YEAR: 2001

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: November

DATE: 11/24/01

STATE: New Mexico

COUNTY: Dona Ana County

LOCATION DETAILS: To the east of I-25 a mile or two, north of Ft Seldon exit

NEAREST TOWN: Las Cruces

NEAREST ROAD: I-25

OBSERVED: [Note: This submission is edited slightly from the original, for readability.]


We were camping for Thanksgiving week. There were 3 adults, 2 teenagers and 2 small children.

My 14 yr old son was outside in the night getting me something from our SUV when he turned to see what he described as an 8' tall humanoid shaped figure walking south in the half-moonlight.

He had no flashlight to look closer but when he saw it/him/her (I'll just call it an "it") he got scared and ran into the trailer where we all were.

The weather was fairly cold (just a little above freezing if I remember right) and it was just after a sandstorm had passed through the two days before. All was clear with few clouds in the sky that night.

Once inside he told us and we laughed and thought he was joking so we suggested that perhaps, because of it's size, that it was Bigfoot. I have a friend who knows/knew some people and had heard of at least 4 Bigfoot sightings in the [mountains] over the last decade or so it was not unheard of to know of Bigfoot sightings in the desert even though they usually live in forested areas.

We have, within an hours drive of there, many forested and wooded areas in the mountains all over New Mexico and it is not a far reach to think they would roam outside their territory on occasion... especially in the dark of night.

So after we got a good laugh my nephew, age 18, took his flashlight and they stood just outside the trailer looking to see if they could see this 8' tall figure my son claimed to have seen.

Just then, although they didn't see anything, they heard a very large growl, like a warning sound or angry sound type growl, along with a shuffling of the dirt, or digging of the dirt with a foot(?) which reminded my nephew of a bull scraping the dirt with it's foot just before it runs towards you.

The boys both freaked out completely and ran inside the trailer, falling down and slamming the door behind them all at the same time. They were yelling and said that it was outside. I asked a series of questions and I could plainly see that Derek was totally freaked out and absolutely unwilling to go back outside.

I suddenly got this feeling that we were in danger. We just stayed inside peeking out the windows with flashlights trying to see anything. We locked the door to the trailer and our friend (who sleeps in his car) locked his car during the night.

The boys drove back to Las Cruces to spend the night because they were too afraid to stay and my nephew had to work the next morning.

We didn't check the area until the next morning, but any tracks from the day before, including our own, were erased by the blowing sand.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 9 pm, near freezing temperature.

ENVIRONMENT: BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land, hilly, mountainous, rocky/sandy/desert. All BLM land which is free range lands, cattle and other animals graze sometimes as there was plenty of old cow patties around the land. A popular area for people who go mountain biking, ATVing, 4 wheeling, etc. during the daytime only. No one was around or camping even except us. Nearer the highway there a some scattered homes and ranches and a food factory, otherwise it's a hilly and mountainous area, although mostly desert vegetation.... not typical for a Bigfoot area, but still we have no other "logical" answers at this time due to what happened.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

There were five people present during the incident. There were two eyewitnesses.

The temperature was near freezing. There was partial moonlight with a few clouds. The terrain is desert with ravines, with mountains visible in the distance.

The two witnesses were a 14 year old and his 18 year old cousin. They were camping with his mother, Grandmother, and a family friend, and two small children. Investigator Craig Woolheater talked to the 14 year old and his mother on two different occasions.

The 14 year old said he went outside the camper to get some soft drinks from the car. As he approached the car he saw a black, large figure walking on two legs through a ravine. The figure appeared humanoid. He could not make out any facial features or any other details. He said he thought the figure had to be around 8' ft. tall, because the shallow ravine the creature was walking in was 10 ft. deep.

After the sighting, his cousin brought a flashlight and walked back out with him. The tall figure wasn't in sight. After a few minutes, a long, loud growl was heard, along with a digging sound. The boy said the "digging" sounded like what a bull/buck would do with his hoof against the ground when angered. The growl seemed both angry and intimidating.

--------------------------------

Arrangements are being made for these witnesses meet with the attendees of the upcoming New Mexico BFRO expedition in late December 2004.

One of the areas targetted by the December expedition is not far from where this incident occurred.

A small team from the expedition group will go to this site and look around for tracks, and a possible travel route to other areas where sightings have occurred.

---------------------------------

If you are a hiker and photographer, you might thoroughly enjoy helping the BFRO investigate this region for tracks, etc., as part of the BFRO expedition in December. If you are interested, please contact the expedition organizer. See expedition links on the BFRO homepage for contact info.

About BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

Matthew Moneymaker is originally from the Los Feliz District of Los Angeles, California.

- Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

- Juris Doctorate (Law degree) from University of Akron School of Law

- Founder of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization,1995.

- Writer and co-producer of the Discovery Channel documentary "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science", 2001.

- Co-producer of the TV Series "Mysterious Encounters" for the Outdoor Life Network (OLN Channel), 2002.

- Producer of the "2003 International Bigfoot Symposium" (Willow Creek Symposium) DVD set, 2004.

- Co-host of "Finding Bigfoot" on Animal Planet Channel, 2010 - 2017.

- Current Director of the BFRO

- Available for private bigfoot expeditions and conferences. To inquire please email ContactUS@BFRO.net

• Explanation of the report classification system
• Submit a report for the sightings database
• Please send any comments or inquiries to ContactUs@BFRO.net