Report: Witness Describes a Lifetime of Bigfoot, UFO, Ghost & Alien Being Encounters

A Pulaski, Tennessee native describes his lifetime of unexplained encounters, including Bigfoot, ghosts, UFOs and alien beings. The investigation was conducted by Marcus Ellis.

The following report was submitted by Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research team member Marcus Ellis:

The following case was assigned to me by team leader Lon Strickler on 12/01/2020

Witness Interview Dates: 12/06/20 and 12/14/20

Witness name has been withheld. Referred to as 'William' in the report

The time frame for the following events took place between 1975 and 1977 when William was 12 years old and his brother was 14 years of age. William is retired United States Air Force and National Guard.

Case Details and Information:

When William and his family moved into the old house they instantly knew something wasn't right about it. Almost immediately he, his older brother and their mother noticed strange odd things about the home. The sound of footsteps throughout the house at all hours of the day and night when no one else was present, items being moved from one place to another along with the sounds of large items being dragged across the floor and spectral figures appearing and disappearing in full view of the family. This was only the beginning – far more frightening events would take place. Events that William would scarcely be able to come to grips with.

Pulaski, Tennessee is small quaint college town located along the states southern border. Named after famed Polish born American Revolutionary war hero Casimir Pulaski, the town is about 75 miles away from the country music capital of the world, Nashville, Tennessee. The old house, as William told me was built during the revolutionary war era which added an additional layer of mystique to the place.  

It became clear to the family that their house was haunted, when along with the activity previously mentioned, they discovered an old cemetery within 100 yards of the home. William told me that most of the dates on the standing headstones went all the way back to the 1700's and 1800's. Only later would they discover a huge possible reason why their new home was so active with paranormal activity and this ancient cemetery would play a large roll in it.

Inside the home, the family became acquainted with a female spirit that frequently made her presence known. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas this spirit would appear as a shimmering form and the smell of perfume would permeate throughout the entire house. This appeared to be the main spirit that hung about the home and William stated the family was never harmed or made to feel uncomfortable. However, another entity would makes it's presence known to the mother that wasn't nearly as accommodating.

As time went on, the family adjusted and got used to the old house and the surrounding woods. The home was deep in the rural countryside so trips into town and visitors weren't all that frequent. At one point, the two brothers found themselves to be the proud owners of what most young boys of that time longed to possess – Daisy BB Rifles. One cold winters day with snow on the ground and nothing better to do, the boys decided to slip off into the woods close to home and fire off their new prized possessions. On their way to a large rock outcropping, they noticed something highly unusual in the snow. A set of large, human like bare footprints going in the general direction of the rock face.

The footprints, William estimated, were 18 inches long. What was even more unusual was that one of the feet seemed to only have 4 toes on it. Puzzled, but not frightened by the odd find, the boys soon made their way to the large rock out cropping and loaded their rifles. Taking aim at a dark overhang, the two fired their weapons at the granite face, turned and started running back to the house. The older brother soon out distanced William and left him behind. After a short distance William had to pause and catch his breath for the final dash home. What he saw next would live with him to this very day.

After he stopped, something told William he wasn't alone. Turning to look behind him, he saw what was causing this sensation. Only of few yards away was a tall hairy creature, apparently male, 8 to 9 feet tall with a powerful, muscular build and huge massive shoulders. The hair color was a reddish brown and the length was short to medium. The creature had it's arm extended leaning on a tree, merely watching him in a curious fashion. William never felt threatened, but was clearly in awe of what he was seeing. Due to the huge amount of press and TV coverage at the time he knew exactly what he was looking at: Bigfoot.

William jogged back to the house, told his mom and brother what he had seen and all 3 went back to the spot where the creature was seen leaning against the tree. By this time, the Bigfoot had moved on and didn't seem to be in the area. This was the only time William ever saw Bigfoot on the property.

William did tell me that as he got older and started deer hunting in the woods, he would hear wood knocks along with limbs and trees being broken and snapped. He also stated that he was constantly finding native American Indian arrowheads on the property. My research has shown a consistent link between Sasquatch activity in areas where a strong Indian presence was. And, at times, a UFO connection as well.

About a year later William received his next big shock. This revelation would result in one final close encounter on a personal level, related to the home and circumstances, many years later.

Late one night after going into town, William, his brother and mom noticed a huge bright light in the sky descending towards their home. The light was bigger than a full moon according to William and once it became clear the object was going to land in the nearby woods the mom stepped on the gas and barreled into the driveway. By this time, the object was gently easing down in the exact same area where William encountered the Bigfoot! The mother rushed the kids into the house and locked all the doors and windows. William and his brother thought this behavior a little odd and questioned their mother about it. What she told them rocked their young minds to the core.

She told the boys that everything was going to be okay and that while they meant no harm she didn't want “The Aliens” to have easy entry inside the house. Upon hearing the word “Aliens” the boys quickly be came uneasy. She informed them that she had constant encounters with the beings inside the house late at night and in the early morning hours. She described them as small, 3 to 4 feet tall, with large eyes and Grey skin. She told them that they would appear in her bedroom, paralyze her and communicate with her. She said she was never taken out of the home nor did they perform any type of experiments on her. It unnerved her and of course she didn't like it, but at the same time she didn't dread it either. And, she stated, the Grey's liked getting close to the heater in the room.

Life continued in the home for the small family and while no more Bigfoot sightings occurred nor were anymore UFO's spotted, the activity inside the house continued. The female ghost would appear from time to time along with her strong pleasant perfume aroma, whispering would be heard throughout the house and orbs would flit about and pass by the family members and through the walls.

Everything culminated when the house unexpectedly caught fire and burned to the ground. William never stated what may have caused the fire but a shocking revelation occurred afterwards when the family was sifting through the ruins for anything that may have survived the fire.

When family and friends arrived and moved some of the ash and burned wood from the charred remains, they were shocked to discover headstones from the cemetery underneath the front porch and the bulk of the house! They found out that years ago farmers had partially cleared the cemetery grounds to make room for more crops and shoved the knocked over headstones underneath the house. This could possibly be a reason why so much paranormal activity took place in the home. At least the spirits weren't angry or upset with the family about this. Perhaps they were comforted with the knowledge that William, his mom and brother meant them no harm or disrespect and ultimately, didn't mind them hanging around.

With this event, the family moved away, and William passed into adulthood and began his own life. However, William had one more country home related encounter that took place many miles away in Nashville, Tennessee when he was 30 years old.

William had moved into a new apartment and after a hard day of work decided to turn in for the night. He soon fell asleep but was suddenly awoken, around 3 A.M., for reasons unknown, to find a bright glowing orb floating in the corner of the room. All at once the orb rushed straight into his face and exploded with such brightness it left William shaken and disoriented. As his eyes became adjusted once again, he noticed a figure standing close to his bed. As his eyes became more acclimated he realized he was staring into the eyes of one of The Grey's! With this realization, William passed out from fear and did not awake until the next morning.

After this frightening encounter William never saw the Grey intruder again, but he did have one last visit from something way beyond the norm.

William joined the United States Air Force and worked his way up into a very high position maintaining some of the larger aircraft the military used for certain big jobs. While I am aware of what this position and his rank was, I will not divulge it here for fear it may compromise William's current status with the Air Force.

On this day, William was onboard one of the large planes monitoring it's flight and performance. After reaching it's designated flight speed and altitude, William and the rest of the crew noticed a bright flash outside the plane just beyond the right wing tip. The flash soon came into view as a bright silver, thick, disc shaped object that seemed to pace the aircraft as it flew near Mount Rushmore at an altitude of 33,000 feet. William, extremely familiar with the aircraft in the Air Force's arsenal knew this was not something they were utilizing – this was a genuine UFO!

William went up to the cockpit to ask the Commander if they were seeing what everyone else was seeing. They confirmed that, indeed they were seeing it as well, but he noted, they didn't seem to be all that interested in it. I'm pretty sure that the Commander and his cockpit crew were interested but probably more interested in keeping their craft safe and functioning properly. And we have to remember that back in 2012 or 2013, when this event took place, a pilot didn't keep his flight status for very long after reporting a UFO.

William eventually retired from the military and lives a quiet life here in North Mississippi with his family. He has had no further encounters with the unknown or the paranormal. When I asked him why he was just now reporting all of the strange events, he replied that the more open, understanding atmosphere of the current time was conducive to him speaking up. And as he pointed out, he just plain ole needed someone to talk to.

After finding out about the Phantoms and Monsters research website and getting in touch with founder and leader Lon Strickler, Lon allowed me to take the case on and investigate. After interviewing William on two separate occasions, I found him to be honest, trustworthy, reliable and with his military experience, an expert witness. I would have to conclude that the events related to me by William, happened just as he reported them to Lon and myself.

This concludes this investigation. Special thanks to William for being brave and coming forward to share his accounts with me. A big Thanks to Lon Strickler for allowing me to investigate this fascinating case as well.

Marcus Ellis

Phantoms and Monsters Fortean Research Team Member

12/20/20

'O'Hare Mothman' Encountered By TRACON Air Traffic Controller

An O'Hare International Airport air traffic controller recalls his encounter with a tall red-eyed winged humanoid while on the job in July 2020.

The following report was forwarded to Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research investigator Manuel Navarette of UFO Clearinghouse:

"I have worked at O’Hare International Airport for the last 7 years as a member of the Air Traffic Control team and in my time have overseen the flight operations in and out of the airport hundreds of times. In my time I have seen many strange things around the airport but none have been as spectacular as the sighting I had back in July of 2020. 

I was working the late evening at TRACON and had just walked away for one of our mandatory breaks. These breaks help us rejuvenate and also help break up the monotony of what can be an otherwise tedious routine and help prevent us from falling asleep. During these breaks I usually go out for a walk to help clear my head and a change of scenery. I was walking toward one of the terminal buildings when I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye and for some unknown reason I stopped and turned in the direction of the movement and noticed a large black shape coming to a rest on the ground near a light pole. This thing was at least 6-7 feet tall and jet black, it looked like a very big bat but was also very human-like in appearance. 

I noticed that it sported a very large and impressive set of black membranous wings that also looked like the wings of a bat. They were open to their full length and must have been at least 12 feet from tip to tip. The arms on this thing were very long and very skinny and ended in long bony fingers tipped with what appeared to be long talons. The legs on the being were comparable with the arms, long and skinny but I was unable to really look at the feet to see if they were also shaped similarly to the hands. I stood there and saw this thing for about 30 seconds as it seemingly looked around the ground. In the time I was looking no fewer than two others had come down the walkway and also saw it. If it had looked up, it would have clearly seen us all staring in bewilderment at it. It kept it’s head down, looking at the ground until an approaching service vehicle seemingly startled it and it looked up. That is where I saw that its head was short and squat but had a pair of piercing red eyes. It looked in the direction of the approaching vehicle and then began to flap its wings and took to the air. It disappeared above the building in the span of 1-2 seconds and was gone out of sight.

I have heard many of the stories of the supposed O’Hare Mothman from pilots and from other controllers and employees around the airport. I have heard tales of people seeing it in flight or perched somewhere and how it had glowing red eyes and looked like a giant man-bat. Many of my fellow controllers have told of either seeing it themselves or hearing from others who have seen it and it has been the subject of radio chatter on multiple occasions. I never gave much credence to these stories and even though part of me believed and hoped it was real, seeing it myself only helped me become a true believer. I personally know of three other controllers who have had sightings of this thing and just as many pilots who have either reported sightings in and around the airport. You can say it’s kind of built up an almost legendary urban tale sort of status amongst those who work at O’Hare.

I know that what I saw was real and want to get my story out there for others to hear and I want them to know that this thing really is out there somewhere and that trained professionals like myself have seen it and know that it does exist. I hope you find my report useful and if you wish to contact me, I would be willing to answer questions regarding this encounter."

Investigator Notes:

I reached out to the witness and was able to do a phone interview with him in regards to the sighting he submitted. I first began by asking questions regarding his background and the witness was more than willing to send me photos of his work credentials, helping establish his identity and that he did indeed work at O’Hare International Airport. The witness has been working at O’Hare for the last seven years and has been working rotating shifts for most of that time with the bulk of his shifts starting in the evening and rotating around to overnight shifts. The witness is a trained weather observer and a graduate of the FAA training academy with multiple years of experience.

The witness recounted his story as reported, no deviation on the story and when asked questions meant to cause deviation, the witness corrected the investigator and stood by the story as he reported. The witness reported that he was at the very most 20-25 feet from the entity and that he stood at the window observing it as it foraged on the ground. When I asked him what it looked like it was searching for the witness advised that he had no idea. The witness stated the skin of the wings was membrane like and resembled stretched out skin similar to that of a bat. I asked the witness if he felt any feeling of dread of impending danger as reported in similar sightings and the witness reported no such feelings present during or after the sighting. When I asked about the other witnesses who he reported also seeing, the witness stated that both were airport workers but he had no idea who they or or how to contact them. When I asked him about the reports that others have had, the witness stated that there are sightings of a winged being quite frequently, they are just never really disseminated to the public for a variety of reasons such as the witnesses not wishing to report them. He stated that people do talk about the sightings but many just never go forward with reporting them due to fear of ridicule, job loss or not having an outlet to report the sightings. I gave the witness my contact information and advised him that he is free to share the information with other potential witnesses wishing to come forward.

It is the investigators opinion that the witness is credible and that his report appears valid and worthy of further investigation. The witness was asked and he agreed to have other investigators contact him for follow-up questions.

UPDATE: 'O'Hare Mothman' Encountered By TRACON Air Traffic Controller

Have you had a sighting of a flying humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated. You can call me directly at 410-241-5974 as well. Thanks. Lon Strickler

7 Foot Tall Winged Humanoid 'Lechuza' Encountered in Waukegan, Illinois

A group of friends in Waukegan see a pair of bright red eyes in the nearby bushes at a local skate park. When they investigate, they hear a strange sound and observe a 7 ft. tall winged humanoid that ascends skyward.

The following report was received by Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research team member Manuel Navarette at UFO Clearinghouse:

Date of Sighting: October 31, 2020

Time of Sighting: Approximately 2030

Date of Report: November 2, 2020

Location of Sighting: Waukegan, Illinois

Number of witnesses: Five

Current status: Under Investigation

Sighting Details:

"It was Saturday night and it was about 8:30 at night, I was with a group of friends. There were 5 of us all together and just chilling out, hanging out and walking around doing nothing at all. We decided to stop at that convenience store across the street from the skate park and pick up some snacks and drinks. Me and 3 others were waiting outside by the bus stop for our friends to finish grabbing their stuff when we saw something moving in the trees behind us. We thought that it was just someone walking until we saw that it had red eyes. We laughed thinking it was someone with a mask on trying to prank us until we saw that it must have been like 7 feet. We decided to walk over to the bushes and see if it was someone trying to pull a bad Halloween prank on us.

We walked over and that’s when we started hearing a sound that sounded like a baby when they are crying, it was really high pitch but still sounded like a baby when they cry. As we got like closer, it got louder and louder till we were about 5-6 feet from it when we saw it shoot up into the trees and into the air. We all jumped and screamed as this thing took off into the air, still staring at us and was gone. We all ran back toward the store and told our other friends who had just come from inside. They told us to get off the drugs and that it was probably an owl or some kind of bird.

We all walked over to the skating park and jumped the fence and went to hang out inside, sitting on the edge of the bowl talking and watching our friends skate around inside the bowl. We had been there like an hour when we heard the same sound again coming from behind us. We all heard it and we turn to see the same red eyes up in the tree on the other side of the fence we had jumped to get in. We all sat there watching it for a few seconds when it flew back up into the air and we were able to barely make out that it had wings and looked like a person. My friend Javier yelled out that it was a Lechuza and we all freaked out. We watched as it flew over us twice and then flew off into the night. We all jumped the fence and walked home as fast as we could.

The entire time we were walking home, we were completely freaked the hell out and we heard the same sound three times but it always seemed to be from above and behind us. We got home and we all crashed at our friends house and didn’t leave till the morning. I’m not sure what we saw but it really scared the hell out of me and all of my friends. I really don’t care if you or anyone else don’t believe us, but we all saw and heard the same thing and we know what happened to us. We weren’t high or drunk, we were just a group of friends just trying to get out and hang out on a Saturday night."

Investigators Notes:

I was able to meet with three of the five witnesses, the other two were unable to join us due to work obligations. The three witnesses were able to recount the events of that night as they happened.

The witnesses state that they were just out and about, not really doing anything and just out enjoying the evening. One witness stated that they were tired of being cooped up at home due to the pandemic and that they all just wanted to get out and walk around the neighborhood and hang out. They stated that they frequent the convenience store that was in the report and stated that they usually hang out at the skatepark that is across the street.  When I asked about the events of that night, they each told me their version of the events individually and also as a group. They reported that they first saw the being as it was behind a stand of trees next to a vacant lot that had electrical towers on it. The witnesses were standing besides the bus stop waiting for two individuals to finish their transactions inside the convenience store and then to step outside and meet them so that they could walk over to the park. The witnesses described seeing a pair of bright ruby red eyes looking at them from behind the stand of trees that separated the vacant lot from the store parking lot. At first they thought they belong to someone who was wearing a battery powered Halloween mask and was trying to scare them. They initially laughed and pointed in the direction of  the eyes till one of them noticed that due to the height of the eyes the person would have to be extremely tall or the mak would have had to be on a pole. The witness stated that they still thought it was a prank and decided to walk over toward the spot and see if it was someone attempting to play a prank. As they walked toward the spot in the trees where they could still see the red eyes, they started to hear what sounded like a baby crying. One of the witnesses said it sounded like the crying of a baby when they are very upset or in pain yet it was at a higher pitch and much shorter. As they group approached the spot the sound became louder and more drawn out until the sound stopped and the eyes were propelled into the air. At this point the group was startled and began to fall back from the stand of trees. When asked how close they got to the trees, the witnesses all indicated at least 5-6 feet before they being took to the air. The witnessed all agree that the eyes kept locked on them until they seemed to turn around and fly away to the south over the field and toward a row of houses on the other side.

The witnesses all stated that they all yelled out loud and then took off running toward the store entrance where they met their friends who were coming out of the store. The witnesses stated that their companions laughed and made a joke about being on drugs and did not believe them at first suggesting they might have seen a large bird of an owl. The individuals stayed in front of the store for another 5-10 minutes before walking across the street and jumping the fence surrounding the skate park. The witnesses all stated that they just hung around, sitting on the edge of the bowl while two of their friends skated within. They were all talking when they heard the previously heard sound they heard before. The other two witnesses also heard it this time and indicated that it was coming from behind them. They turned to see the glowing red eyes had returned and were up in a group of trees just beyond the fence they had jumped earlier. The witnesses indicated that the being then took to the air from the trees and they saw the being looked like a tall man with wings. When asked how they were able to see that, they indicated that they were able to see it as the moon was full that night and it was faintly silhouetted against the moonlit sky. (The investigator did verify the weather forecast was for partly cloudy conditions with a full moon on the night in question) . They indicated that they could see the eyes still and that it seemed to circle them, when asked the witnesses said probably 20-25 feet or so in height above the group. The being then flew off again, this time in a northern direction toward the surrounding park.

The witnesses at this point had enough and left the skate park and began walking toward one of their houses which was approximately 20 minutes away from the skate park. When asked what they thought it was, one of the witnesses said it was probably a lechuza. Lechuza—a Spanish word for a type of owl, especially the barn owl—is a myth popular throughout northern Mexico and Texas. As the story goes, an old woman shape-shifts into a giant owl, La Lechuza, to take revenge on people who wronged her during her life. Sometimes the owl is variously depicted as black or white and sometimes with the head of the old woman. The witnesses all stated that as they walked home, they heard the sound of a baby crying on at least three occasions and that the sound seemed to be following them home. They reached their destination and stayed at that location till morning.

The witnesses were all HIspanic males, about 19-20 years in age and were all long time friends who grew up in the same general area. The witnesses all seemed to be genuinely concerned about what they saw and when asked questions intentionally meant to mislead they would respond with corrections to their account. The witnesses all told the same general story with slight variances generally indicating different point of views as one of the witnesses I met was one of the two who had been inside the store and did not see the initial encounter. He confirmed that he was inside and that when he was told what they had seen, he thought they were making the story up and did not believe them. The other two were part of the initial group who saw the being behind the row of trees and their viewpoint generally followed the narrative told in the initial report.

The investigator initially came into this investigation with doubt due to the nature of the holiday that this sighting happened and the age of the witnesses which initially pointed to this being a Halloween prank. After contacting the witnesses and their eagerness to meet face to face and talk about their sighting and after seeing the genuine looks of concern on the witnesses faces, it is the investigators opinion that this sighting has merit and that the witnesses were telling the truth.

NOTE: apparently, the location was the skate park at Bowen Park in Waukegan Skate Park at 1815 N Sheridan Rd. Lon

Have you had a sighting of a flying humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated. You can call me directly at 410-241-5974 as well. Thanks. Lon Strickler

PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION

Your financial support of Phantoms & Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Despite what many people believe, what I do is not a profitable venture. In fact, most of the financing I receive is used to continue providing you with the results of my efforts. This all depends on you, my readers and followers. 

Please use the PayPal donation buttons on the blog site and newsletter.

You can also go directly to PayPal to donate with this link

Thanks again for loyalty and continued support. Lon

Red-Eyed Winged Humanoid 'Demon' Observed in Schiller Park, Chicago, Illinois

An Hispanic woman and her mother observed, while watching from the window in a bedroom, a red-eyed winged humanoid perched on their back fence of their home in Schiller Park, Chicago.

The following report was posted by Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research member Manuel Navarette at UFO Clearinghouse:

Date of Sighting: October 26, 2020

Date of Submission: October 29, 2020

Time of Sighting: 2100 (approximately)

Source: UFOCH Reporting Line

Witnesses: Two

Location: Schiller Park, Illinois – Suburban Chicago

Current Status: Under Investigation

Sighting Details:

"I had gone to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea and as I was filling the kettle with water I heard my mom scream and then call out to me. I dropped what I was doing and ran to her and found her in her room with the lights off. She told me to keep the lights off and to come to the window and look out into the backyard. I looked and saw a large creature with red eyes and very large wings perched on the back fence. My mother was whispering “Es un demonio” and started praying as we watched this thing. It was perched on the fence and it was looking side to side and kept slowly moving its wings. We looked at it for about a minute before it flapped its wings and flew off."

Translation: Es un demonio = 'It’s a demon'

Investigators Notes:

I contacted the witness and was able to speak with her via phone on Wednesday evening. The witness who reported the initial sighting is a 32 year old Hispanic female and the second witness is a 67 year old Hispanic female. The witness says that it was about 2100 (9 p.m.) in the evening and she had gone to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. As she was preparing the kettle she heard her mother scream, which prompted her to drop what she was doing and run toward her mother's bedroom. The witness indicated that her mother has fallen before and injured herself and that is what she thought had just occurred.

Upon entering her mother's room, she found the lights off and her mother standing by the window. The mother told her to keep the lights off and to come to the window and look out into the backyard. The witness did as she asked and upon reaching the window saw what she described as a large humanoid creature perched upon back fence. She described the creature as black with large jet black wings and had human like features. When I asked her to go into detail, she said that the creature looked like what she could only describe as a demon. The creature had human like arms and legs and its head looked almost human with bright red eyes. When I pressed for more detail she advised that it was dark and she was about 25 feet away from where it was perched. She described the creature as looking around and that it was slowly moving its outstretched wings back and forth.

She said they observed the entity for about a minute before it flapped its wings and flew up and out of sight. When asked if she had grabbed her phone to take a picture, she said her phone was in her room and she did not think of going and grabbing it and that she was not going to leave her mother alone. When I asked her if I could talk to the other witness, she said her mother was hesitant to talk but eventually her mother talked to me after assurances that I would not publish her name or address.

The second witness spoke only in Spanish and said she was getting ready for bed when she looked out the window and saw the creature perched on the back fence. She said she was scared and called out to her daughter to come and then started to pray. The witness was convinced that she was seeing a demon that had come to her house and prayed for protection.

When I asked her for a description, she said that the shape of the creature and it’s posture reminded her of the depiction of demon being struck down by Saint Michael, except this one was solid black and with red eyes.

The witness said she was very uncomfortable with speaking about it for fear of the entity returning and that she felt that this creature was on a mission, one that was evil in nature but she would not expound any further.

She did mention that there were people in the neighborhood that she knew practiced Brujeria and that this thing might have something to do with it.

I thanked the witnesses and left my contact information in case they had anything follow up questions or information.

NOTE: it has not been uncommon for Hispanic witnesses to describe winged humanoids as 'demons.' That has be a common description throughout the years during our investigation. Lon

Have you had a sighting of a flying humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated. You can call me directly at 410-241-5974 as well. Thanks. Lon Strickler

PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION

Your financial support of Phantoms & Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Despite what many people believe, what I do is not a profitable venture. In fact, most of the financing I receive is used to continue providing you with the results of my efforts. This all depends on you, my readers and followers. 

Please use the PayPal donation buttons on the blog site and newsletter.

You can also go directly to PayPal to donate with this link

Thanks again for loyalty and continued support. Lon

David Eckhart First Recorded Alien Encounter | Original Video

David Eckhart Alien Encounters: This is the original video that was presented on SyFy's 'Fact or Faked: The Paranormal Files.' (NOTE: David Eckhart and Lon Strickler are the exclusive copyright owners of this video. DO NOT reproduce under penalty of law)

PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION

Your financial support of Phantoms & Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Despite what many people believe, what I do is not a profitable venture. In fact, most of the financing I receive is used to continue providing you with the results of my efforts. This all depends on you, my readers and followers. 

Please use the PayPal donation buttons on the blog site and newsletter.

You can also go directly to PayPal to donate with this link

Thanks again for loyalty and continued support. Lon

UPDATE: 'O'Hare Mothman,' UFOs & Alien Being Experiences Continually Reported by Airport Personnel

The following account was posted by Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research investigator Manuel Navarette on UFO Clearinghouse. A cargo company employee at O'Hare International Airport reports various unexplained sightings and encounters experienced by himself and others on the job. This is a follow-up after a phone conversation with the witness:

The following was originally posted at 'O'Hare Mothman,' UFOs & Alien Being  Experiences Continually Reported by Airport Personnel:

"My name is *redacted* and I am 34 years old and live in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. I work at O’Hare International Airport for *redacted* where I am a member of the ground crew. I have worked for *redacted* for the last 8 years and have seen a lot of strange things in my time there. I have also heard from others of the strange things that are seen and heard at O’Hare at all hours of the day and night. Anyone who has worked in and around the “cargo” facility for more than a few months has seen the strange lights in the sky or have seen anything from ghosts to strange creatures of all manners at least once. The entire airport itself is spooky, with many strange tunnels that are sealed off and forbidden to even go near to strange military vehicles that come and go at all hours of the day and night. There’s even an old graveyard on the airport grounds.

I have seen my fair share of things, I’ve seen a lot of UFO’s in the air above the airport, strange creatures that seem to hang around the airport, including the one they call the Mothman. These sightings mostly occur toward the evening and night. I work second shift, so I get out later in the evening and have seen many of these strange lights after 10-11 p.m. There is one object dubbed the “Diamond Craft” it’s a large diamond shaped light that frequently appears in the sky around the perimeter of the airport on some nights. It’s pretty well known to many of the ground crews that work throughout the airport and can sometimes be seen 2-3 nights in a row. It frequently appears in the same general area and hangs around for about 5-10 minutes before disappearing.

One night, about the 4th of July 2020, I was outside overseeing the unloading of a plane when myself and a group of four people all saw what looked like a large person with wings fly over us, it was about 20 feet above us and flew right over us with very little sound. It looked basically as I said, a large man about 6 feet tall with a very large pair of batlike wings. It was solid black, so much so that it stood out against the sky and lights of the airport. It was over in a matter of a few seconds and people joked that we had just seen the “Mothman” and the conversation quickly turned to the many sightings that people have had in and around the airport of something similar. I have had multiple encounters with UFO’s and their occupants that have been ongoing for the last 2 years.

I have seen what I can only describe as aliens on at least 8 occasions, both at work and at home. It all started back in 2018, it was around May and I looked up into the sky as I was moving from one building to the next and saw a large circular object that was giving off a green glow, it hovered silently about 100 feet from the ground and I as I looked up at it, I got the strange sensation that the object or something in it was looking back at me. I picked up the pace and tried to get into the building but the closer I got to the door an overwhelming urge came over me to stop and look up at the object. It finally got too much to bear and I stopped about 20 feet from the door and looked up just in time to see the object slowly drift away and higher into the sky. It continued its upward trend for about 10 seconds before it simply disappeared from sight.

My first encounter with seeing one of the aliens happened a month later, I went to the office to get a set of extra keys that were needed to access a storage locker. The office was dark as the people in it had all left sometime earlier. I went in, got the keys and was walking out when something made me stop and look out into the hallway toward the stairs and I saw what looked like a medium sized man looking right at me. We looked at each other for what seemed like a minute before I turned away and when I looked again, it was gone. The freak out then came over me, It looked like what you see on TV, grey skin and very large black almost insect like eyes. It had no lips to speak of, only a thin slit and was at least 3 inches shorter than I am (I’m 5’10). I must have sounded like an idiot basically hyperventilating in an empty dark office but within a few minutes, I had regained my composure. Surprisingly, I was not afraid and have not ever sensed a reason to be afraid, they can look scary as hell but I have never felt like I was in danger. I have since then seen them only from a distance, usually in the shadow or trying to hide and observe.

I have sensed them at home, but have never seen them inside the house, I have caught glimpses of them looking into the window but those were only momentary glimpses as they seem to be able to anticipate me looking toward them and quickly get out of sight. I have a dog who will bark at the window or the door unexpectedly at night as if he is trying to warn me but when I go to look, I end up seeing nothing. I also have a cat but if she’s seen anything she’s not telling or is indifferent to the whole thing. I have only had one encounter with one at home where I have seen it, and that was the reason that prompted me to write to you.

It happened about a week ago. I had days off and was at home at about 1030 at night when my dog started growling and then ran toward the back door. As I got up and followed him, I saw that the backyard lights had been triggered and that standing on the back deck in front of the back door was what looked like the same alien I had seen the first time. My dog was going berserk and would charge the door but stop short of hitting it and then back up again. It looked right at me before it took a step back and straight out disappeared right in front of me. I didn’t freak like the first time but felt a little unnerved that it had come so close to my house and had allowed itself to be seen.As before, I felt like I was in no danger but did feel like it was trying to communicate with me in some way. My dog stayed in front of the door growling for another 10 minutes before it came back to my room with me. I stayed up for a while trying to make sense of what had just happened. That’s when I got online and started looking up information about what had just occurred that led to this website and the reports of the sightings at O’Hare."

The update information following an interview by Manuel Navarette with the witness:

I spoke with the witness on two separate occasions and was able to put together the following report in regards to the witnesses sightings. The witness is an employee for a major airline operating out of O’Hare International Airport and has been working there for over 8 years. He is a 34 year old divorced male who lives in the area of O’Hare Airport. When I asked the witness for verification, he produced employment credentials which included a security badge. After verification of the witnesses credentials and employment, I began to ask the witness various questions in regard to the report submitted to UFO Clearinghouse. The witness stated that he has worked the overnight shift for most of his time at O’hare and in that time he has witnessed various UFO’s and has had encounters with what he could only describe as “aliens”.

The witness also stated that he has had one encounter with a flying humanoid while at work on the tarmac. When I asked him to elaborate he indicated that he was working with a crew prepping a plane for flight and that one of the crew noticed and pointed out the flying humanoid. When I asked him to describe the entity, the witness said it looked like it was 6-7 feet tall and had black wings that he estimated were at least 12 feet wide. The witness did not indicate seeing any red eyes and stated that it was completely black and flying at a very fast rate of speed.

When asked how the rest of his crew reacted, he stated that many joked that it was the “Mothman” and many of them had either seen or heard stories about this creature and the sightings around the airport. When I asked him if he had any feelings of dread or fear the witness indicated that he did not. When I asked if it could have been something like a crane or heron or a large owl, the witness stated there was no way it could have been as he had seen large birds before and this entity did not fit the shape of a large bird.

When asked about the first encounter with an entity that he had while at work, the witness stated exactly as reported in his sighting. He had gone to get an extra set of keys he needed and that while inside the office building he had come face to face with the being. He stated that they stared at each other for what seemed an eternity, he stated in reality that it might have only been a few seconds. When the witness turned away and looked back, he was gone. The witness stated that it was pretty cut and dry and there were no bright lights or other theatrics involved.

The witness stated that ever since his first encounter at work that he has felt that they have been observing him from a distance and he indicated that he has seen them at the perimeter fence and sometimes attempting to blend into the shadows of the buildings at the airport. I asked him if he had reported any missing time during any of his experiences and he felt that he had not, but the witness indicated that he could not be 100% sure that he had not experienced missing time.

The witness stated that he felt that he was being observed and that they did seem to keep track of his movements both at work and at home. When I asked him to elaborate, the witness said that he can sometimes see them out of the corner of your eye and that he sees unexplained shadows at night that he cannot account for. I asked him if he ever felt afraid that they were going to harm him or abduct him, he stated that he felt no ill-intentions from them and that they were merely curious and that if they had wanted to abduct him they would have and he would have been powerless to stop them doing so. The witness did state that he felt that the entity that he saw that night at his house was scared off by his dog barking and that he felt that he was in no danger.

When we started talking about his encounters at work, the witness said that he has always seen strange things at night around the airport. Sightings of unidentified flying objects are commonplace and that the object that he described as the “Diamond Craft” was seen by various airport personnel at least 3-4 times a month and that it would hover for a few minutes before either disappearing or shooting off at a rapid pace. When asked if the airport ever responded to reports of these sightings, the witness said at first they would but eventually they became so commonplace that the airport would just basically ignore them and tell their employees that unless there was a “clear and present danger” to the aircraft there was not much they could do.

When asked about the military presence at the airport, the witness said that ever since his report was submitted he had noticed a marked increase in military presence around O’Hare. Military and government vehicles were a common sight and they came and went around the airport at all hours of the day and night. When I asked him if he knew what they were doing or going he indicated that he did not know and really did not want to know. 

When I asked him about the tunnels in and around the airport the witness stated that there were many tunnels that criss-crossed the entirety of the airport grounds, many of them large enough to accommodate large service vehicles. Many of the tunnels were off-limits and many were locked and posted as off-limits. When I asked if he knew what most of the tunnels were used for, the witness stated that many were service tunnels used in the day to day operations of the airport for accessing utilities and whatnot. When asked if he knew what the other tunnels were used for, the witness indicated that he did not.

The witness did provide hand drawn sketches of the entity he encountered while at work and has seen frequently around the airport and of the entity that he saw outside his home. Those drawings have been included below.

Conclusion:

It is the opinion of the investigator that the witness is being truthful and that his accounts of the sightings are credible and warrant continued investigation. The witness has been helpful and forthcoming with information and has indicated that he would assist by reporting any further sightings to the investigator and the members of the Phantoms and Monsters Fortean Investigation Team.

Have you had a sighting of a flying humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated. You can call me directly at 410-241-5974 as well. Thanks. Lon Strickler

Bat-Winged Humanoid Observed Behind Schaumburg, Illinois Catholic Church

A man and his cousin were walking along E. Schaumburg Rd and decided to play Pokemon Go in the open area behind a local church. He then noticed a huge pair of wings and a humanoid body ascend into the sky.

I received the following account on 10/16/2020:

"Hello, I was just reading an article on Facebook about the Illinois mothman bat creature. I recently just saw something that matched that description over in Schaumburg, Illinois. It happened just two nights ago.

My cousin and I were walking around the area over by a church. We were playing Pokemon Go and right before we walked up a path, there was an open meadow with tall street lights shining at the opening into the grassy area. I happened to notice two big black wings flap a few times then take off, and it actually passed through the lights of the street lamps and I could tell it wasn't a bird but more like a bat! I could see the light through the membrane wings as well. But then I thought how could that be a bat? It was huge! I'm talking like a wingspan of about 12 ft or more! I've never seen anything like it before." TH

I called the witness very soon after receiving the email:

TH states that he and his cousin occasionally played Pokemon Go. So as they were walking near his cousin's residence (was at cousin's residence in Schaumburg) they were passing the St. Matthew Parish located at 951 E. Schaumburg Rd. It was approximately 7:30 pm (Weds. October 14th). As they walked to the back of the parish, TH noticed the black wings flapping and then the entire humanoid body, which he estimates at 6 ft. in height. He noticed the light from the street lamp emanate through the bat-like membrane wings. It quickly ascended in the night's sky. 

It's interesting to note that TH lives in Carol Stream, Illinois where there were 2 sightings recently. The northwest suburbs of Chicago, including O'Hare International Airport, has been a particularly active area for winged humanoid sightings in the past year or so.

Have you had a sighting of a flying humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated. You can call me directly at 410-241-5974 as well. Thanks...Lon Strickler

Tall Red-Eyed 'O'Hare Mothman' Close Encounter at USPS Sorting Facility

The following information was received by Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research investigator Manuel Navarette on UFO Clearinghouse. A USPS sorting facility employee at O'Hare International Airport recalls her scary encounter with a tall red-eyed winged humanoid in the parking lot. Any further interviews and information will be posted.

"I had just left work at the USPS sorting facility at O’Hare International Airport at about 11:00 pm on Thursday the 24th of September and was walking out to my car when I saw something standing at the far end of the parking where I usually park. At first I thought it was a very tall person with a long coat. As I got closer to my car, I unlocked my car, which caused my headlights to come on. My headlights hit the person standing about 20-25 feet from my car, causing it to turn and look right at me. I saw that this was not some person but some red-eyed being and what appeared to be a coat were actually wings which it spread out as it turned to look at me. At first I thought it was some kind of very large bird but I’ve never seen any bird that stood almost 7 feet tall. I’m 5’4 and this thing looked taller than me by at least 2 feet.

This thing then started making some type of chirping sound, almost a half chirp and half click like someone was clicking their tongue but much much faster. It then made some type of screeching sound and took off running toward me. It got to within 10 feet of me and took off into the air and flew above me.

I was screaming hysterically as I crouched down behind my car's open door and I dived into my car headfirst. I was in a near panic as I tried to start the car, close and lock the doors and turn on my interior lights. I started my car and took off out of the parking lot and flew down the road until I hit the main road. I got home and told my husband who also works at the same facility and he was the one who told me about the sightings of this thing.

I was scared sh*tless and hope I never see this thing again. This thing is roaming around the area, scaring people half to death. I hope the airport people decide to do something about this thing someday."

NOTE: This facility is near the locations of several other winged humanoid sightings at O'Hare International Airport. Manuel has contacted the witness in an attempt to schedule an interview. Any new information will be added to this report. Lon

Have you had a sighting of a flying humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated. You can call me directly at 410-241-5974 as well. Thanks...Lon Strickler

'O'Hare Mothman,' UFOs & Alien Being Experiences Continually Reported by Airport Personnel

The following account was posted by Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research investigator Manuel Navarette on UFO Clearinghouse. A cargo company employee at O'Hare International Airport reports various unexplained sightings and encounters experienced by himself and others on the job. Any further interviews and information will be posted.

This report was sent in to the UFO Clearinghouse email late last week. The witness is an employee at O’Hare International Airport and works for one of the large cargo companies that fly in and out of the airport. In his report he tells of multiple sightings of UFO’s, and humanoid entities, including a winged humanoid both at work and at home. The witness has been contacted by UFOCH investigators to set up a face to face interview. As soon as the witness has been contacted, we will post any new developments and investigation information to the website within 24-48 hours:

My name is *redacted* and I am 34 years old and live in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. I work at O’Hare International Airport for *redacted* where I am a member of the ground crew. I have worked for *redacted* for the last 8 years and have seen a lot of strange things in my time there. I have also heard from others of the strange things that are seen and heard at O’Hare at all hours of the day and night. Anyone who has worked in and around the “cargo” facility for more than a few months has seen the strange lights in the sky or have seen anything from ghosts to strange creatures of all manners at least once. The entire airport itself is spooky, with many strange tunnels that are sealed off and forbidden to even go near to strange military vehicles that come and go at all hours of the day and night. There’s even an old graveyard on the airport grounds.

I have seen my fair share of things, I’ve seen a lot of UFO’s in the air above the airport, strange creatures that seem to hang around the airport, including the one they call the Mothman. These sightings mostly occur toward the evening and night. I work second shift, so I get out later in the evening and have seen many of these strange lights after 10-11 p.m. There is one object dubbed the “Diamond Craft” it’s a large diamond shaped light that frequently appears in the sky around the perimeter of the airport on some nights. It’s pretty well known to many of the ground crews that work throughout the airport and can sometimes be seen 2-3 nights in a row. It frequently appears in the same general area and hangs around for about 5-10 minutes before disappearing.

One night, about the 4th of July 2020, I was outside overseeing the unloading of a plane when myself and a group of four people all saw what looked like a large person with wings fly over us, it was about 20 feet above us and flew right over us with very little sound. It looked basically as I said, a large man about 6 feet tall with a very large pair of batlike wings. It was solid black, so much so that it stood out against the sky and lights of the airport. It was over in a matter of a few seconds and people joked that we had just seen the “Mothman” and the conversation quickly turned to the many sightings that people have had in and around the airport of something similar. I have had multiple encounters with UFO’s and their occupants that have been ongoing for the last 2 years.

I have seen what I can only describe as aliens on at least 8 occasions, both at work and at home. It all started back in 2018, it was around May and I looked up into the sky as I was moving from one building to the next and saw a large circular object that was giving off a green glow, it hovered silently about 100 feet from the ground and I as I looked up at it, I got the strange sensation that the object or something in it was looking back at me. I picked up the pace and tried to get into the building but the closer I got to the door an overwhelming urge came over me to stop and look up at the object. It finally got too much to bear and I stopped about 20 feet from the door and looked up just in time to see the object slowly drift away and higher into the sky. It continued its upward trend for about 10 seconds before it simply disappeared from sight.

My first encounter with seeing one of the aliens happened a month later, I went to the office to get a set of extra keys that were needed to access a storage locker. The office was dark as the people in it had all left sometime earlier. I went in, got the keys and was walking out when something made me stop and look out into the hallway toward the stairs and I saw what looked like a medium sized man looking right at me. We looked at each other for what seemed like a minute before I turned away and when I looked again, it was gone. The freak out then came over me, It looked like what you see on TV, grey skin and very large black almost insect like eyes. It had no lips to speak of, only a thin slit and was at least 3 inches shorter than I am (I’m 5’10). I must have sounded like an idiot basically hyperventilating in an empty dark office but within a few minutes, I had regained my composure. Surprisingly, I was not afraid and have not ever sensed a reason to be afraid, they can look scary as hell but I have never felt like I was in danger. I have since then seen them only from a distance, usually in the shadow or trying to hide and observe.

I have sensed them at home, but have never seen them inside the house, I have caught glimpses of them looking into the window but those were only momentary glimpses as they seem to be able to anticipate me looking toward them and quickly get out of sight. I have a dog who will bark at the window or the door unexpectedly at night as if he is trying to warn me but when I go to look, I end up seeing nothing. I also have a cat but if she’s seen anything she’s not telling or is indifferent to the whole thing. I have only had one encounter with one at home where I have seen it, and that was the reason that prompted me to write to you.

It happened about a week ago. I had days off and was at home at about 1030 at night when my dog started growling and then ran toward the back door. As I got up and followed him, I saw that the backyard lights had been triggered and that standing on the back deck in front of the back door was what looked like the same alien I had seen the first time. My dog was going berserk and would charge the door but stop short of hitting it and then back up again. It looked right at me before it took a step back and straight out disappeared right in front of me. I didn’t freak like the first time but felt a little unnerved that it had come so close to my house and had allowed itself to be seen.As before, I felt like I was in no danger but did feel like it was trying to communicate with me in some way. My dog stayed in front of the door growling for another 10 minutes before it came back to my room with me. I stayed up for a while trying to make sense of what had just happened. That’s when I got online and started looking up information about what had just occurred that led to this website and the reports of the sightings at O’Hare.

INVESTIGATORS NOTES:

The witness has been contacted and we are anticipating talking to him within the next few days. We have requested a face to face interview with a UFOCH investigator and any and all new information will be posted on the website within 24-48 hours.

Have you had a sighting of a flying humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated. You can call me directly at 410-241-5974 as well. Thanks...Lon Strickler

Bat-Winged Humanoid Encountered in Carol Stream, Illinois

 

A Carol Stream, Illinois resident observes a winged humanoid on 2 occasions. Once while it lifted into the air and the other when it flew in front of their vehicle.

I received the following information recently:

Has anyone from Carol Stream, Illinois (DuPage County - Chicago northwest suburbs) sent any sighting of the winged humanoid? Twice now I’ve seen 'something' about 4 foot tall, brownish, two legs and bat-like wings. Both times late night, around 3 am or so. By ponds off of Morton Rd. On one occasion flying right above the headlights. I know there was another car that stopped to 'look' also. Thanks. ECM

I responded to the witness and received an update:

Both times I saw it during last summer on Morton Rd. The first time I only caught a quick glance as it took off flying from the side of a small pond. I figured it was a crane that got spooked by coyotes or something. But they are not nocturnal. 

The second time was at the corner on Morton Rd. as I was waiting at a stop sign for a car (not far from the pond). It began moving through the intersection. I began turning left and it flew right in front of us (the other car stopped also to check it out). It then turned sharply. That's when I saw its bat-like wings as it flew through nearby backyards. It definitely wasn’t a large owl. ECM

Have you had a sighting of a flying humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated. You can call me directly at 410-241-5974 as well. Thanks...Lon Strickler

'Warned Not to Go Out at Night'

The following report was filed by Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research investigator Tobias Wayland:

The Singular Fortean Society received the following email on April 30th, 2020.

According to my mother's friend who lives on 63rd [Street] and [South] Pulaski [Road] in Chicago, Illinois, there has been a rumor of mothman being present in their backyards. There have been disappearances of people, and neighbors around that area have noticed “big, chicken-like [footprints]” behind their backyards.

In my mother’s friend's case, she called law enforcement and detectives came only to take pictures and quickly erased the evidence of the mothman. Many of that area are scared or are warned not to go out at night when the “thing” appears. [Her friend] states that law enforcement seems to be covering the fact that this creature is around their neighborhood and [they] don’t do anything about it.

I wanted to tell you this because it’s a very interesting topic; especially since I’ve grown up doing research on urban legends, yet never knew it would hit so close to home. Thank you so much for taking your time in reading this, and at the moment I am trying my best to convince [my mother's friend] to go out and take pictures of the giant footprints but she, of course, is frightened.

Lead investigator Tobias Wayland replied to the email, thanking the woman who sent it and asking that she contact any witnesses to see if they’d be willing to speak with him.

She responded that she would contact them “as soon as possible.”

In a brief follow-up message, she requested that her name not be used in conjunction with the investigation.

No further response has yet been received.

The account referred to in the email is strongly reminiscent of an incident which occurred on February 28th, 2020, in which  a man contacted Lon Strickler of Phantoms & Monsters to report a sighting his mother had of a “big, black birdman.” According to the man, the creature left footprints in the snow that he was able to photograph.

That sighting was only about six blocks east of the location mentioned in the woman’s email.

At least two other sighting reports of weird, winged beings are associated with South Pulaski Road; one from 2011 in which a man photographed a statue near 63rd and Pulaski, only to later realize that there was a flying creature present in the shot, and another from August of 2017, when a woman reported the sighting of a “flying mothman” over South Pulaski Road, “right before 55th Street.”

In the case of the report from 2011, it now seems likely that the witness accidentally photographed a butterfly which had flown in front of his camera, and some believe the February 28th, 2020 footprints to be misidentified rabbit tracks—although in the latter case that hypothesis does not explain the witness’s testimony regarding the six-foot-tall “birdman” she claimed to have seen. 

Rumors of a coverup like the one mentioned in the email go back to at least 2017, when investigator Manuel Navarette reported that he’d heard from members of the media and municipal employees that the city government was trying to stifle news of the sightings.

There have so far been no missing persons who can be reliably connected to the flying humanoid reports, although at least five people—ranging in age from 16 to 66—have been reported missing in Cook County since February of 2020.

Because of its proximity to other unexplained sighting reports, this report could be related to the string of ‘Mothman’ sightings from within a few hundred mile radius surrounding Lake Michigan, including every state bordering the great lake. These sightings ostensibly began in the spring of 2017, but more historical accounts are being reported as more people become aware of the phenomenon. They generally take place in the evening or at night, often in or near a park, and around water.  Witnesses consistently describe a large, gray or black, bat or bird-like creature—although in a small number of cases the creature was described as insect-like—sometimes with glowing or reflective red, yellow, green, or orange eyes, and humanoid features such as arms and legs are often reported. Some witnesses have reported feeling intense fear and an aura of evil emanating from the creature they encountered.  Many of the sightings are also of something seen only briefly or are described only as a flying creature with few details, which leaves open the possibility that a large bird or bird-like being could explain some—although certainly not all—of the encounters. A number of associated high strangeness incidents have also occurred alongside the creature sightings; including reports of UFOs, other anomalous flying creatures and mysterious humanoids, parapsychological phenomena, and bizarre events experienced by those investigating the sightings.

Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid / Flying Entity Sightings & Encounters

Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid / Flying Entity Sightings & Encounters Links

Experiencer Describes Personal UFO Incidents in Madison, Wisconsin

On August 31, 2020 I received a call from Madison, Wisconsin resident Deshunda Johnson in reference to UFO sightings and encounters. I contacted Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research and Singular Fortean Society investigator Tobias Wayland, asking him to look into the claims. The following is his investigation and report:

45-year-old delivery driver Deshunda Johnson spoke with the Singular Fortean Society’s lead investigator Tobias Wayland recently about a series of UFO experiences she’s had in and around Madison, Wisconsin.

The first such sighting, she said, took place in July or August of 2001, around 9 pm.

My friend and I were going to work, driving on Stoughton Road [in Madison]. 

She said to me, “Look, Deshunda, what is that?”

I asked her what she was talking about. We were getting off of the Beltline Highway [onto Stoughton Road], going to work and to the right in a wooded area that looks like a marsh—going towards Stoughton and McFarland—there was a green light that just shot straight up. 

She asked me, “Did you see that?”

And I said, “Yes, I saw it.”

I put my foot on the accelerator and took off. When I see stuff like that, the only thing I know is to take off. 

Who’s going to be in that marshy area shooting off firecrackers? There was no noise, we had our windows down because it was nice out. 

“That was the first time I saw something like that," she said. "After that [my sightings] started. When we got to work, [my friend] said, 'You all won’t believe what we saw.' I told her not to tell anybody because they’ll think we’re crazy. She told me, 'Deshunda, you know that wasn’t a shooting star. Shooting stars come down, they don’t shoot up.' I said, ‘Yes, I know, and that’s why I’m not saying nothing.’" 

"The following week," she added. "Her daughter and her boyfriend said they saw the same thing."

Johnson told Wayland that she wishes she would have documented the sighting better. 

"When you see it the first time, people think they won’t see anything like that again, or pray they don’t see it again," she said.

Her next sighting came in the summer of 2007.

"I had something strange happen to me over on McCann Road [in Madison, Wisconsin]," Johnson said. "My son, he’s the one who spotted it. It was above me.” 

We got out of the car after coming home from the grocery story, and [there was an object floating above me that] looked like a cloud. Actually, it was a cloud. There were no other clouds in the sky. 

I told [my son], “Get the groceries out of the car.” 

We stayed just off of McCann Road in a townhouse.

He said, “Mom, look.” 

And I said, “Look at what?” 

And he said, “Above you.” 

When I looked above my head, and I’m short, this thing was over my head and I...I don’t know what happened. All I know is I was like thrown. 

I said, “Get in the house.” 

My son, he almost hit the wall looking at it while trying to run into the house.

I didn’t know what it was. But it was a cloud, there were no other clouds, and no cloud moves like that. It had four white lights circling inside of it. It hovered over me, and I kid you not, when I moved, it moved. It was close enough that I could touch it, but I was too scared. It was that low.

I ran into my house. I wasn’t going to stand there anymore. There’s no way I’m going to stand under something that I don’t understand and don’t know nothing about. We got into the house and that thing stood there for a minute. Then it moved to the backyard.

There were people in their backyard in the next neighborhood, and it moved over to between my yard and theirs and there were people there who had their phones out [who looked like they were taking pictures] and staring at it. As I was standing there, something told me not to go out there. I wasn’t going nowhere.

It stayed there for over 20 minutes. It would not leave. It was like it was waiting for something.

After that, I’m always looking up.

“I called the police and asked them about the lights,” Johnson explained. “[The woman I spoke to] said they’d gotten some calls. I told her not to laugh at me. This is something strange, I’ve never seen nothing like this. She asked me what it looked like. I said you need to get somebody out here.” 

Johnson said that, ultimately, the police did not visit the scene and no official report was made. 

The Singular Fortean Society has not yet been able to corroborate the sighting using police records or the testimony of any neighbors said to be present, but this article will be updated with any new information or evidence as it is discovered.

After this sighting, said Johnson, "strange stuff just started happening."

She told Wayland that she was awoken one night by what sounded like somebody running in her bedroom.

I woke up and my door opened—[it was previously open just a crack]—and all I heard were footsteps in my room. My heart just started pounding. I got up and thought maybe it’s the dogs or something. I went downstairs to check, but the dogs were in the crate. I went in my sons’ room and they were asleep. I looked under the bed, and I didn’t see anything. 

I asked my boyfriend at the time, “Did you come in my room?” 

He said no. He said he was out down the street. I asked him if he was sure, and he said yes.

 "I told my landlord I had to move," she continued. "I had been there eight years. He asked me why I wanted to move. I couldn’t tell him."

Johnson’s sightings continued on July 7th, 2020.

I had to go to the back roads and drop off on County T off Sprecher Road. Way before I got there, off Mesta Lane, there was a light so bright that at first I thought it was the sun. I’m at the stoplight, and I put my visor down. 

I said, “That sun is bright!” 

I looked at my map and see I have to go off County T, way out in the boondocks. 

I head out there, and all of a sudden I look to my right—after something said in my head “look to your right”—when I looked, an object was above the power lines, stationary. I had my windows half down. There was a man in a car close behind me, and I thought he had to being this. But when I looked again, his car was way behind me.

It felt as if I was moving, but not fast enough. I was staring at it; I couldn’t keep my eyes off it. It had a green light at the bottom, it was black, a round dome, and I’m just looking at this light. That lasted for about two minutes. When I got the lady’s food to her, I looked at the time and it was probably 8:06 or 8:07, but she said she’d ordered her food an hour ago. I was thinking, looking at the clock, that it’s only 8:06 pm. 

I got home and I was still shaken up. My eyes were red and irritated from the brightness of the light.

A week later, she had another sighting in the same area.

I went to the ATM to get money out, and they just built these buildings right after I saw this thing off County T. I saw this green ball of light hovering over this building. It wasn’t a bug, it looked like a sphere.

I said, “No, we’re not doing this tonight.”

I got in my car and left. [The green ball of light] went off towards East Towne Mall. Most people might follow it, but me, I’m going home. That’s not the first time that I’ve seen those things. I don’t understand why I’m seeing it.

The strange thing is, while I was driving, I said to myself, “If I ever see anything like that again, I’m going to go ahead and take a picture of it.”

But it didn’t happen that way.

Johnson’s most recent sighting occurred at approximately 9:15 pm on August 30th, 2020. She was in Stoughton delivering food near the intersection of Roby Road and King’s Lynn Road.

When I looked at my app it said I was two or three minutes from the house. I was going through the neighborhood, when all of a sudden—this is not the first time this has happened to me—something told me to look to my left.

I just looked over and I said, “What in the?”

I said, “That plane is flying really low in its flight.”

So I slowed down, I saw kids in a group going across the street. I looked, and all of a sudden, I got nervous. I was just staring at it.

That’s when I was like, “Uh-uh uh-uh, it’s stationary. It’s not moving."

All I could see were the lights flickering. It was over houses, and it wasn’t that far from me—maybe three or four hundred feet. I know what I saw. It looked like it was multicolored—white, red, but it wasn’t a bright red, it almost looked orange.

As I was looking at it, it just stayed in one spot. It looked black. I wanted to get out and take a picture of it, but all of a sudden I got really nervous.

I said “Should I? No, I better get this lady her food.”

I’m sitting in my car, just looking at it, driving slowly just looking at it.

As soon as I said “Okay, maybe it will be there when I get back.”

I’m saying to myself, “No, just stop and take a picture, because nobody is going to believe you’ve seen some stuff like this.”

I kept saying to myself, “No, that’s a plane, that’s a plane. I’m not seeing what I’m seeing.”

The thing tilted up, and when it tilted, it was a triangle. It had a light at the top, and one on the bottom at each side. My eyes got bigger than my glasses. All I know is, when I saw what it did and I turned back, that thing took off. I put my foot on the gas and dropped that lady’s food off.

It’s as if it wanted me to see it, to say, “No, I’m not a plane.” 

That was not an airplane. Nobody can convince me. 

Johnson further explained that she had her car door open slightly, but was afraid to get out because she thought the craft might approach her if she did. 

According to Johnson, the sighting lasted “a minute or two.”

Shortly after this sighting, Johnson spoke to a friend in Stoughton who said she’d “seen a lot of strange stuff out here.”

Johnson wondered if perhaps the craft were trying to communicate with her, and if that might somehow be tied to a series of psychic experiences she’s had in her life.

"I’m very clairvoyant. I’ve had out of body experiences. I see auras around people, I see colors, and if they have certain colors then I don’t go near them. I would tell my mom and she would tell me to shush. I never understood that. I thought that maybe there was something wrong with me," she said. "She told me she had the same thing, but she blocked it. You can tell people all day long, but they’ll never understand."

But that's not the only strange experience Johnson said she has in common with her mother.

"There were days I would wake up with bruises on my arms. I don’t remember how I got them. It looked like three claws, like somebody had scratched me, like I was fighting something," she said. "I remember this clearly, [my mother] said to me, 'I used to wake up with those same marks on me.'"

Those marks might be explained by another experience related by Johnson.

This event, she said, took place at her childhood home in Joliet, Illinois, in 1987 when she was 12 years old.

"[The house where] we stayed at the time was in the country," she said. "There was a barn there, and some nearby houses. They’ve built a lot there now, but at the time there were a lot of fields and we had a big backyard."

I had to stay late for detention after school one day. I remember going into the house after I came home, thinking I was going to be in trouble. But nobody was home. I had to go through the garage to get into the house, and I saw the car was there, so I didn’t understand where everybody was at. 

So, I started calling, “Momma! Momma!”

And I called for my sisters, but nobody answered. Just then the phone rang, and I went to go pick it up.

A robotic voice said to me, “Little girl, is your mommy or daddy home?”

I dropped the phone. The minute I dropped it, I felt sick. I felt drowsy and sleepy, and I had a headache. I laid down in the bunk bed in our room, and it was like I could not move.

I saw four little things come in the room, they were suited up—it was like a skintight, blue, protective suit—they were bald, with big, black eyes and really not much of a nose or mouth, and all I can remember is being paralyzed with fear. I was trying to fight it, I was trying to move.

Two were on either side of me, and they weren’t touching me. It was like I was levitated. I was looking at one of these things straight in its eyes, and I’m trying to fight it and I can’t move. That’s all I can remember.

Johnson later asked her sister where they were that day, but said that her sister maintains she "doesn’t know what I’m talking about."

She never watched much science fiction or absorbed similar media as a child, and it wasn't until her twenties that she started seeing representations of the beings she encountered that day.

"It’s never left my mind, and I wonder if that’s why I’m so into this stuff now," she said. "I see people talking about it, and I think 'That’s what I saw! That’s what came in the room.'"

When asked if she’d had any bedroom visitations since the one in 2007, Johnson replied, “I have not, and I pray to God I don’t again.”