YEAR: 1999

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: April

STATE: Texas

COUNTY: Newton County

NEAREST TOWN: Bon Wier

NEAREST ROAD: 190

OBSERVED: My dad was bowfishing when he saw something on the bank. It was about the size of a man with raggy fur and entangled with twigs and leaves, it also had bright yellow eyes. My dad smacked the water with the paddle. It immediately turned and screamed.

OTHER WITNESSES: My dad.

OTHER STORIES: My friend saw one jump across a road.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Somewhere from 1pm to 3pm.

ENVIRONMENT: Dark murky waters.

Follow-up investigation report:

I was able to speak directly to the witness of this report, who is the father of the two teenage boys who submitted it. Very adamant about what he saw, the witness was quick to point out that it was unlike anything he had ever seen before or since. Even now, the witness is unsure what it was that he encountered, other than a strange, undiscovered animal of some sort. The boys managed to report the gist of the event, but the father narrated the event to me in detail.

While bowfishing in the Sabine River bottoms on an adjoining small lake, between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm, the witness saw an upright creature, in excess of six feet in height, “covered with hair from head to toe” that he could not identify, standing on the bank at a distance of approximately thirty yards. The unknown animal was facing away so that the fisherman had a “quarter view” of its backside. Upon seeing the strange thing, the witness slowly put his bow down in the aluminum boat, unintentionally making a slight clanking noise. At that time, the animal turned to look at the witness and emitted a “high-pitched scream like a woman.” It then turned quickly away and walked off, away from the water. The witness quickly grabbed a paddle and slapped the water as the animal briskly walked off. The witness stated that he was able to watch the creature continue to walk for another fifty yards or so before it disappeared into the undergrowth of the woods. The witness was struck by the way that the animal walked, which he did not classify as human-like. He described the walk to be in a stooped fashion with knees bent. He said the animal heavily swung its arms.

The fisherman told me that if he had had a gun, he would have certainly shot the animal with no hesitation. He described the creature as having reddish-brown hair all over that was matted and had matter and leaves entangled in it. The witness noted that there seemed to be dark-colored skin on the face and palms. When the animal turned to look at the witness and screamed, the witness noticed a “monkey-like face” but more human. The nose was flatter than a human nose, and the teeth seemed sharper than human teeth. The witness said he could not explain it, but the eyes appeared to have a golden hue or tint. The glutes of the animal were covered with hair and in no way appeared to be like a chimp, orangutan or gorilla.

The witness, who is ex-military, explained that he has hunted the Sabine River bottoms all his life and he had heard stories of such animals but never believed them until his encounter. He said he has heard weird vocalizations sometimes at night that he described as “screams” and “whoops.”