muddy River. According to the police reports 00:33:38.700 --> 00:33:41.339 filed that night, the teens had been walking 00:33:41.339 --> 00:33:44.160 along the riverbank when they saw something massive 00:33:44.160 --> 00:33:47.160 moving through the trees. They described it as 00:33:47.160 --> 00:33:50.980 huge, white, and fast. A blur of fur and motion 00:33:50.980 --> 00:33:52.839 that vanished into the woods almost as quickly 00:33:52.839 --> 00:33:55.539 as it appeared. The teens were visibly shaken 00:33:55.539 --> 00:33:58.759 when they contacted authorities. Officers responded 00:33:58.759 --> 00:34:01.400 promptly arriving at the scene to investigate. 00:34:01.880 --> 00:34:04.480 The police report states that the area was thick 00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:07.200 with brush and difficult to navigate but police 00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:10.480 officers did find physical signs consistent with 00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:13.059 previous encounters. Large footprints embedded 00:34:13.059 --> 00:34:15.960 in the soft ground, broken branches and once 00:34:15.960 --> 00:34:19.760 again the unmistakable stench. The odor was reported 00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:22.730 in the report as strong and offensive. similar 00:34:22.730 --> 00:34:25.389 to the description from June, a mix of rotting 00:34:25.389 --> 00:34:28.670 vegetation, sewage, and wet animal fur. Officers 00:34:28.670 --> 00:34:30.969 noted that the smell lingered in the air long 00:34:30.969 --> 00:34:32.769 after the creature had disappeared, suggesting 00:34:32.769 --> 00:34:35.610 it had passed through recently. What made the 00:34:35.610 --> 00:34:38.250 sighting particularly compelling was the consistency. 00:34:39.030 --> 00:34:42.610 The creature's size, speed, hair, color, and 00:34:42.610 --> 00:34:45.829 smell matched every previous report. And while 00:34:45.829 --> 00:34:48.190 the teens didn't get a close look at its face, 00:34:48.429 --> 00:34:51.349 They were adamant about its upright posture and 00:34:51.349 --> 00:34:54.650 the unnatural way it moved, fast, fluid, and 00:34:54.650 --> 00:34:57.050 silent. The police report also mentions that 00:34:57.050 --> 00:34:59.190 the officers attempted to follow the trail but 00:34:59.190 --> 00:35:01.489 lost it as the terrain became more difficult. 00:35:02.050 --> 00:35:04.429 No further physical evidence was recovered and 00:35:04.429 --> 00:35:10.260 the creature was not seen again. It marks the 00:35:10.260 --> 00:35:12.980 end of the documented encounters during the 1973 00:35:12.980 --> 00:35:16.280 investigation. After that night, no new reports 00:35:16.280 --> 00:35:18.360 were filed and the Big Muddy Monster seemed to 00:35:18.360 --> 00:35:21.449 vanish as mysteriously as it had appeared. Now 00:35:21.449 --> 00:35:23.909 there are some theories. Some believe it was 00:35:23.909 --> 00:35:26.510 an escaped exotic animal, perhaps a bear or ape. 00:35:26.650 --> 00:35:29.150 Others thought it was a prank or mass hysteria. 00:35:29.690 --> 00:35:31.789 Cryptozoologists propose it could be a regional 00:35:31.789 --> 00:35:34.269 Bigfoot variant, and skeptics point to the lack 00:35:34.269 --> 00:35:36.829 of hard evidence. But believers held firm, citing 00:35:36.829 --> 00:35:39.369 the consistency of sightings and the genuine 00:35:39.369 --> 00:35:42.949 fear expressed by the witnesses. Though the sightings 00:35:42.949 --> 00:35:46.250 taper off, the legend of Big Muddy Monster never 00:35:46.250 --> 00:35:50.130 die. Murfreesboro embraced its mysterious visitor. 00:35:50.489 --> 00:35:53.329 and the town now hosts an annual Big Muddy Monster 00:35:53.329 --> 00:35:56.630 Festival, celebrating the lore with costumes, 00:35:56.789 --> 00:35:59.670 storytelling, and community events. What makes 00:35:59.670 --> 00:36:02.750 the Big Muddy Monster so compelling isn't just 00:36:02.750 --> 00:36:04.670 the creature, it's the atmosphere, the humid 00:36:04.670 --> 00:36:07.230 summer nights, the river mists, the small town 00:36:07.230 --> 00:36:10.050 backdrop, and it's the story that blends fear, 00:36:10.090 --> 00:36:12.449 mystery, and community. It's about a town responding 00:36:12.449 --> 00:36:15.309 to the unknown, not with panic, but with curiosity 00:36:15.309 --> 00:36:18.429 and folklore. And Chelsea, I find this guy super 00:36:18.429 --> 00:36:20.429 fascinating. And yes, you can actually go to 00:36:20.429 --> 00:36:23.309 the Murphysboro Monster or the Big Muddy Monster 00:36:23.309 --> 00:36:26.469 Festival every year in Murphysboro, Illinois. 00:36:26.590 --> 00:36:29.489 Like they have a statue of him too. Thank you 00:36:29.489 --> 00:36:32.550 first off for grounding my episode and how I 00:36:32.550 --> 00:36:38.010 started that. That's for sure. This is exactly 00:36:38.010 --> 00:36:40.769 what this episode needed coming off of what I 00:36:40.769 --> 00:36:45.000 did. How cool is that sighting? I've never even 00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:46.880 heard of them, and that has to be one of the 00:36:46.880 --> 00:36:50.639 coolest ones. First of all, he's an albino Bigfoot. 00:36:50.900 --> 00:36:53.119 I know. Except in the first sighting, it could 00:36:53.119 --> 00:36:55.639 be black or white. They didn't know for sure. 00:36:55.860 --> 00:36:58.360 Well, he was so covered in fucking mud. He was 00:36:58.360 --> 00:37:00.920 filthy. He's big in money, yeah. I'm going to 00:37:00.920 --> 00:37:04.199 say he was probably white in that one, too. And 00:37:04.199 --> 00:37:07.059 that would explain the glowing red eyes. He was 00:37:07.059 --> 00:37:11.139 albino. Now. What about let's float a theory 00:37:11.139 --> 00:37:14.960 here that okay, here's what I'm picking up on 00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:18.500 like I think he seems like he's probably a Bigfoot 00:37:18.500 --> 00:37:23.199 and The thing about Bigfoot is we did such a 00:37:23.199 --> 00:37:25.940 good episode on Bigfoot like back when we first 00:37:25.940 --> 00:37:28.800 started It's in the history books for journey 00:37:28.800 --> 00:37:32.039 to the fringe and that one was a good one It's 00:37:32.039 --> 00:37:35.280 paranormal Bigfoot and paranormal Bigfoot is 00:37:35.280 --> 00:37:38.920 not a guy that is Should we call him different 00:37:38.920 --> 00:37:41.400 than a cryptid? Because I feel like a cryptid 00:37:41.400 --> 00:37:45.099 is something based in this reality. To the parameters 00:37:45.099 --> 00:37:49.059 of our reality, yeah. Yeah, and I feel like paranormal 00:37:49.059 --> 00:37:52.360 Bigfoot, which I think is what Bigfoot is at 00:37:52.360 --> 00:37:56.239 his core. He's a paranormal dude. He is in and 00:37:56.239 --> 00:38:00.019 out of this reality, which would explain a lot 00:38:00.019 --> 00:38:03.760 in relation to this Bigfoot sighting, which you're 00:38:03.760 --> 00:38:06.760 not going to ever see someone who's a Bigfoot. 00:38:06.699 --> 00:38:09.960 person ever fess up to that he's anything but 00:38:09.960 --> 00:38:12.659 for us on a halloween episode because there's 00:38:12.659 --> 00:38:14.739 a lot we can talk about within that particularly 00:38:14.739 --> 00:38:17.099 the smells that always seem to come up with these 00:38:17.099 --> 00:38:19.820 creatures yeah but who doesn't have a smell every 00:38:19.820 --> 00:38:24.380 once in a while and my other theory is sulfur 00:38:24.380 --> 00:38:31.139 particularly and maybe just maybe this one i'm 00:38:31.139 --> 00:38:34.739 gonna rank Probably like third or fourth on my 00:38:34.739 --> 00:38:37.260 list of other possible things. Paranormal Bigfoot, 00:38:37.380 --> 00:38:39.920 number one. I'm pretty sure that's why he would 00:38:39.920 --> 00:38:42.940 never be seen again. He came into this reality. 00:38:43.019 --> 00:38:46.000 He checked it out and he was like, nope. And 00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:50.179 that was that. The fourth maybe, maybe two, maybe 00:38:50.179 --> 00:38:52.940 two or three, he's in a freezer. Oh, he could 00:38:52.940 --> 00:38:56.239 be in a freezer. That's fair. Yeah. And hence 00:38:56.239 --> 00:38:59.880 why we haven't seen him a whole lot ever again. 00:39:00.079 --> 00:39:05.599 Or by that chili. Yep. Walmart Chili. Yeah. So 00:39:05.599 --> 00:39:08.760 those are my theories about where the albino 00:39:08.760 --> 00:39:13.079 Bigfoot went. He's rare. He's more rare than 00:39:13.079 --> 00:39:17.360 a regular paranormal Bigfoot. And that was a 00:39:17.360 --> 00:39:20.619 beautiful episode. Yes. And good on the law enforcement. 00:39:21.159 --> 00:39:24.659 Good on them. If I was a police officer, I picture 00:39:24.659 --> 00:39:27.320 myself in all these different careers in this 00:39:27.320 --> 00:39:30.920 podcast. If I was a police officer, I feel like 00:39:30.920 --> 00:39:35.420 I would do that too. Yeah, yeah. Say hello. Yes, 00:39:35.639 --> 00:39:38.019 it's three in the morning. A Bigfoot sighting. 00:39:38.019 --> 00:39:43.840 I will stop at nothing. No other town will get 00:39:43.840 --> 00:39:49.239 in my way to finding this. But this with the 00:39:49.239 --> 00:39:53.079 sign over to closed on the PlayStation run out. 00:39:53.320 --> 00:39:57.739 And I would take the most detailed, beautiful 00:39:57.739 --> 00:40:01.579 notes you will have ever seen. And I would be 00:40:01.579 --> 00:40:04.400 paying attention to every detail. And they would 00:40:04.400 --> 00:40:07.400 say unknown creature. And I would be like, say 00:40:07.400 --> 00:40:10.239 no more. That's probably Bigfoot. We're busy. 00:40:10.460 --> 00:40:14.119 I'm all in on this. Yeah. I'm really happy about 00:40:14.119 --> 00:40:17.429 that episode. I'm glad because I have been Taylor 00:40:17.429 --> 00:40:19.510 here with Chelsea. We are journey to the fringe. 00:40:19.630 --> 00:40:20.929 Thank you all for listening and we'll see you 00:40:20.929 --> 00:40:24.889 next week. Bye. Thank you for listening to Journey 00:40:24.889 --> 00:40:27.250 to the Fringe. If you have liked what you have 00:40:27.250 --> 00:40:31.210 listened to, please like, share, subscribe, or 00:40:31.210 --> 00:40:34.010 follow depending on what venue you are listening 00:40:34.010 --> 00:40:36.849 to us through. Also please, if possible, leave 00:40:36.849 --> 00:40:40.130 a five -star review as that really helps us in 00:40:40.130 --> 00:40:42.769 the algorithms. Should you wish to interact with 00:40:42.769 --> 00:40:45.349 us, please check us out on your social media 00:40:45.349 --> 00:40:48.389 of choice. I bet you we are there. And if you 00:40:48.389 --> 00:40:50.449 really want to communicate with us and give us 00:40:50.449 --> 00:40:53.110 ideas for new episodes or tell us that were wrong 00:40:53.110 --> 00:40:55.630 and terrible either way, please send us an email 00:40:55.630 --> 00:40:59.610 at journeytothefringe at gmail .com. For now, 00:40:59.650 --> 00:41:01.090 I'll see you in the next episode.