YEAR: 2013

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: April

DATE: 10

STATE: Michigan

COUNTY: Missaukee County

LOCATION DETAILS: Removed for privacy reasons.

NEAREST TOWN: Lake City

OBSERVED: We received a voice mail from a witness, and he stated "I live near Lake City on 66. It's really weird because I'm having some stuff happen out here, and I was really wondering if there is somebody in my area. I'm right by Missaukee Mountain and its all forest and swamps."

I am Investigator Kim Fleming and I am filing this report on behalf of the witness. I returned the witness' phone call and can add:

There is ongoing activity near the home since early spring of 2013. The witness' first encounter was while walking in an area of pines. He heard a wood knock so loud that it frightened him significantly. He actually thought he had been shot at. He also heard several whistles coming from an area of the woods where he regularly walks. Several sets of tracks have been found, large and small.

OTHER WITNESSES: One other witness has seen tracks in his yard which is right behind where the witness lives.

ENVIRONMENT: The incidents have mostly occurred in a patch of pine trees about 25 to 30 feet tall. There is only a few houses in this area and surrounding area is a mix of pine forest, hardwoods, higher elevation and swamps.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Kim Fleming:

I have been investigating this report since April 2013. The witness has cast several sets of prints. The most recent set included a set of possible juvenile prints at 9.5 inches. See photo of the casts:



A larger print found was measured at 14.5 inches, here is a photo of the cast:



Both the adult print and juvenile prints show toes and are consistent with the expected structure. The witness also found possible prints leading from a neighbor's house to the driveway.

November 2013 - the witness has begun finding mushrooms placed approximately 5 feet off the ground in the crotch of the pine trees along the trail he walks regularly.

Photo of our witness next to a mushroom find:



No one else walks this little trail as it is located on private property. The witness has collected several mushrooms over several different days. He also found a twisted plant laying on the ground in the middle of the path near the entrance by the road.

When I visited the site later in November, we found mushrooms on two occasions:





On the second day we also found another twisted plant on a pine tree branch near the mushrooms:



Later, upon returning to the witness' home, I was showing the plant to his girlfriend when I decided to smell the plant. The root and the flower smelled normal, but the section in the middle smelled like fish. All four of us agreed concerning the smell. That smell faded within a few hours.

I also found a dumping station for road kill, not two miles from this location, see photos:



Note the tree break and trail close to one of the deer carcasses dumped at the location:



January 2014 -
The witness reported seeing three large, dark colored creatures he thought were either people or possible bears, at the high point of a local ski area. The reported sighting was followed up by an immediate visit with the operators of the area. When they were asked about people being at the top of the hill, the response was, "No one is up there! No one can get up there! The slope is too steep and rocky!" The witness pressed in stating that he saw three figures at the top of the hill, but was repeatedly told that he must be mistaken. When the witness walked back out to his car, the figures were gone. The witness’ girlfriend also saw the three figures. Several families, including many children were sledding the area at the time.

On another occasion, the witness was scouting an area we had visited before near the sighting above. Previously, we had found some interesting stick formations. When the witness returned to the area, he found additional interesting stick structures. He tried to get a closer look, but was stopped by the hip deep snow. As he was working his way back to his car, he heard several noises coming from just over a nearby ridge. He reported several instances of large branches being snapped. The witness responded with a whistle that he uses while walking in the area of his first encounters and heard a very loud knock in response. The knocks continued and the witness and at one point, he stated that he felt like he "was enveloped by something and he could not move." He was scared! When he was finally able to move, he left the area immediately. He was concerned that something may come over the ridge looking for him. This incident occurred in mid-afternoon, temperatures ranging in the single digits. The witness is conducting his own research in the surrounding area and the BFRO will continue to assist this witness.

Update Spring & Summer 2014 -
The creatures are becoming bolder, coming closer to an area where you would not expect them to be. (I am purposely being vague here to protect the site) One day after my husband and I visited the area, a huge spot was found on the ground nearby. We believe it was a urine spot due to the smell and the fact that the grass died immediately. The spot was approximately 2.5 feet in diameter and was close to the witness’ car. Another spot appeared the next day, only much smaller. I was concerned about the creatures coming so close and using urination as a sign to mark its territory. Other researchers familiar with habitation sights agreed that this was an aggressive move, but the witness does not feel frightened or intimidated. This was the time frame that the 2nd 14 inch print showed up. Shortly following my visit to the site, the witness called and stated that there was another 14 inch print type, different from the first. The witness believes there are two 14 inch print individuals, as one of them has a bend in the right foot like it was injured at one point.

Items left near the gifting area were broken pottery pieces that were placed in a line seemingly pointing in the direction of something. These pottery pieces formed a cross. Interesting thing is that the witness is always wearing a cross of some sort as jewelry and on his clothing.

May is also when the witness had two possible sightings. One he believes was the juvenile who was crouching down along a gravel path about 50 ft. from the gifting site, through a stand of trees. There was a black mass, blob, along this path that is normally not there. The witness watched for 2 - 3 minutes, turned away, and when he looked back again, it was gone. A few days later, he returned to the gifting sight and saw another creature who he believed to be over 8 ft. tall. The creature showed itself for about 10 seconds in a grove of Maple trees along a tree line. It was dark black, massive and standing behind a tree. It stepped out between two trees while reaching for the next tree and disappeared behind the second tree. The witness left a stuffed lion with big feet wrapped in a blanket at the gifting sight and when he checked back two days later, the stuffed lion and blanket were gone. A few days after this sighting, the witness believes he had another sighting in an area across the road and near a power line. He saw a huge, black mass along a tree line. The witness believes they have moved from the original gifting area to another area nearby and are occupying an abandoned shed.
In June, the activity at this site exploded. What began with evidence of two individuals, increased to a suspected three individuals in May and to several more individuals visiting the site and leaving prints by early June. There were abundant prints in the 5 inch, 8 inch and 14 inch range right out in the open. Shortly after the 5 inch print appeared, a 19 inch print became visible. By the end of July, an individual with a 4 inch print joined the scene, suggesting a recent birth. These prints are abundant! The creatures are not trying to hide their presence from the witness and he continues to feed them and leave gifts on a regular basis. When I visited the area again, on July 9th, we found copious amounts of prints all over an area where the witness has set up a gifting site and in an open space nearby. This witness has cast at least one set of each size print. Shortly after my visit on July 9th, another individual showed up, leaving an impressive 21 inch print. It is amazing to see these prints in the soil, as the soil is hard and fairly compacted in some areas and in other areas, there is a deep moss bed above the print impression.

During my July 9th visit, the witness explained that over the 4th of July weekend, there were many people visiting the area and they were making a lot of noise, shooting guns, firing off bottle rockets and fire crackers, riding ATV’s and tearing up areas near the witness’ gifting site. In the early morning hours of July 5th, the witness and his girlfriend heard what they described as Samurai chatter or talk coming from an area near the gifting site. The witness did not feel it was safe to return to the gifting area for several days. When he did return to the area, the soil and moss were significantly disturbed.

The witness has been successful at casting possible hand prints as well. I have been going out there nearly every week and some days I spend 8 hours with this witness and he just fills me up with all the experiences. We also went to a lake campground area about 7 miles from his site where he thought they were visiting and found what we believe is the same 21 inch print and the 5 inch print. The list of experiences goes beyond the allotted space to document everything here.

Following is a list of other things going on: Prints on a window, white mucus like splatter on another window, hearing low vocalizations, sightings, a hand print, several prints believed to be knuckle prints, gifts being left (see pictures), stick structures built, rocks displays changed or moved, feathers and multiple sticks being left, structures built to copy ones built by the witness, different types of moans and chatter on occasion.

August 2014 -
A fourth possible sighting happened as the witness was out walking the trail about 50 feet away. “I looked toward some Poplar trees and I saw it standing there with his hands spread wide. He was rocking or swaying back and forth and I felt for a moment like I was being hypnotized. I snapped out of it and turned away for a moment. When I looked back, the creature was gone.” An interesting twist to this sighting was that the witness described the scene as “like looking through a kaleidoscope, unclear, with direct sunlight streaming through the trees.” The creature appeared to be about 6 feet tall, dark black and bulky. The arm spread was much wider than the height of the legs, suggesting that the arms are much longer than the legs.

Recently, the witness’ girlfriend stated that one night she heard what she would describe as “suckling”. She believes that a female may have been nearby and nursing a young one. Some other interesting things this witness has experienced are items being left on his camp chair which is set by a campfire ring. Every so often an item is left on the seat after he gets up and walks away. He has found bits of candy wrappers from candy he has previously left, rocks, sticks, pine needles, fabric. In the last month, he also has found three separate hairs that he found in various places. He is not sure if it is hair from the creature, but believes it may be. I also had a hair caught on my windshield wiper blade, just like he found one on his. Interesting to say the least.

October 2014 -
Many gifts are being left for the witness. About ten days ago, the witness called to inform me that he found a mushroom along the path near the gifting sight. As of yesterday, the witness has found nearly forty mushrooms. Two days ago, he said, "I went out to the site twice today within a two hour time frame and found a total of 31 mushrooms! There are eight or nine different species represented!" The witness is very excited and is anticipating more to come. We are in the process of attempting to identify the species of mushrooms that have been left. See photo:



The witness continues to find and cast new prints. He having new experiences several times a week including new gifts, eye shine, the feeling of being watched, possible sightings and the newest sound being a whistle he hasn't heard before.

22" cast:



Small cast:



Twisted plant/possible gift:



Pic of the same twisted plant for size reference:



Witness' collection of casts:





Witness' collection of gifts, items he has collected from his gift sites:



Collection of possible hand and knuckle prints:



BFRO Investigators with the witness:

About BFRO Investigator Kim Fleming:

Kim is a high school science teacher and uses Bigfoot research techniques to teach about scientific method. She has been interested in researching Bigfoot since 2008 and her husband experienced a sighting in Florida in 1976. Her interests include hiking, being outdoors, birding and working with young adults. Kim attended the 2012 and 2013 Michigan UP expedition and has done research in northern Michigan.

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