YEAR: 2004

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: September

STATE: Florida

COUNTY: Pasco County

LOCATION DETAILS: Bell Lake RD. about 1/2 mile east of US41, between an old shopping center and Bell Lake Landings Subdivision

NEAREST TOWN: Land O Lakes

NEAREST ROAD: US41

OBSERVED: One night me and two friends were driving down a road in between two subdivisions just off US41. when we saw a man-like creature, around 7-8 feet tall dark in color and covered in hair, approach the road at walking speed, and jump over without touching the roadway at all. One friend was driving, other friend was in the passenger seat, and I was in the back passenger seat. Immediatly the driver turned to me wide eyed and asked "Did see that?". At that point I explained what I saw, without him saying anything about what he had seen, and he agreed that I had explained it just as he saw it. My friend in the passenger seat did not see the creature. To this day it is still very fresh in my mind, I would like to think it was something else, but nothing else that i know of could look like that, except a man in a ape suit, but jumping across a two lane road with a single leap at walking speed, isn't possible. I am very familiar with the animals around this area, and this clearly wasn't a known animal.

OTHER WITNESSES: One friend

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 9:30pm clear night

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Cathy Betz:

I spoke to the witness by phone and he had these details to add-

-It occurred at about 930pm and the only illumination they had of the figure was from their headlights.
-They were approximately 100yrds from the figure when they spotted it.
-They did slow down and try to look for the figure but couldn't see it. They then drove along some adjoining back roads, trying to spot it but could not find anything.
- I live close to the location and know this area very well. The part of the road where they spotted the figure is approximately 14-18 ft across. It is surrounded by some small housing developments that is part of a larger complex, and is within two miles of a large wildlife preserve called Cypress Creek Wellfield.

This witness went on to tell me of another incident he and a friend experienced in the Cypress Creek Wellfield in 1997. While exploring deep inside the Wellfield they startled something big in the thicket that rose up and ran away, then started back, and began circling them. Fearing that it was perhaps a wild hog, the two men climbed onto an uprooted tree for protection, and in order to see what was ‘stalking’ them. After a few moments the sound of 4-6 heavy, and powerful knocks came from the last place they had heard the noise. Curious, the witness used the butt of his hunting knife and knocked back. Immediately there were 4-6 return knocks. The witness knocked again and again, there were 4-6 return knocks. He emphasized that they were not like that of woodpecker knocks, but that they were solid, heavy and precise. The witness then decided to get off of the tree to go and investigate what was creating the ‘knocking’ noises, but his friend talked him into leaving.

About BFRO Investigator Cathy Betz:

Cathy has been a nurse for over 27 years and currently works in a busy ICU. An amateur naturalist, Cathy has been intrigued by the bigfoot phenomenon from an early age.
Attended the following expeditions:
- The 2006 Florida Expedition
- The 2007 North Carolina Expedition
- The 2008 South Florida Expedition
- The 2008 North Florida Expedition
- The 2009 Central Florida Expedition
- The 2009 Utah Expedition
- The 2010 TN Survey Expedition
- The 2011 East Texas Expedition
-The 2012 North FL Expedition
-The 2013 Michigan Upper Peninsula Expedition
For more information, please see the Florida BFRO