YEAR: 2011

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: April

STATE: Kansas

COUNTY: Sedgwick County

LOCATION DETAILS: It was on the Ninnescah River.

NEAREST TOWN: Cheney

NEAREST ROAD: Sixth Street

OBSERVED: I never gave much thought to bigfoot, especially living in Kansas. I heard stories when I was a kid. I was out for a walk by myself on a nice spring day enjoying nature and getting some peace and quiet away from my children. I like to walk down to the Ninnescah River, so I went to the closest bridge by our house. I walk quietly so I can hear everything around me, I practice listening to everything and using all my senses when I walk. I got to the edge of the bridge at the river and I stopped as I saw a figure squatting down at the edge of the river. First I thought it was a homeless person or local, but then I noticed they were covered in hair, so then I wondered why someone would be dressed in a bigfoot costume at this remote area by the river, then I looked around to see if there was anyone else filming trying to pull a hoax or something- you never know what the teenagers will do these days. There was no one, and that's when I started noticing other details that pointed to the reality of the situation. The bigfoot was breaking open mussels or clams or whatever and then eating them, which made me think 'Who would eat that raw from this dirty river where there is trash laying around?'. That's when it fully dawned on me that this was not a human. It was covered in a brown hair/fur. It was squatting with its back towards me the whole time, it never looked back at me, and I didn't move until I turned and left to go home to try to get my phone to take a picture (which it was dark by the time I got home and there was nothing there when I got back). It just kept opening mussels and eating them, and it would hit them on the rocks to break them open. It had long arms, and it squatted flat footed, which I thought would be a difficult position to hold, as I squat with my heels up off the ground. It's hands were shaped more like human hands, but the color was darker and the texture was kind of like gorilla/ape hands. I couldn't say for sure how tall it was, but it seemed younger, probably 6+ foot or 7 foot tall, but I'd have to have someone help me determine how big it really was. When I came back I didn't want to get down in the area because there are snakes around here. I couldn't believe what I had seen, and didn't tell anyone, even my family, because this is Kansas. I did make them squat to see if they did it flat footed- ha! I also take them to the river whenever we go for walks. I tried to get my husband to go for walks with me, so maybe he would see one, too, but he won't go for walks with me. After the show aired I told my family about what I saw, now he might go for a walk with me! I didn't think about reporting this to your site until Finding Bigfoot came to the very river I saw one at, and it clicked that Matt was the head of the BFRO and you might want to hear about this incident. I saw it and I still can't believe it, why would anyone else believe it? We live a couple blocks from the river, so if any investigators want to come check it out, you are welcome to stay here or base out of here. I do have three children at home still, but we have a clean, nice, newer house with a couple guest rooms. If anyone wants to search around the Ninnescah River I would suggest doing it in the spring or fall when we have more wildlife and the weather is nicer.

ALSO NOTICED: The whole incident was very unusual, it was in Kansas, after all!

OTHER WITNESSES: It was only me. I was out for a walk like I do when the weather is nice.

OTHER STORIES: I had never heard of any other incident like this until Finding Bigfoot came out to the very river I had seen one. I didn't want anyone to think I was crazy, so I didn't tell anyone, because a bigfoot in Kansas, really?! I saw it and I still can't believe it.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was evening, just before dark. It was a perfect spring day, starting to cool off, light jacket weather. I don't recall exactly what month it was, maybe April. It was late enough in spring to have plenty of greenery, but still cool outside.

ENVIRONMENT: The river was a bit low at the time.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Carter Buschardt:

I spoke with the witness at length. She did provide extra details during our conversation, and in an additional email the next day.

When she goes for walks, she "walks in silence". Likes to hear nature, not her footsteps. She felt like this was the reason the creature never saw or heard her. It was hyper focused on eating the clams/mussels. It was no more than 30 feet away, its back was to her. It was breaking the shells open with its hands, and also breaking the hard to open ones over a rock. Some it ate by just pouring it into its mouth, as a human would eat an oyster. Other times it would hold the shell in one hand and pull the meat out with the other and feed itself that way. The hands were leathery, absolutely human/apelike. The hair was brown/reddish brown. The red came out as the sun hit it at certain angles. The "undercoat" was matted and a bit darker. She did mention that it reminded her of the color of an orangutan. She felt it was a female, and that was due to mannerisms and a "slight" physique. She "just felt the movements were gentle and feminine". It could have been a juvenile as well. There was no genitalia viewed that would give her a clue. She saw the muscles rippling as it moved in its squatting position, mostly legs and arms. The arms were "very long", "longer that humans, more like apes". It did not lean forward much to get the mussels, as its elbows "almost reached the ground in it's squatting position". It had "very thick legs". She was amazed that it could squat flat footed, and she tried to repeat that stance when she got home, and found it very difficult, if not impossible, to repeat that position. The sighting lasted at least 3 minutes, and perhaps as long as 5 minutes. It never looked back at her direction, or at anything else for that matter. It was just focused on eating. She backed away slowly until it was out of sight, then turned and went home to get her phone camera to video it. By the time she got home she had gotten distracted by home life, and the thought that it would be gone by the time she got back, and no one would believe her anyway. She sat on this incident until she saw the Kansas show of Finding Bigfoot, and finally realized that this actually happened. The entire time we were speaking, she kept saying the whole thing was surreal, like a dream, and could not possibly happen to her, especially in Kansas.

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.

• Explanation of the report classification system
• Submit a report for the sightings database
• Please send any comments or inquiries to ContactUs@BFRO.net