YEAR: 1983

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

STATE: Missouri

COUNTY: Ripley County

NEAREST TOWN: Oxly, MO

NEAREST ROAD: On T. Hwy

OBSERVED: My mother and I were on our way from church. As we drove down T Hwy. we observed a large creature standing in the center of the road. I stopped the car several feet away and it turned and looked at us and then in one big jump went from the middle of the road, over a fence and loped across the field. I hit the gas and got us home and we RAN into the house, locking the door behind us and making sure the windows were locked as well. We were both frightened for months but never saw it again.

ALSO NOTICED: This thing was very tall and stood quite upright. It has matted brown fur and a face similar to a man's, not a bear.

OTHER WITNESSES: Two. We were on our way home from church

OTHER STORIES: NO

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Occurred around 9:30 at night. It was very clear out and if I remember correctly, it was not a full moon out but close

ENVIRONMENT: The area there is mostly field and woods. In this particular area it was a field

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator G.E. Stade:

I spoke to the witness by phone. She impressed me as credible and sincere throughout her recitation of her sighting. The witness was driving on Highway T heading southbound toward the town of Oxly, Missouri. The witness’ mother was riding in the passenger seat and unfortunately I am not able to interview her because she passed a few years ago. This section of highway is a rural two-lane blacktop, with no shoulder, bordered by a fence, farm fields and then a woodline just past the fields. There were occasional residences along that section of highway. It was a clear, chilly fall night.

The witness first observed some kind of animal on the roadway approximately 100 yards ahead in the high beams of her headlights. No eyeshine was observed (the animal was facing away from the witness as she approached). She slowed the car to a stop as she approached and the following dialogue ensued between the witness and her mother:
Mother: “What’s that up there? Is it an ape?”
Witness: “No. It’s too tall.”
Mother: “Is it a bear?”
Witness: “No.”
Mother: “Well ....maybe it’s a Sasquatch.”

The animal was simply standing in the middle of the road, facing west, away from the witness. As the car approached, the animal turned and looked at the witnesses. When the witness was asked the closest distance she was to the animal she responded "I would say at the most it was 50 ft... this would have been when the car was stopped and we were looking at it trying to figure out what the heck it was!"

They stared at the animal and it stared at them. When asked what demeanor the animal exhibited, the witness explained that it didn’t look angry nor surprised. If the witness could interpret the animal’s expression it would be almost indifference as though it had an attitude of “what are you looking at?” or “why are you staring at me?” She felt like it was looking directly at her and her mom and not at their vehicle. The animal then leaped westward off of the roadway, clearing a fence, a distance of approximately 15-20 feet. The animal accomplished the height and length of its leap from a standing start without any run up, though it did bend it legs prior to its departure. It landed on two feet and smoothly transitioned into a brisk run/walk away from the road. The animal’s locomotion was bipedal throughout the time of observation.

The witness described the animal as very tall, estimating 7 - 7 1/2 feet tall. Its facial features were very human. Its face was hairless with leathery looking skin, wrinkles around the eyes and a broad nose. The eyes were dark in color. No ears were observed. The rest of its body was covered by long, matted dreadlock looking hair that was a dark milk chocolate brown color. Its shoulders were very broad but the rest of its body was pretty lean. The witness thinks it was a male though no positive indicators of gender were noticed. Its arms were long in proportion to its body and hands were observed (not paws). Feet (not paws) were hair covered. The head was the same shape as a human’s but much bigger and broader. When asked if the witness could discern the maturity of the animal she said it did not look elderly and would guess it was probably an adult. The significance of its height and facial structure drew the witness’ attention most profoundly during the brief 15-20 seconds of her observation.

When asked if she could have been pranked by a human wearing some manner of costume she replied that would have been impossible due to the subject’s height and its extraordinary leap. She also stated that no costume could approach the realism of a live creature such as she observed.

No other traffic was present during the duration of the sighting and there was very little traffic noted during the witness’ entire journey that night. The witness and her mother were frightened by the situation and were shaking. They locked every door and window of the house when they got home. They thoroughly discussed what they had just witnessed and were in agreement about the details. It was a very unexpected event and they weren’t sure how to categorize what they had just seen. The witness had heard of Bigfoot prior to her sighting but had been very skeptical about its existence. She had certainly never heard any reports about Bigfoot from that area of Missouri. The witness never returned to look for tracks at the area which was private property.

About BFRO Investigator G.E. Stade:

An experienced outdoorsman and naturalist. Mr. Stade attended the following BFRO Expeditions: 2008 & 2009 OK; 2008, 2009 & 2010 MO.

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