YEAR: 1983

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Pierce County

LOCATION DETAILS: Forested Triangle near the intersection of Shaw Road and Pioneer Ave. On top of the hill.
This area is now Crystal Ridge, a housing developement.

NEAREST TOWN: Puyallup

NEAREST ROAD: Shaw Road

OBSERVED: In 1983 I was camping in the woods near what is now Crystal Ridge housing developement off of Shaw Road in Puyallup, WA. Around 11pm I was awakened by a screaming sound in the distance. It sounded kind of like a woman, hard to describe really, but it absolutely got my attention. Every 15 or 20 seconds it would scream and I could tell it was getting closer and closer, after a while I could hear crashing in the bushes. Whatever it was it was moveing fast. I rationalised it in my mind as a deer jumping through the woods quickly. But when I saw the outline of the deer I knew immediately what it was. Granted it was dark, but with the moon out and lack of cloud cover I could make out a black shape 7' or 8' tall striding through the underbrush. I paniced and yelled as loud as I could and the creature slightly changed course to go around me and kept on going, still with the occasional scream. In the morning I looked for footprints and hair, but all I found was broken branches, too high to be broken by a man.

ALSO NOTICED: Foul odor as the creature passed.

OTHER WITNESSES: My girlfriend was with me sleeping but did not wake until I yelled and woke her up.

OTHER STORIES: Yes. Years later I was reading a Bigfoot Book at the library that said there were at least 3 Bigfoot sightings near Shaw Road starting back in the 30's.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Around 11 pm. Clear skies and a nearly full moon. Tree cover obscured some of that light.

ENVIRONMENT: Maple Forest with dense undergrowth.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Dave Illig:

I spoke with Troy about his encounter and questioned him about his experience and particularly the sounds he heard. Troy indicated to me that the sounds he thought were, “deer jumping through the woods quickly” turned out to be the foot falls of the 7-8’ tall creature making its way directly towards him. Since the creature was unaware of his presence and closing in on him quickly, he felt fearful of a very close encounter and that’s when he yelled out in panic. This was enough to get the creature's attention. He then watched it change its course and continue around him at a distance of about 70 ft. He found it interesting that the creature, though now aware of Troy’s presence, continued to emit the loud screams at consistent intervals and continue on its way without stopping. Although Troy could not recall the sounds well enough to describe them to me, he did however mention that while the creature was in his approximate vicinity, a distinct odor was noticed. Troy described this odor as, “a cross between a wet buffalo and fecal matter, very nasty”.
I find Troy to be very credible and still able recall the incident clearly after 25 years. The Puyallup River runs very close to this location.

About BFRO Investigator Dave Illig:

• Dave Illig is a Project Manager for a major aerospace corporation.
• He has attended several BFRO and private expeditions in the US and Canada.
• Is an avid outdoorsman, who is skilled in all-weather camping.
• He is also certified in Swift Water Rescue Operations.
• Target research area: Western Cascades