YEAR: 1977

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

STATE: Texas

COUNTY: Jeffdavis County

LOCATION DETAILS: I would have to look at a map to find this area again

OBSERVED: I was towing my friend's car back to Midland TX. We were coming through the Davis Mt. area of SW Texas. The road was a two lane highway. I saw something on the side of the road that at first looked like a large cactus. I was driving about thirty-five mph. I hit my high beams and slowed down. When I turned on my brights I saw a very large head turn away. By then we were passing this thing. It looked to be about seven ft.tall. As we went by we all turned and looked at it, and it was looking at us as well. It had a very large head, large eyes and very long thick hair. The body was covered with thick, matted hair. It stood with a stoop and the arms were very long. This thing did not move as we drove past. But there was a very strong smell like garbage.

OTHER WITNESSES: Two people were in the car with me. We all saw the same thing at the same time.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: after 10 pm dark starlit clear

ENVIRONMENT: rough terain hilly

Follow-up investigation report:

I spoke with H.P. via telephone about his experience. H.P. remembers the experience happening in the late evening some time after 2200 hours. A party of three including H.P., H.P.'s friend by the name of A.A. from Midland, Texas and A.A.'s father were riding together back to Midland. The three had gone to retrieve A.A..'s car from a border town and were at the time towing the vehicle. H.P. was the driver. The closest town was Marfa, Texas and in the distance the West Texas Mountains were visible to include the Davis Mountains. The highway was a two-lane, narrow road surrounded by rocky terrain with much scrub brush, as H.P. described it.

Up ahead in the distance an object came into view on the side of the highway that H.P. first thought was a cactus. He immediately slowed his vehicle down because the object seemed extremely close to the highway. H.P. said he wondered to himself why the highway department would allow something to grow so close to the highway.

As the party drew closer to the object it became apparent that it was no cactus or plant but rather an animal of some sort. At that time H.P. activated his vehicle's high beams. Then, the animal showed movement. H.P. said the creature instantly turned what was obviously its head away from the high-beam lights. However, the creature showed no sign of retreat and continued to stand its ground just off the highway on the passenger side of the vehicle. H.P. then slowed to approximately 20 miles per hour.

H.P. described his feeling as one of terror and bewilderment as his vehicle slowly passed the unknown being. Upon passing it, H.P. noticed that it turned its head and watched them as they passed. H.P. took note of its physical characteristics. He described it as being over 7 ½ feet tall, covered from head to toe in dark, matted hair much like "an un-groomed Afghan hound out in the rain." The creature was in a stooped, bipedal position, was very wide at the shoulders, had very long arms and had a big, very flat, wide face. He described the eyes as being large. It also appeared that the creature's face was bearded. When I asked H.P. if it seemed more like a human or an ape, he stated, "Neither - it was something in a category of its own." He said it was probably a primate, but unlike any he had ever seen - before or since.

Immediately after they passed the creature, they noticed a rancid, sulfuric-like stench that permeated the vehicle (windows were rolled down) that dissipated as they drove on. H.P. turned to his friend and in a disturbed manner asked, "What the heck was that!!??!"

A.A. replied, "I don't know!"

H.P. stated that A.A.'s father told him that they saw nothing and immediately began to pray aloud. A..A. joined him in prayer as the two apparently were quite shaken by what they saw. H.P. wanted to stop the vehicle, but A.A.’s father vehemently demanded that he keep driving.

When they arrived in Midland, A.A.'s wife P.A. could tell the three had gone through something unusual. Apparently, the men appeared visibly shaken and could not explain what they saw. H.P. stated that A.A. would be able to corroborate his testimony and advised me to attempt to contact A.A. in Midland, Texas. However, I could find no listing for A.A. or P.A. in Midland, Texas.

In summation, H.P. now resides in North Carolina. He stated that when he tells of this experience to others including his wife, no one believes him and he is invariably mocked, and is ultimately called "nuts" by many. H.P. narrates the event with much fervor and although impossible to prove or disprove, I deem it unlikely that he fabricated such a story that took place so long ago in such an unlikely place (where bigfoot sightings are rare indeed). If he wanted to make up a story about bigfoot, why not place the story in a more likely setting such as the Pacific Northwest? Although the locale and terrain defy the normal parameters in which sightings normally occur, it is necessary to state that we are in fact talking about a species of animal that is undocumented and is not aware of such parameters. I rather believe that H.P. did experience something highly unusual that evening and may have in fact had a close encounter with a bigfoot.

Addendum:
Since the writing of this post-investigation report, I have been able to contact the residence of A.A., who now resides in Colorado. I spoke very briefly to P.A., the wife of A.A. and she does remember the event. She remembers that the men arrived back home in a very disturbed state. I have not been able to discuss the incident with A.A., but I anticipate doing so in the near future. As I am able to interview A.A., I will post additional information.

Investigator's supplemental:
I was able to speak with A.A. who did corroborate H.P.'s testimony. While A.A.'s recollection of events was not as detailed as H.P.'s, he did recall the experience as occurring in much the same manner as H.P. A.A. would not say that the animal they saw was a bigfoot, but he did say that the creature was "very strange" and like nothing he'd ever seen before.

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