YEAR: 1999

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: May

STATE: Michigan

COUNTY: Manistee County

LOCATION DETAILS: (Omitted per submitter's request)

NEAREST TOWN: Copemish/Thompsonville

OBSERVED: I was walking in the woods down a two track by Thompsonville in the early spring morning. On these early morning walks I often scare up deer and occationally a bear so when I heard the noises of something running in the woods I expected to see some such animal. Instead I saw what looked to me like a large man dressed in white running at an incredible speed. He was about 50 yards away and I tracked him for some distance. I was amazed at how he ran so fast through the dense undergrowth. He had to have long legs to be able to traverse the fallen trees and swampy areas.

The next day I was walking in that same area and discovered tracks that confirmed to me it was not a man I had seen. They were quite large - about 18 inches or so. I could only see three toe prints thought there may have been more that didnt inprint and what may have been claws or long toenails that left a mark. The distance between them was about three of my strides long.

My neighbor who lives in that area has reported to me on a number of occasions that he has seen many evidences of what he firgured could only be big foot. Marks on the trees and stolen food supplies that the situations to him indicated it was not a bear. I had discounted the validity of his stories until I was a witness.

ALSO NOTICED: Footprints already described

OTHER WITNESSES: none

OTHER STORIES: Yes. My husband saw a similar creature approximately 1978. He will make his own report. My neighbor has many evidences of something there which I cannot accurately report. he is very private and not trusting so any attempt to contact him would have to be done with tact and respect.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: cool but clear. early morning approximatly 7:30 or 8. Snow was still hanging on in many places with patches of muddy and dry ground

ENVIRONMENT: The whole area is a swamp which varies its level of wetness depending on the season. At this time of year it was wet with a little snow still hanging on. The trees are dense in some places and more open in others. the area here was open enoguh to get a clear view. The undergrowth is thick with many fallen branches,

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Don Peer:

I spoke to the witness by phone. She now lives in Utah, but related the experience in detail, as she remembered the incident clearly. She was walking a two-track in a wooded, swampy area and first heard, then saw the animal rapidly moving away from her. She said at first she thought it was running, but later felt that it was walking rapidly, although either way, it was moving quickly. She did find two tracks, which were approximately eight to ten feet apart, which would indicate the animal was moving rapidly.

She could only make out three toes on the tracks, but stated there could have been more toes that did not show up on the ground. She estimated the tracks were around eighteen inches in length. She stated the color of the animal was a dirty white color. She clearly saw the arms swinging and the legs moving. The witness had a neighbor at the time that was experiencing some strange incidents at his house, which is very near the location of her sighting. Her neighbor has something, or someone, break into a storage shed he owned and stole some food items he had stored inside. He mentioned something about bigfoot being involved to the witness, and thought he was imagining things until she had her encounter.

About BFRO Investigator Don Peer:

Don Peer lives in northern Michigan and has studied the bigfoot phenomenon all his life. He has attended numerous Michigan expeditions and co-organized the 2011 Michigan BFRO expedition. He is an avid outdoorsman and works for the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Don Peer may be contacted at dpeer_mibigfoot@yahoo.com