YEAR: 2025

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

DATE: 15

STATE: Arizona

COUNTY: Yavapai County

LOCATION DETAILS: 34.98113° N, 111.82695° W

[34.98113,-111.82695]

NEAREST TOWN: Sedona

NEAREST ROAD: 89A

OBSERVED: Hello, my name is Amber. Me and my husband and his cousin were up in the woods about 20 miles down the dirt road looking for a missing girl. We were using a spotlight at night to look through the trees and brush. We saw it about 75 yards from us. He was probably about 7 foot tall, at least 400lbs and really wide body and shoulders. He was hairy with matted white and brown hair around his flat hairless leathery face. His eyes reflected a golden color. He just stared at us. After a few minutes we got scared and left as fast as we could.

Hours prior close to the same area when I was screaming the girls name I heard tree knocks. I jokingly said, "Oh hey it's Bigfoot!" My husband did not believe in bigfoot and was always skeptical about it until he actually saw one. He is a hunter and knows the wildlife. He said he knows what he seen and that's his only explanation for what he seen. It did look like a Bigfoot and really scared him a lot. He does not scare easy.


The next day the hiker was found in a canyon. We talked to her afterwards. She said she walked away from her camp and then she saw something glowing like glowing lights or something. It moved towards her and that's what scared her. She ran from it and that led to her falling down the canyon. She was a ways down and lucky to be alive after that fall.

ALSO NOTICED: About 2 hours before the sighting I was screaming the name of the missing camper and I heard from a distance 2 hard tree knocks but joking I said hey there is bigfoot

OTHER WITNESSES: 3 witnesses helping in the search and rescue of a missing camper

OTHER STORIES: No

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Night time but we had a very powerful spotlight looking through the trees

ENVIRONMENT: Pine woods and hills and canyons

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

The three witnesses live in the Rimrock area. I spoke with two of them by phone. They heard on the news about the search for the missing camper (Janelle Banda) at the Edge of the World area, north of Sedona, so they went to help. They were up there for some time looking around and shouting out the name of the missing woman. At one point, during daylight, they heard powerful wood knocks. After darkness they continued to search for her. They were shining a powerful spotlight when they lit up the bigfoot 75 yards away. They observed it for 1-2 minutes.

Janelle was finally found and rescued after 2 and half days.

The witnesses were able to speak with her and her mother briefly after the rescue. She mentioned that something scared her and caused her to panic and run away, which led to her falling off the cliff. She told them there were glowing thing(s) moving toward her in the dark.

Amber got the phone number of Janelle's mother. I asked Amber to text Janelle's mother to see if I could speak with Janelle about what spooked her that night. Amber texted the mother who eventually replied saying her daughter was still traumatized by the ordeal and by what she saw. She didn't want to talk about it.

Here is the news story about the search and rescue of the missing camper, with video of the helicopter rescue:
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/06/23/woman-stuck-days-400-feet-arizona-canyon/84276369007/
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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