YEAR: 1996

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

DATE: June 8, 1996

STATE: Missouri

COUNTY: Buchanan County

LOCATION DETAILS: 1 mile south of agency on the platt river

NEAREST TOWN: agency

NEAREST ROAD: h

OBSERVED: i was sitting on the river back just a mile from my house. it was early evening as i was sitting there i heard some rustling in the trees behind me never thought anything about it, figured it was a deer or something. this went on for prob 10 or 15 minutes.. then all of the sudden the wind shifted and i got a whiff of the most awful disgusting smell ive ever smelt like wet dog and sewarge mixed. it was awful never smelled anything like it. honestly didnt give much thought but the smell kept getting stronger and the rustling got louder. i turned around and there 20 30 yards in front of me stood a huge creature at least 8 9 feet tall broad as a grizzly. it was a very dingy brown color very deep sunken eyes. it never moved a made a sound or anything. It just looked at me i dropped my pole and ran to my car prob 1/2 mile away and went to the house in a hurry. my mom lived next door and saw me speed home came to ask what happened. She said i was white as a sheet and couldnt talk for several minutes... i remember being terrified, confused why it didnt chase me or attack me or nothing. i never looked back when i was running just kept moving. to this day i have not been to that spot. the other encounter of the smell was prob a mile from the original place.

ALSO NOTICED: the smell was unforgettably smelled like a wet dog and sewage mixed

OTHER STORIES: couple years later I was in my deer stand before daylight and smelled the smell of wet dog and sewage behind me never heard or saw anything and smell lasted only a few minutes

TIME AND CONDITIONS: early evening 6 or 7

ENVIRONMENT: where a creek runs into the plat river
river bottoms
timber wooded area

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Carter Buschardt:

Spoke with the witness via phone. I am familiar with the area since it is about 45 miles north of my home. We could not visit the site due to heavy flooding and continued rain. Buchanan County is full of lush farmland, tributary creeks, and the Platte River is one of the longest in the country. This witness originally filed this report 16 years ago and it fell through the cracks. At the urging of his brother, a policeman in N. Carolina, he re-filed the report.

After speaking with him the report remains pretty short and straightforward. It was early evening on June 8th, 1996. He heard the rustling behind him for about 15 minutes, and as stated, paid it no mind, as he figured it was a deer, or perhaps another person coming in to fish. Where he was at was the best place to get down to the river. It was about 15-20 yards or so from Pigeon Creek, which feeds into the river. The creek has heavy vegetation and steep banks so access to the river there is difficult at best. Where he was, the bank has a gentle slope down to the river. If you stand up at the river bank there you are about a head taller than the level of the land above you which is about 5 feet.

He heard the rustling and steps (no bi pedal noted) and then an overwhelming stench began wafting down to him. It seemed to be getting worse, and seemed to be getting closer. After about 15 minutes the smell was brutal and the rustling or steps stopped, and it seemed very close. He got a “weird creepy feeling” and he turned around. There this massive “dingy brown creature” just standing perfectly still and staring right at him. A “man with a whole lotta hair” as he put it more succinctly. It was 20-30 yards away, and it was most of the way towards Pigeon Creek from his location.

He estimated the weight to be 700-800 lbs. at least. The eyes were “black and empty looking” and they were “looking right through him” and it never blinked. The stare down lasted 5-7 seconds but felt like an hour. He dropped his pole while they continued to look at each other, and he took a couple of steps towards the small trail. Creature didn’t move. Stood like a statue.

This was his chance to bolt and run, which he did. He heard no movement behind him, other than himself crashing through the underbrush. Left all his gear behind and ran appx. a half mile or so to where his car was parked and headed home. As he mentioned, the creature never followed or came after him. This was an assumption because he got out of there unscathed, and he also never looked back. He has never returned to that spot. We discussed going back there, and he is not certain that is a possibility. Plenty of other good places to fish.
Witness was good and recollection was vivid, even though time has passed. He was truly frightened and affected by the event. And he cares not if anyone believes him or not. It happened and so be it. And he would not have even relived this event were it not for his family, urging him to come forward.

About BFRO Investigator Carter Buschardt:

Carter is originally from Texas & moved to Missouri in 1988. Professional drummer for 20 years. Improv & sketch comic and writer for 5 years. Lighting technician for major touring groups for several years. Experienced outdoorsman and was a trained investigator for MUFON. Studied Herpetology in college. Longtime special interest in Sasquatch long term habituation, burial research, infra sound, language & stick structures. He led three Missouri BFRO Public Expeditions:, 2012 & 2013 & 2014. Led public expedition for BFRO in Illinois in 2019.Participated in Iowa, 2012 Illinois. Michigan 2016. Private Expeditions: Illinois 2011, 2012, 2013. Missouri 2011, 2012 (3) 2013(2) 2014. Iowa 2012, 2014 & 2015. Consulted on two Animal Planet Finding Bigfoot TV shows. Expedition leader in Missouri 2013 (1) & 2014 (2) & Illinois Expedition 2019 (1). Led night ops on numerous BFRO expeditions. Hosted a public Town Hall meeting in Missouri in 2017.

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