Skeptic Sees a Sasquatch
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on March 25th, 2014
From the BFRO website:
Report # 43399 (Class A)
Submitted by witness on Sunday, December 22, 2013. Scientist skeptic has early morning encounter behind gas station near Las Vegas, NM
YEAR: 2013
SEASON: Fall
MONTH: October
DATE: 18
STATE: New Mexico
COUNTY: San Miguel County
LOCATION DETAILS: It is the Southernmost gas station off of I-25 from Las Vegas, NM. It is a large service center.
NEAREST TOWN: Las Vegas, NM
NEAREST ROAD: I-25 South, appx. 500 feet away
OBSERVED: My wife and I were driving home from Denver, Colorado to Albuquerque, NM and stopped at a gas station in Las Vegas, NM (I believe it was a Philips 66) at approximately 0100 on 10/18/2013. We pulled off of I-25 Southbound into the gas station parking lot. When we were driving down the frontage road towards the gas station, we saw a few vehicles on the far end of the parking lot with 3-4 people talking and a NM State Police cruiser was leaving the lot, however, upon parking in front of the gas station, we discovered that it was closed. I needed to pee rather urgently, so I ran around to the back of the station to find a dark place to do my business. I walked about 15-20 meters behind the gas station to be out of sight of the occupied vehicles in the gas station lot. As I was urinating I began to feel…uncomfortable. I was peeing in open ground and initially thought somebody was walking up behind me (probably to do the same thing). I craned a looked around and saw nobody and no animals; just a blanket feeling that somebody was very near me. As I finished peeing, I turned and began briskly walking back towards our vehicle. As I was hurrying back I turned to look behind me; and that is when I became a believer.
Before I continue, I would like to preface my anecdote by alluding to my high-level of academic credentialing alongside my occupation as a healthcare executive. I also provide executive and technical advise to elected and appointed officials; I have worked very hard to become an expert based on empirical analysis and studied fact. I did not believe in Bigfoot, ghosts or another unexplained anomalies. I believed in results, hard work and, well, results. My perspective is now very different.
As I turned and looked over my left shoulder, I saw an enormous, lurking animal. The animal was crouched over, almost as if taking cover in the sparse and cold vegetation. In fact, I think the creature watched me the whole time, and did not make so much as a noise. However, the creature noticed when I saw it. The creature stood up, and quickly lumbered into the dark away from the direction of the parking lot. The one attribute of the creature that resounded with me was how heavy the footfall was. It sounded like somebody dropping a sack of potatoes over and over again. And it was fast. I observed the creature for about 8-11 seconds, from the moment it realized I saw it, to watching the animal dart into the wood line. Due to radiant light from the parking lot, I could make steady detail of the fleeing creature. Here are the salient points from my memory (aside form the footfall):
1) The creature was approximately 8-10 feet tall. I am 6″2 and this animal would have towered over me ( I observed it on flat land lending to my estimation).
2) The hair on the creature was matted, like dogs that live outside. The coloration was dark brown.
3) The creature had a defined gait. It took strides that I would estimate to be 3-4 of my strides per 1 of it’s strides.
4) The creature had massive, human like hands.
5) The creature was very skittish, not moving until realizing I was observing it, lending to a higher intellect that a brown bear. I believe the creature may have even fled in fear.
6) I did not make eye contact, but noticed a massive brown and defined jaw and cranial structure.
There is one other trait that I have since read about that may allude to this being a New Mexico Bigfoot. The air was rank with what I thought was the dumpster behind the gas station. However, this may be the “musk” eyewitnesses have reported in the past. I cannot be sure, but it was very powerful, and somewhat reminiscent of what I perceived to be urine.
This incident was fearful and moving. I was unable to sleep for days and could not even bring myself to tell my wife until recently. Due to my profession and reputation, I have extreme, extreme reluctance about openly sharing my encounter. However, I have personal visual evidence of a so-called mythical beast, and I do not know what to do with it.
Another fact: I have a concealed carry handgun license in the State of New Mexico and was carrying a 1911 .45 at the time of incident. I was so scared that reaching for my weapon would have been an afterthought. I was actually scared stiff.
ALSO NOTICED: The animal was trying to stay hidden. Very cognizant of what I was and when I noticed it.
OTHER WITNESSES: No. But there were people very nearby. I actually do not know if anybody else saw the creature. I fled to my vehicle and left very, very rapidly.
OTHER STORIES: No. I did not believe in crypto-zoological animals until this occured.
TIME AND CONDITIONS: 0100. It was chilly ( I could see my breath in the air). A moderately well lit area because of light splash from a nearby gas station. Enough to see a solid silhouette and some color.
ENVIRONMENT: Rocky tundra with a nearby forest line. Pinon’s, sagebrush and ragweed.
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Boyd Omer:
I had the privilege of speaking on the phone and exchanging multiple emails with this witness. He reiterated his fear and wonderment of this early morning encounter. He mentioned that he is a highly credentialed scientist in the medical field. Having a scientific background, the witness finds this personal encounter challenges the rational concept that these animals don’t exist per current scientific knowledge. He has a lot of trouble admitting this animal exists, but now must admit it.
The witness has returned to the location during the daylight and provided some photos of the area. The area is very open. The witness now realizes that as he urinated the animal was out in the open and crouched down very close by. After daytime viewing of the area the witness also would like to revise his estimate of the animal’s height to the 7 to 8 foot range.
Further details were brought forth by the witness during our discussion. He remembers the area smelling like cat urine. The witness says it reminded him of a mountain lion’s urine, a smell that he is familiar with in the past. Also shared, as the witness walked back toward his car he looked back over his shoulder and observed this animal rise up and move off. In his estimation the animal weighed 500 to 600 pounds. The hair was matted and dirty looking. It had long arms and human shaped hands. He noted that the animals hands were dinner plate in size. The animal used its arms for momentum as part of its rapid, fluid, swift stride. The witness describes the animals movement as graceful, clean and flowing with no head movement.
The witness mentioned that he was armed at the time and felt that he was still overpowered as well as dumbfounded by what he was seeing. He commented that he felt the animal was annoyed by his presence. He also told me that he thought the animal was watching the activity of the other people in the area when approached accidentally by the witness.
I looked at this gas station on Google Earth and determined that it also is a Subway sandwich shop. There is a dumpster in the area of this sighting. This could be a food source for this large animal? The Gallinas River is two miles east and the Santa Fe National Forest is directly to the west and north.
I find the witness to be highly educated and sincere in all his statements. I’m glad the witness chose to share his remarkable experience with BFRO.
Check out the report for the investigator’s photos.
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
location on google maps
While I don’t doubt this eyewitness’s encounter, I do not read where the investigator verified the eyewitness’s scientific credentials. One of the key points of this report, stated more than once, is that the witness was not only previously a skeptic, but is scientifically educated and trained, and uses his science professionally in his employment and by extension to some extent in daily life. He references his qualifications to validate both his experience and his description of the creature. Nowhere is verification stated. Couldn’t some of that be shared without revealing the witness’s identity? Perhaps I am being too critical here, but it seems to me that it is not enough to just repeat what a witness says about his education and profession when those are key elements of a report. Also, why was the State patrol officer there? Understanding the witness’s fear and desire to leave, what about the 3-4 other people close by at 1am? Did the investigator follow up and contact the state police, even a few months later, about an incident at that location at that date and time?
“Pinon’s, sagebrush and ragweed.”
One wonders whether it was the “highly educated” witness or the researcher that typed up the report who is incapable of forming a proper English plural.
I also have to wonder about the switching back and forth between “urinating” and “peeing.” Is this how “health care executives” normally speak?
As for,
“Before I continue, I would like to preface my anecdote by alluding to my high-level of academic credentialing alongside my occupation as a healthcare executive. I also provide executive and technical advise to elected and appointed officials; I have worked very hard to become an expert based on empirical analysis and studied fact”:
Does this sound like someone who is educated or someone trying to sound educated? And why does he call it an “anecdote”? Is he not sure enough of his own perception to call it an event, or an experience, or an encounter? It’s an anecdote, which emphasizes the telling of the tale and not the experience itself?
And if the location photographed is a continuing bigfoot feeding area, would it not be useful to place a camera pointed at the dumpster? I mean, how much better could it get?
LordBalto,
I totally agree, this is not written by an educated person, but rather, someone who is trying to sound like an educated person. That being said, to me, the credibility of this witness is completely shot. I want to believe, but I only want to believe if it is true.
Dangit, you guys beat me to it! I was getting all excited about dissecting this one!!
I have to agree with lordbalto.
You’d expect that a person with the lofty credentials that this guy claims to have would know the difference between the noun “advice” and the verb “advise”. This letter does have the look of somebody pretending to be something that they are not.
I happen to have a cousin who exaggerates just about everything about her life (her father shot down a dozen German plane in one mission, she attended a prestigious university (she was actually in a psych ward for rehab at the time), she’s a retired law enforcement officer (she was a telephone operator, her only contact with law enforcement officers came when they were summoned to break up nearly countless domestic disputes between her and her husband)). She actually threatens people who see through her b.s. by abusing her imagined authority as a retired law enforcement officer. This story looks like she could have written it.
The entire report is a contradiction to the claims the author tries to pass off about himself. Maybe he saw something, maybe he didn’t, but he cast the entire incident in doubt by trying to make others think he is more intelligent and knowledgeable than he is, but not being able to communicate at that level.
After reading the gentleman’s account twice-I think you guys are all incorrect. He sounds very intelligent, well spoken and writes well. He did misspell a word or two, but-hey don’t we all?
Sometimes it’s a typo, sometimes our mind goes to the other word with different spelling etc…but overall it sounds legit to me and I think you guys are all wet on this.
Referring to his encounter as an anecdote-could just be him anticipating what many skeptics refer to these reports as-you’ve heard it-“well, as far as eye witness reports, they are just anecdotal until we have solid proof, blah blah blah”…
It seems quite believable that an intelligent person could in the flow of consciousness anticipate this and humbly refer to his own encounter as anecdotal. Anyway, there is a photo floating around the internet of what could be a Bigfoot taken from a car near Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Well, my criticism wasn’t of the typos or misuse of a synonym or two, or even of the use of the word, “anecdote.” I write formal material regularly and it still amazes me when I see my mistakes after proofreading several times. You’ll probably even find one or more in this short entry. Emails are even more prone to be loaded with mistakes. My concern, or criticism if you will, is that the investigator does not say he verified the eyewitness’ stated or implied credentials. The credentials claim, by the eyewitness’ own statements, is an absolutely core argument for the veracity of this report. So my suggestion is that unless we have verification of claimed credentials, the report has a shadow of a doubt. As to proper writing as an indicator of level of education, I don’t think that is entirely true. I know quite a few people who only have a high school education and who write very, very well.