YEAR: 2003

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: 11

STATE: Missouri

COUNTY: Lafayette County

LOCATION DETAILS: North on P highway from 24 highway. Make a right on Dover Bluff Road and immediate left onto Coal Mine Road.

NEAREST TOWN: Dover, Missouri

NEAREST ROAD: Coal Mine Road.

OBSERVED: In the year of 2002/2003 around 3:00 am during the summertime I was leaving my girlfriend's house in Dover, Missouri which is located on the Missouri River bluffs. At the time there were only two houses located in that area on Coal Mine Road. One of the properties was owned by Kerr Orchard, which was in the midst of its apple season, and the other property was owned by the Dunkel family who raised livestock.

I was driving (Blue Ford Escort ZX2) south on Coal Mine Road from my girlfriend's house on the gravel road approaching the S-curve. As I rounded the first half of the S-curve, my headlights lit up a large, dark, sparkly/reflective object with yellow eye glow in the middle of the road. I began to slow down my car, and the reflective object hurried to the side of the road still on all fours. As I got closer to the unknown object, initially I thought it was a black bear which is uncommon in this area. All of a sudden, the object stood up on two feet broadsided and froze as I continued to approach it in my car. At this time I observed an unknown creature that was fully covered in extremely long (approximately eight to ten inches long), matted hair. The hair was black and gray and fully covered the creature except for the chest/shoulder area where the creature's skin appeared to be much lighter. I could see large, pectoral muscles in the creature, and at this time I knew the unknown creature was a male. The creature had very broad shoulders and extremely long arms that hung down beyond its kneecaps. I could not see the face or hands because of the long hair covering its body. The creature appeared to be approximately eight feet tall and towered above my vehicle as I was about fifteen feet away from it still driving slowly down the gravel road. I would estimate him to be five hundred or more pounds and was solid muscle. When I passed him, I was so scared and down shifted my clutch to second almost killing my engine. As I continued my drive home to Lexington, Missouri, I could not believe what I had encountered. The next day I told my mom/dad and brothers about what I saw.
Before the sighting I have driven home from that area in Dover, Missouri for 5 years and have never seen anything like it before. There is no question about what I saw that night. I know without a doubt I saw a male Bigfoot. In my opinion, the Bigfoot I observed appeared to be a unknown giant Ape that has not been identified by scientist yet.

ALSO NOTICED: Nothing unusual.

OTHER WITNESSES: No.

OTHER STORIES: Yes, at Baltimore Bend conservation area. My cousin Phillip Spease had two separate encounters. Once mushroom hunting and another time squirrel hunting.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 3:00-3:30 am. Summer time and very hot outside. No inclement weather conditions.

ENVIRONMENT: Apple orchard with apples on the trees and the other side of the gravel road had livestock in a fenced in field.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Carter Buschardt:

I have had several informative conversations with the witness. As a law enforcement officer, both at the time of the sighting, and now, he is factual and methodical in his memory and reporting of the incident. At the time of the event, he was a deputy sheriff in Lafayette county, Mo. Location of event was in Dover Mo., which is 60 miles east of Kansas City Mo. To this day, he is still in law enforcement.

He had left his girlfriends home at around 3AM. As he approached the first "S" curve, he saw a "creature of some type" in the middle of the road. It was down on all fours with "yellow glowing eyes". The yellow glowing eyes were just that: glowing. He felt that the hair was reflecting off his headlights and gave it a "sparkling" effect. After it moved to the side of the road it stood up. He slowed way down. It was facing the side of his car with a full frontal view. This was when he determined it was a male. As he passed it, it cocked it's head slightly to the left while looking at him.

Physical characteristics are as follows: Long dirty/matted hair 8-10 inches long with a mixture of grey and white, with some black as well. Clearly saw developed pectoral muscles. The hair was sparse on the chest and shoulder area and the skin was lighter, not tanned. At least 8 feet tall and in the 500 lb. range. It towered well above his Ford Escort. Massive broad shoulders and very long fingers hanging below the knees. When asked about the "glowing eyes" after it stood up, he stated that there was so much long matted hair that covered the face, that the eyes and face were completely hidden which gave him no facial features at all. Overall assessment of the creature was an "unknown giant ape" with a "massive body builder physique". It was not a bear, or any other known animal native to North America. He is adamant as to what he saw. And he has been an excellent observational witness.

I will mention the “Other Stories” and other anecdotal stories he told me, as they do give a back story to the general belief in that area that there is “something going on there” in that part of Missouri.

As an investigator, I have been to this area several times. Baltimore Bend Conservation area (1202 acres) has had several unconfirmed (not officially reported to BFRO) sightings and other activity. As he and I were finishing our phone interview, his mother overheard our conversation and grabbed the phone and confirmed his story. She also confirmed the story of a “hairy wild man” that was rumored to live in an abandoned cave near the power plant in Lexington. I also investigated a report (reported to BFRO) of 2 fishermen harassed by a “Sasquatch” during a night time fishing trip on the Missouri River outside of Napolean Mo, just a few miles west of Lexington.

The other “anecdotal” events reported were 2 sightings by his cousin at Baltimore Bend Conservation Area, calves missing from the cattle ranch when it was in operation. There were many reports of an abandoned cave (coal mine) that had “something screaming at you” if you tried to enter the cave. The old farmer that lived there still lives there and we are trying to get permission to enter the property as of this writing. I mention these peripheral events, as it speaks to the “common knowledge” of residents of the rural area that there have been things going on for many years. Several generations of families there all say the same thing.

About BFRO Investigator Carter Buschardt:

Carter is originally from Texas & moved to Missouri in 1988. Professional drummer for 20 years. Improv & sketch comic and writer for 5 years. Lighting technician for major touring groups for several years. Experienced outdoorsman and was a trained investigator for MUFON. Studied Herpetology in college. Longtime special interest in Sasquatch long term habituation, burial research, infra sound, language & stick structures. He led three Missouri BFRO Public Expeditions:, 2012 & 2013 & 2014. Led public expedition for BFRO in Illinois in 2019.Participated in Iowa, 2012 Illinois. Michigan 2016. Private Expeditions: Illinois 2011, 2012, 2013. Missouri 2011, 2012 (3) 2013(2) 2014. Iowa 2012, 2014 & 2015. Consulted on two Animal Planet Finding Bigfoot TV shows. Expedition leader in Missouri 2013 (1) & 2014 (2) & Illinois Expedition 2019 (1). Led night ops on numerous BFRO expeditions. Hosted a public Town Hall meeting in Missouri in 2017.