YEAR: 1980

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

STATE: Florida

COUNTY: Collier County

LOCATION DETAILS: E MAIL ME ILL TALK TO YOU

NEAREST TOWN: NAPLES

NEAREST ROAD: FLORIDIAN AVE

OBSERVED: 1979 or 1980 I went back in the swamp and woods in naples off of floridian ave where i lived and we came acrossed a metal cage trap a tall trap where if you go in and touch the meat the door will slam behind you Iwonderd about the trap i knew there wasnt no bear in the area but we were around the caGE AND THATS WHEN WE HEARD A LOUD KIND OF ROAR WE RAN OUT OF THE SWAMP AND TOLD MY MOM AND SHE WANTED TO GOBACK THERE BUT IWAS TRYING NOT TO

OTHER WITNESSES: 3 WALKING AROUND

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 2 OO IN THE AFTER NOON BACK IN THE SWAMPS

ENVIRONMENT: SANDY PALMETTO BRUSH AREA KIND OF SWAMPY CREEK BOTTOM NOT TOO FAR

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator David Wright:

This witness was contacted and interviewed on 9/30/07 for approximately 45 minutes, and again on two subsequent interviews the next day to answer a few additional questions. The gentleman was very cordial, very down to earth, and was found to be entirely credible throughout the interview. He expressed that he was not the least bit computer savvy, didn't own one, and that the report was filed on his girlfriends computer and was minimal in content due to his poor typing skills, however he was excited to share significantly more details than were in his original report. Those details are as follows;

-He, his brother, and a friend, all 12 or 13 years old at the time, were into the swamp about 300 meters NE of the road he lived on in Naples, Florida, when they came upon a very large, heavy, steel cage. He described its dimensions as about 6' across, 6' tall and 8' deep.

-They noticed a large piece of raw meat, like a deer quarter, hanging in the very back of the cage. The meat was fresh, not rancid. He himself entered the cage, and in doing so, noticed that the meat was hung on a trigger mechanism that would slam the heavy bar door shut when released.

-He expressed a feeling of impending dread or anxiety (my words) as he exited the cage. He stated that at that time, they all noticed something very stinky, he described like musty, rotten mushrooms.

-About that time, the three boys heard from behind them, a very loud roar that he described as lasting about 3-4 seconds.

-He recalled that as they started to flee in terror, a log, he described as at least 12" in diameter and 4'-5' long flew from behind over their heads as they fled.

-He stated that in their haste to flee, he tripped and fell; a stick piercing into his leg. He said, "I carry a scar to this day from that experience!"

-Upon arriving home, they confronted his mother about the experience with no small amount of trepidation and terror.
-He stated that they didn't go back into those woods for a VERY long time.
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Following the interview, I asked him if he would share a contact number for his brother who was also at the scene. He did so, and I immediately called his brother, interviewing him as well for about 20 minutes. While his recollection was nearly identical, He provided a bit of additional information.

-He described the roaring sound as being VERY close and VERY loud as well, but he recalled a second, grunting type roar about 10 paces into their flight, and described that moment as the time the log flew over head. When asked about the size of the piece of wood, he said, "It was a big ass log, brother! Ain't no bear can throw a log like that!"

-He also described their noticing a very foul stench before the event that he described as being much worse than a skunk.

The mother of the two witnesses happened to be with the second witness, so I was provided the opportunity to interview her as well. She described the boys "running into the house, scared slap to death! They told me what happened, and I thought they were just joshing me. I didn't believe them. Now I know I sure should have, because something scared those boys real bad!"

Parenthetically, she then stated something to the effect of, "I know those Bigfoots are real because me and my husband had one cross the road in front of us in Tennessee one time, at 2:00 in the morning, as we drove back to Florida". She described it as being about 7' tall and covered with black, matted hair. She described it as "stocky, you know, heavy, walking big, long steps."

All three of these witnesses were found to be genuinely excited in their explanations, and entirely credible. Nothing leads this investigator to think other than that these accounts are true. Based on the content of these interviews, it is the opinion of this investigator that these boys likely encountered a Bigfoot creature on that day in July, 1981.

About BFRO Investigator David Wright:

• Certified Florida Master Naturalist (U. of Florida)
  
• Visual Tracker, Level 1
• Teaches Biology, A.P. Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Science at a rural high school SE of Jacksonville
• See local TV interview with D. Wright
• Participated in the 2007 Private Florida Expedition [Click the video link on that page.], the 2007 South Carolina Expedition, the 2008 South Florida Expedition and assisted with the organization of the 2008 North Florida Expedition. Assisted with the organization of the 2009 Central Florida Expedition.