YEAR: 2009

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: September

DATE: Uknown

STATE: Michigan

COUNTY: Monroe County

NEAREST TOWN: Newport

OBSERVED: My brother was driving home in the approximate area of (removed), Monroe, Michigan in a Geo tracker passing sporadic farm houses and other homes otherwise it was pretty dark. The area is semi rural and lighting is poor in some areas. It was approximately 11-11:30 p.m., the night before trash pickup, and many folks had their cans out front of their properties on this particular night. As he approached a curve my brother who says he’s never spoke about this to his family and only to a close personal friend, observed what he thought was a bear or a very large black dog on all fours in the distance. From the lights of headlamps he said the big black dog appeared to be rooting in the trash and paused only as it caught a glimpse of his approaching headlights. Rounding the curve and heading straight forward he says the black object became clearer and larger as he approached. When he continued forward the animal then on all fours rises on two feet towering above his tiny Geo tracker. It was approximately 7-8 feet tall, black and hairey and looked like it had an ape face with its mouth open as he passed by. My brother said it was so big, so unnatural, it was almost traumatizing. The experience was an unforgettable shock to him. He says as he came side by side with the creature he had to force himself to not look at it as he sped past. As I mentioned he would not report this sighting and does not about it in front of his family. More interestingly, is the fact this sighting occurred...about three or four miles west of the the infamous 1965 “Monroe Monster” sighting.

ALSO NOTICED: Nothing

OTHER WITNESSES: One

OTHER STORIES: A short distance east from the 2009 sighting mentioned here, is where the 1965 "Monroe Monster" BF sighting occurred.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Sometime around 11-11:30 pm. and lighitng was poor in a semi-rural area dotted with agricultural fields and some wooded lands.

ENVIRONMENT: Agricultural fields and some wooded areas

Article from Cryptomundo regarding Monroe Monster.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Jim Sherman:

I began this investigation having heard of the Monroe Monster of 1965. I remember seeing re-creations of the incident on television as a child and it left an indelible mark on me and made me look differently at the woods—wondering if something was out there looking at me. The initial report was from a retired police officer who subsequently put me in contact with his brother who had the original sighting. I was able to interview both individuals and found their report and their own research on sightings in the area particularly interesting.

The area around Monroe became famous in 1965 when a young motorist and her mother had what they believe to be an encounter with the “Monroe Monster.” Please see the attached articles from the Monroe Blade and The Owosso Argus:

Monroe’s ‘Monster’ Mystifying
Police Get Reports of Hairy Something
From the Blade Correspondent
MONROE, Mich., Aug. 17- Thousands of curiosity seekers swarmed over Mental Road in Frenchtown Township last night trying to catch a glimpse of a hairy monster who allegedly stalks the area and terrorizes motorists. The monster, described as 7 feet tall, 5 feet wide, and weighing about 500 pounds, has been sighted about 15 times in the last two months by members of the same family. All have given substantially the same description to state police of the Flat Rock post, adding that the monster “grunts like a mad dog.” Cpl. David Swanson said that last night “there was traffic on Mental Road than the Detroit-Toledo Expressway.”
However, all persons in the area were not curiosity seekers. Corporal Swanson said that residents of the area have armed themselves and many of them appear trigger happy. “A man called last night and requested permission to hunt the monster with a high-powered rifle,” Corporal Swanson said. The caller was told he would be arrested on sight if he appeared. Reports of contact with the apparent mutation that allegedly rises out of the swamps of Lagoona Beach have been kept quiet by suspicious state troopers until two terrifying contacts were made last week.

Mrs. Ruth Owens, (removed), and her daughter, Christine VanAcker, 17, said they were driving on Mental Road about midnight Friday when the monster leaped onto the moving car, reached through a window, and grabbed Christine by the hair. “The monster banged her head against a door post until he knocked her unconscious,” Mrs. Owens said. She escaped from the car and her screams attracted neighbors. Christine was bruised but otherwise all right. The monster was gone when the neighbors and Mrs. Owens returned to the car.

David Thomas, a Fix Road resident and cousin of Mrs. Owens, said that he and eight of his relatives were driving along Mental Road last Wednesday when the monster appeared and struck the side of his car. Mr. Thomas said he got out and took a swing at the beast, but missed. He said it tried to get on the roof of his vehicle but jumped off as he gathered speed. Cpl. Clair Dechow, of the Erie post, who admitted that efforts to keep the reports secret have backfired, expressed fear that the biggest danger is that someone will get shot. Toledo Blade, OH Tuesday, Second News Section, August 17, 1965 page 18

Monster Victims Agree To Polygraph Test
Monroe (AP)- Mrs. George Owens says she and her daughter will take a lie detector test Monday to prove to state police their car was attacked by the hairy monster of Mentel Road. Some persons have expressed disbelief in such a beast as the one Mrs. Owens reported encroached upon the auto the night of Aug. 13. But two strands of coarse hair found on the car bumper will be presented state police at the Redford Post to substantiate her claim, Mrs. Owens said. The hair has roots an inch and a half long, she said. “With a skull line an inch and a half deep he must be some monster,” her husband said. Owens said he found hairs caught on chrome strips of the car owned by David Thomas, 23, of Monroe. Mrs. Owens cousin. Thomas told of swinging at the “thing” when it attacked his car in which eight persons were riding. “I know what we saw is real and I don’t like people thinking it’s a hoax,” Mrs. Owens said. “That’s why we agreed to the lie test.” Mrs. Owens said she and her daughter, Christine Van Acker, 17, will take the polygraph test. She said “everyone who has seen the monster is willing to take the test. We’ll pack their police headquarters wall –to-wall with people.” State Police Det. Patrick Lyons of the Flat Rock Post said, “This thing has gone so far that we want to prove, once and for all, that there is no monster or discover what it is that’s out there. Monroe County sheriff’s men have refused to investigate reports of the monster further but have patrolled Mentel Road to control crowds of monster hunters which have gathered nightly. The swampy area of the mysterious, reported hairy thing is five miles north of Monroe. The Owosso Argus, (MI) Friday, August 20, 1965, page 8

Initially, I spoke with a retired police officer, Mr. Z, who described to me what his brother had witnessed in 2009. He told me that his brother might not be interested in discussing his sighting so we decided to go ahead and do as much research as we could and at least use it for reference purposes. After some time and many emails later I had a good idea of what happened from the viewpoint of a second-hand witness. Mr. Z and I spoke candidly about going into the field researching. For instance he stated that he was “…amazed at the number of folks who venture out looking for these creatures unarmed.” I mentioned that I was more fearful of running into strange humans in the woods and have had more near misses with hunters than with any large animals. We talked of the Monroe Monster sighting. I shared details from my experience researching as well as some of the vocals I have captured. Luckily, Mr. Z became comfortable enough with me to recommend to his brother that we should talk.

Mr. G contacted me and provided a description of his encounter. The details are as follows:
“Skies were clear and it was a dry late summer, early fall September 2009 between 11:00 – 11:30 pm. It was brisk but not cold. Some lighting was provided by residential homes and occasional businesses coupled with car headlights. [I was] Driving home from work and noticed a large animal on all fours rooting through trash at roadside. Upon my approach, it must have noticed my headlights because it began to stand (bipedal) on two legs, as I got closer. It was definitely not a bear or large dog. “…[The figure] had dark hair, seven foot tall, broad shoulders and muscular…[it] towered over the vehicle roof.” Oddly enough though, once on two legs it appeared to be “squaring off his shoulders” just as one might expect in humans before a fight and I slowed to about 15 mph. I was concerned it may step in front of my vehicle and I did not want to hit it. When I slowed, I noticed a bending at the knee as though it was stooping to peer inside my car window. I told myself not to look in the creature’s eyes but out of my peripheral vision a face appeared, it was a flat hairy face, not like a gorilla or human face. I didn’t want to look!”

Mr. Z asked me to post this report because he felt people should know that there really is something out there. As a retired police officer he believes that other “…lawmen believe in this oddity and perhaps have even seen them too, but rarely do they speak on the topic.”

About BFRO Investigator Jim Sherman:

Jim is a High School History teacher and Track and Cross Country coach. He attended the Michigan Northern Lower Peninsula Expedition in 2011, the Michigan Upper Peninsula Expedition in 2012, co-organized the Michigan UP 2013 Expedition and attended the 2014 Wisconsin Expedition. He assisted in the production of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot Michigan episodes (Bigfoot and Wolverines and Super Yooper). He participates in Ironman Triathlons and enjoys fishing and camping with his wife and daughter. Jim can be contacted at germanicus1@hotmail.com and Twitter @shermanbigfoot and his YouTube account is : Lordcryptid