YEAR: 2013

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: January

DATE: 27

STATE: Alabama

COUNTY: Etowa County

LOCATION DETAILS: Appalachian highway heading from Hokes bluff to Gadsden Alabama right pass the Appalachian bridge, between Cotes Bend and the Coosa River

NEAREST TOWN: Gadsden

NEAREST ROAD: Appalachian highway

OBSERVED: My first sighting was in December 2012. It was about 12 midnight and I was on my way home. It was raining, not to hard but steady. I was going down the highway through the country side and on each side of the road up ahead were guard rails with woody swamps on each side. My headlights lit up the reflectors on the guard rails all the way down them. About mid way down the rail I saw a black space, almost like a gap in the rail. Once I got a little closer I realized it was some type of animal. It looked hairy, and as if it were standing over the rail crossing it. But before I got close enough to see, it had went into the woods. But it was big and I honestly didn't really know what it was, so I didn't think much of it until, about a week or so ago. I was leaving my house heading to work, it was about 8:30 or 9 in the morning.There was a very lite rain. I pulled out onto the highway (same one I had the first sighting on) and as soon as I pulled out about 200 to 300 yards I saw something weird looking on the side of the road, something out of place. As I started down the road it slowly walked out on the highway and took its time walking across the road, then stepped over the guard rail (same one as first sighting). It did this with ease. It walked down the ditch and into the woods. At this point it was about 150 yards in front of me. Its pretty open where it walked out so I got an okay look at it, but it was still a couple hundred yards out. Things that caught my attention were the way it seemed to walk. It had short legs and a longer upper body. Its head stuck up away from the shoulders. The arms hung beside it and hands were nearly touching the knees. It was all black. At first sight I was just like, that's a man, but the closer I got the more I realize how different it looked. How much bigger it appeared. Plus it came from the woods, walked across the road into a swampy area. With no cars or anyone around. It just seemed out of place to me. That's what made me focus on more detail. You could tell it didn't have clothes on because it was just one slick figure. Not baggy from jackets/ pants/ etc. Not to mention it was rainy and around 30 degrees that morning. Whatever it was, I had never seen and I hunt all the time in the woods. But I will say it was defiantly not a bear or any human I've ever seen before. This thing was big and it gave you a chill just seeing it. I'm going back tomorrow to see if I can find any hair that may of caught the rail or any tracks, just anything that catches my eye. I want to believe they are really out there and seeing this was amazing. Thanks for your time

ALSO NOTICED: I went back to the located and found it hard for me to step over the guard rail and to walk through the woods and it seems to do it with ease.

OTHER WITNESSES: None

OTHER STORIES: None that I know of

TIME AND CONDITIONS: The 2nd main sighting I had was around 8:30 in the morning. Around 30 degrees and a lite rain, kind of cloudy.

ENVIRONMENT: Swampy woods on both sides of the road then turns in to forest. One side leads out to farm land other leads to the river but good bit of wooded area

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Mick Minnis:

I am quite familiar with the area where the witness had his two encounters. Having hiked in the area I can attest to the fact that it is a very rural and forested. It has an abundance of local wildlife, and many natural water sources in addition to the Coosa River. I believe these are some key factors to consider when determining the validity of this report. The witness is very familiar with this area and its wildlife. Confusing what he saw with another animal is out of the question. The only other possibility would be that it was a person, rather than a large hairy creature that the witness identified it as. I do not believe this to be the case.

The witness was able to get two good looks at this creature on two separate occasions.

He stated to me that the anatomy of the creature was human-like but also distinctly different. Of course it was quite a bit larger than the average man. In height and thickness, its upper torso was larger than its lower body. Its arm length was longer than a human's hanging to the knee area. Also, the position of the head was a little forward on the upper shoulder, or trapezius area, and there was no visible neck. These anatomical features are common with similar looking creatures observed by other witnesses throughout the nation.

The 2nd sighting by the witness was at some length. He was able to slow down and really observe the creature in morning daylight. A key point was in the way the creature moved. He said it walked calmly and effortlessly across the highway. Looking straight ahead, never turning to view either side of the road.

The final and possibly most important point in validating the witnesses sighting in my opinion is the way it went over the guard rail. Guard rails on the side of highways are around 3 feet high. Average people would have to stop or at least slow down and re- position in some way to go over it when walking. Even the tallest human would bend, lean, or shift to navigate his way over this rail. The creature did it without breaking stride, all in one motion, and effortless. Humans simply cannot do this. I have tried.

In my opinion I believe the witness had two genuine encounters.

About BFRO Investigator Mick Minnis:

Mick Minnis currently resides in Cresview FL. He is the owner and operator of Bigfoot Moving Services, a moving and delivery company that operates throughout the state of Florida. He is an avid hiker, climber, and also enjoys running and practicing martial arts. His interest in Sasquatch has taken him throughout the United States on numerous personal expeditions and also visits to interesting places such as the Bigfoot Museum in Willow Creek CA. He has attended the 2011 and 2013 North Florida Expeditions.

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