TRAPPED IN BIGFOOT TERRITORY...
WE GOT STUCK IN THE MUD.
WE WERE ALL PUSHING THE VEHICLE. WE SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT?
WE'RE GONNA BE DEAD IN THE WATER."
WE WERE NOT GONNA GET OUT.
NATIVE AMERICANS ALWAYS TOLD ME, "DON'T GO THERE."
GOT THAT CAMERA READY, JEFF?
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SOME BIGFOOTS THAT AREN'T VERY NICE.
WHO'D BE MORE THAN WILLING TO KILL A HUMAN.
AND FROM A BIGFOOT ATTACK,
ACTUAL PHYSICAL EVIDENCE RECOVERED.
THIS COULD BE THE FIND OF THE CENTURY...
MYTH TURNED TO REALITY.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.
A FAMILY HARASSED BY AN EVIL GNOME...
I WAS AFRAID THAT IT WAS GONNA TRY
TO COME IN THE HOUSE AND GET ONE OF MY KIDS.
DON'T GO OUTSIDE, OKAY?
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH... MORE SCARED THAN I'D EVER BEEN.
A NEIGHBORHOOD INVADED BY HELLHOUNDS...
I WENT OUT TO LOCK THE DOOR,
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, WHAT IN THE WORLD?
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
I MEAN, I WAS PETRIFIED.
200 MILES EAST OF SAN FRANCISCO, IN CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL VALLEY,
THE EDGE OF ONE OF THE LARGEST WILDERNESS AREAS
IN THE LOWER 48 STATES, THE SIERRA MOUNTAINS.
THE REGION IS SO HUGE AND SECLUDED,
SOME WONDER IF IT'S SHELTERING
ONE OF AMERICA'S LEGENDARY BEASTS,
A TERRITORY THE GIANT CRYPTID SEEMS WILLING TO DEFEND.
MOST SCIENTISTS DISPUTE ITS VERY EXISTENCE.
YET OVER THE PAST 90 YEARS, THE CONTROVERSIAL CREATURE
HAS BEEN SEEN AND REPORTED MORE THAN 3,000 TIMES.
WHILE THE INFAMOUS APE-MAN
IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST,
ALMOST AS MANY SIGHTINGS OCCUR IN THE SIERRAS
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN NORTH AMERICA.
WHERE I THINK THAT A BIGFOOT WOULD THRIVE IN HIDING
WOULD DEFINITELY BE THE SIERRAS
BECAUSE IF YOU GET MORE THAN 100 YARDS OFF THE ROAD,
YOU MIGHT BE STANDING WHERE NOBODY STOOD IN 10 YEARS.
GROWING UP IN THESE MOUNTAINS, ALLEN THOMAS
DIDN'T TAKE THE BIGFOOT LEGENDS TOO SERIOUSLY.
LEARNING THE TRACKS AND SIGNS OF WILDLIFE WAS HIS PRIORITY.
ALL MY LIFE, I HEARD THESE STORIES ABOUT THESE THINGS,
AND I REALLY DIDN'T BELIEVE IT TILL I ENCOUNTERED IT MYSELF.
IN 1987, I WAS ON ONE OF MY HUNTING TRIPS.
WE PICKED A PLACE THAT WE WERE GOING TO
HIKE OFF THE TRAIL INTO THE WILDERNESS.
WE SAW, AT FIRST, WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A BEAR.
IT WAS JUST THIS BLACK THING BENT OVER IN A BUSH.
SENSING THE BEAR WOULD BE AN EASY KILL, THEY MOVED CLOSER.
AND THEN THE BEAR STOOD UP.
AND IT WAS A MAN.
DON'T SHOOT. DON'T SHOOT.
AND I'M LOOKING AT THIS BIG, HUGE, HUGE GUY
COVERED WITH BLACK, SHINY FUR.
AND THEN IT WAS LIKE, "MY GOD, WHAT IS THAT," YOU KNOW?
I WANTED TO, LIKE, LOOK AT IT. I JUST WANTED TO SEE HIS FACE.
SO I STARTED, LIKE, TRYING TO MANEUVER MY RIFLE AROUND,
TRYING TO GET THIS BIGFOOT IN MY SCOPE.
AND HE STARTED YELLING.
HE WAS SWINGING HIS ARMS LIKE THIS.
I FELT LIKE THAT IF I TOOK ONE STEP,
I COULD LEAP ALL THE WAY BACK TO TOWN.
MY WHOLE BODY WANTED TO RUN.
I FELT LIKE, "THAT'S SCARY."
LET'S GO.
THAT FREAKED ME OUT BAD.
I DIDN'T GO BACK TO THE MOUNTAINS FOR SIX YEARS.
FROM WHAT I'VE LEARNED IN THE BIGFOOT WORLD,
USUALLY THEY'RE PRETTY MASSIVE, AT LEAST EIGHT FOOT,
SIMILAR TO A NEANDERTHAL BUT BIGGER,
WHICH IS WHY PEOPLE ARE USUALLY
SCARED OUT OF THEIR MIND IF THEY HAVE AN ENCOUNTER.
ALLEN THOMAS HAD INADVERTENTLY STEPPED INTO CONTESTED TERRAIN.
ACCORDING TO SOME NATIVE AMERICAN LEGENDS,
AREAS WITHIN THE SIERRAS ARE AGGRESSIVELY GUARDED BY BIGFOOT,
AND THEY DON'T TREAT VISITORS KINDLY.
A BIGFOOT COULD EASILY KILL A HUMAN.
THEY'RE MUCH STRONGER AND BIGGER THAN HUMANS.
THEY COULD KIDNAP YOU, TAKE YOU OFF SOMEPLACE
AND MAYBE NEVER HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN.
BIGFOOT WITH A BAD ATTITUDE.
THIS SIDE OF THE BEAST ISN'T AS WELL-KNOWN,
YET SOME RESEARCHERS CLAIM, THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO,
A FULL-SCALE WAR BROKE OUT WITH THESE CREATURES.
THE BIGFOOT WARS ARE AN EVENT
THAT HAPPENED IN THE SIERRAS IN PREHISTORIC TIMES.
NATIVE PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT BIGFOOTS WERE CANNIBALS
AND THAT THEY WOULD OFTEN STEAL CHILDREN
AND TAKE THEM OFF AND EAT THEM.
KATHY STRAIN IS AN ARCHAEOLOGIST FOR THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE,
SUPERVISING TRIBAL HISTORICAL SITES AND ARTIFACTS.
SHE CLAIMS THAT TRIBAL ELDERS IMPARTED TO HER
A SECRET HISTORY ABOUT A TIME
WHEN NATIVE AMERICANS AND BIGFOOT CAME TO BLOWS.
ONE DAY, A BIGFOOT CROSSED OVER INTO THE TRIBE'S TERRITORY,
STOLE A CHILD AND TOOK IT BACK...
...AND KILLED IT AND ATE IT.
AND SO THEY HAD A GIGANTIC WAR
WHERE THE NATIVE PEOPLE WERE GOING TO KILL
ALL THE BIGFOOTS THAT WERE IN THAT AREA.
BIGFOOT PLUNDERED INDIAN VILLAGES.
INDIAN WARRIORS RETALIATED.
NATIVE PEOPLE HAD SPEARS AND BOWS AND ARROWS
AND WERE MORE SUCCESSFUL
'CAUSE ALL THE BIGFOOTS HAD WERE STONES AND STICKS.
EVENTUALLY, A PEACE WAS FORGED, TERRITORIES ESTABLISHED.
NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE OFTEN TOLD ME
THAT IN THOSE DAYS AND EVEN TODAY
THAT THEY RESERVE AREAS FOR BIGFOOTS TO BE.
THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THOSE AREAS AT ALL.
THEY CONSIDER IT TO BE BIGFOOT TERRITORY.
SO, WHAT HAPPENS
IF YOU INADVERTENTLY CROSS INTO BIGFOOT TERRITORY?
WE COULD STILL HAVE A BIGFOOT UP THERE
THAT WOULD BE MORE THAN WILLING TO KILL A HUMAN
EITHER JUST TO KILL A HUMAN OR TO USE IT AS A FOOD RESOURCE.
AFTER HIS OWN ENCOUNTER,
ALLEN THOMAS DIDN'T NEED CONVINCING
THAT BIGFOOT WAS A POTENTIAL THREAT.
IT TOOK SIX YEARS TO GET OVER MY FEAR.
YOU'RE THINKING, "THIS DUDE'S WANDERING AROUND OUT THERE.
HE'S FAST, HE'S HUGE, HE COULD PROBABLY JUST
GRAB MY TENT LIKE A BACKPACK AND CARRY ME AWAY."
JUST AS HIS FEARS WERE SUBSIDING,
THOMAS LEARNED OF A REMOTE LOCATION
IN THE SIERRAS WHERE BIGFOOT LIVED.
LURED BY THE PROSPECT OF CONFIRMING BIGFOOT IS REAL,
ALLEN AND HIS RESEARCH BUDDIES WERE READY TO GO.
I HAD TO SEE FOR SURE, "DID I REALLY SEE THAT?"
'CAUSE AFTER A LITTLE BIT OF TIME,
YOU QUESTION YOURSELF, EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW YOU SAW IT.
SINCE I WAS A KID, PEOPLE WERE TELLING ME
THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE CREATURES UP IN THE SIERRAS.
WHILE CAMPING UP IN THE MOUNTAINS,
THERE WAS ALWAYS THAT... IN THE BACK OF MY MIND...
THAT "WHAT IF THERE WAS?"
TRYING TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION WOULD BRING MUCH MORE
THAN THESE MEN EVER BARGAINED FOR.
I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT DAY.
IT WILL BE WITH ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE UNTIL I DIE.
THERE WERE EYES LOOKING AT ME.
IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE. IT BLEW MY MIND.
IN CALIFORNIA'S SIERRA MOUNTAINS,
LEGENDS PERSIST ABOUT AN ANCIENT BIGFOOT NATION
HIDDEN DEEP IN THE FOREST.
SOME BELIEVE THESE ARE SHY AND GENTLE GIANTS.
OTHERS ASSERT THAT BIGFOOT
WILL DEFEND ITS TERRITORY LIKE KING KONG.
IN 2011, JEFF GONZALEZ, ALLEN THOMAS,
AND THEIR RESEARCH BUDDIES LEARNED ABOUT
A SECRET LOCATION FOR BIGFOOT IN THE SIERRAS.
THIS PARTICULAR VALLEY,
THE NATIVE AMERICANS HAVE ALWAYS TOLD ME, "DON'T GO THERE.
THIS PLACE HAS GOT BIGFOOT THERE.
IF YOU GO, SOMETHING'S GONNA HAPPEN."
WARNED TO STEER CLEAR, THEY WENT ANYWAY.
WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, DOWN IN THIS CANYON,
A LITTLE VALLEY THAT'S ABOUT TWO HOURS AWAY FROM ANYONE.
YOU CAN'T GET PHONE SERVICE.
IT'S FAR.
THE PLAN ON THAT WEEKEND WAS PRETTY MUCH
TO ARRIVE ON FRIDAY AND TO LEAVE SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
AS A TECHNICIAN FOR THE TELEPHONE COMPANY,
JEFF GONZALEZ IS ADEPT AT RIGGING SURVEILLANCE GEAR
FOR BIGFOOT INVESTIGATIONS.
I SET UP ALL OF OUR ELECTRONICS, THE NIGHT-VISION CAMERAS,
MOTION DETECTORS, HOPING SOMETHING WAS GONNA HAPPEN.
GOT THAT CAMERA READY, JEFF?
JUST TURNING IT ON.
EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. HAD DINNER, YOU KNOW.
EVERYTHING WAS PRETTY QUIET.
ARE YOU OKAY?
YEAH. YEAH. JUST ABOUT DONE HERE.
THEIR CAMERA WAS SCANNING THE WOODS.
ONLY IT WAS THE CAMPERS WHO FELT WATCHED.
AS THEY SETTLED IN FOR THE NIGHT,
HEAVY STORM CLOUDS APPROACHED.
SIERRA WEATHER IS UNPREDICTABLE.
WHEN A BIG STORM HITS,
SURVIVAL IN THE BACKCOUNTRY IS AN IFFY PROPOSITION.
IT STARTED TO RAIN REALLY HARD.
YOU KNOW, ALL OF US ARE IN ONE TENT.
THE TENT STARTED TO LEAK.
I WAS HALF-SOAKED.
MY SLEEPING BAG WAS SOAKED.
I MEAN, IT WAS LIKE THE CAMPING TRIP FROM HELL.
WE WERE DEBATING, "SHOULD WE LEAVE NOW?"
IT'S COMPLETE DARKNESS OUTSIDE.
SO WE SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT? WE BETTER NOT."
THEN THEY HEARD THE HOWLING.
THAT SCARED ME SO BAD I WAS FEELING IT IN MY STOMACH.
THERE ARE SOME VERY FAMOUS SOUNDS
THAT HAVE BEEN RECORDED IN THE SIERRAS...
SCREAMS AND HOWLS.
REALLY WELL DOCUMENTED.
IT WAS GETTING LOUDER AND LOUDER AND LOUDER.
IT WAS COMING STRAIGHT FOR US.
WE RECORDED SOME AWESOME AUDIO THAT WILL...
IT'LL MAKE YOUR SKIN CRAWL.
IT'S GETTING LOUDER.
WHEN MORNING ARRIVED, THEY WERE ALL SAFE.
ONLY, THE SENSE OF SECURITY DIDN'T LAST LONG.
THE ROADS ARE VERY TREACHEROUS.
THE WATERS CAN GET UP TO FIVE FEET ON THE DIRT ROAD
AND YOU'RE LUCKY YOU'RE GONNA GET IN OR OUT.
SO THAT'S WHAT REALLY SCARED US.
STRANDED INSIDE ENEMY LINES, THEY KNEW THEY HAD TO GO.
WE STARTED THROWING EVERYTHING IN THE TRUCKS
TO GET OUT OF THERE AS SOON AS WE CAN.
I STARTED MY TRUCK, AND MY WHEELS STARTED TO SPIN.
I DID NOT HAVE ANY TRACTION AT ALL.
I WAS PRETTY MUCH DEAD IN THE WATER.
I'M STUCK! COME ON, COME ON, COME ON!
TRY AND HELP ME GET MINE OUT.
NOW WE'RE SCARED. WE HAVE ONE TRUCK THAT'S LEFT.
COME ON.
ONE, TWO, THREE! LET'S GO!
WE WERE PUSHING THE VEHICLE.
WE GOT STUCK IN THE MUD.
IT SCARED US 'CAUSE WE THOUGHT WE WERE NOT GONNA GET OUT.
LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO!
THEY ALL CRAMMED INTO THE 4x4.
IT WAS THEIR LAST HOPE TO MAKE IT OUT OF BIGFOOT VALLEY.
IT USUALLY TAKES US 15 MINUTES.
THAT MORNING, IT TOOK US ALMOST TWO HOURS TO GET OUT.
A COUPLE DAYS LATER,
THEY RETURN TO RETRIEVE THE VEHICLE THEY'D LEFT BEHIND.
BUT SOMEHOW, THE SECLUDED ROAD HAD CHANGED.
WE STARTED TO RUN INTO BARRICADES.
SOMEBODY PHYSICALLY PLACED TREE LIMBS IN THE DIRT ROAD.
THAT'S WHEN I STARTED LOOKING AROUND.
IT STARTED TO GET A LITTLE BIT SCARY.
A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE, THESE THINGS WEREN'T ON THE ROAD.
AND THEN THESE STRANGE BARRICADES GOT EVEN STRANGER.
THERE WAS NO TRACKS, NO TIRE TRACKS, NO FOOTPRINTS.
THERE WAS NOBODY UP THERE.
EVERYBODY'S JUST FLOORED.
EVERYBODY'S LOOKING FOR ANY TYPE OF EVIDENCE.
IT WAS AS IF THE LOGS WERE A MESSAGE JUST FOR THEM.
WHEN YOU GO INTO AREAS THAT ARE OCCUPIED BY A BIGFOOT,
THEY WILL DO THINGS TO KEEP YOU OUT.
PEOPLE THAT RESEARCH BIGFOOT, THEY KNOW RIGHT AWAY
WHEN THEY START SEEING THESE BARRICADES,
THAT'S A BIGFOOT, NOT A HUMAN.
IT'S A BIGFOOT.
AND BIGFOOT'S WORK WENT ON AND ON.
THERE WAS FOUR BARRICADES.
THE FIRST THREE WERE REGULAR TREE LIMBS
THAT ANYBODY COULD'VE PLACED IN THE ROAD.
THE FOURTH BARRICADE REALLY BLEW MY MIND.
IT MUST'VE WEIGHED OVER 1,000 POUNDS.
IT WAS LIKE 14 FEET LONG AND 14 INCHES AROUND.
IT TOOK FOUR OF US ON OUR KNEES TO PUSH THAT LOG OUT OF THE WAY.
EVERYBODY WAS JUST BLOWN AWAY.
AN INTIMIDATING DISPLAY OF MONSTER MUSCLE.
IF A BIGFOOT DOESN'T WANT YOU SOMEWHERE,
THEY WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT IT.
YOU'LL GET SCREAMED AT,
YOU'LL GET ROCKS THROWN AT YOU SOMETIMES,
AND WHEN THOSE THINGS HAPPEN, IT'S BETTER FOR YOU TO LEAVE.
THEY'D COME TOO FAR TO TURN BACK.
IT TOOK ALL THEIR COURAGE TO PRESS ON
TO RECOVER THEIR ABANDONED TRUCK.
AND WHEN THEY ARRIVED, ONE LAST MESSAGE FROM BIGFOOT.
WE GOT THERE.
I LOOKED RIGHT AT MY TRUCK.
I OPENED THE PASSENGER DOOR.
I SEE WHAT LOOKS LIKE A CREATURE LOOKING RIGHT AT ME.
IT FELT LIKE SOMEBODY SOCKED ME IN THE STOMACH.
THAT SCARED ME TO DEATH.
THE SIERRA MOUNTAINS OF CALIFORNIA...
BIGFOOT TERRITORY.
IN 2011, A STORM FORCES A RESEARCH GROUP
TO ABANDON THEIR VEHICLE IN THE MOUNTAINS.
COME ON, COME ON, COME ON!
TRY AND HELP ME GET MINE OUT.
DAYS LATER, WHEN THEY RETURNED,
THEY FOUND THAT BIGFOOT HAD LEFT HIS CALLING CARD.
WE ARRIVED AT THE SPOT. I GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK.
I STARTED TO WALK,
LOOKING VERY CAREFULLY FOR ANY TYPE OF FOOTPRINTS.
I OPENED THE PASSENGER DOOR, AND I HAD TO CATCH MY BREATH.
IT'S A PICTURE RIGHT ON THE WINDOW.
JEFFREY... ALL OF A SUDDEN, HE HAD THIS SICK LOOK.
I MEAN, IT ABSOLUTELY LOOKED LIKE HE SAW A GHOST.
I ALMOST WENT DOWN ON MY KNEES.
IT WAS SO INTENSE.
IT WAS SO IN YOUR FACE.
IT LOOKED LIKE SOMEBODY WAS LOOKING RIGHT AT ME.
THAT SCARED ME.
ON JEFF'S WINDOW WAS A MASSIVE SMUDGE...
THE OILY OUTLINES OF A BEASTLY FACE.
IT FREAKED ME OUT SO BAD, I WAS JUST, LIKE, FROZEN.
WE ALL KNEW IT WAS A BIGFOOT.
A BIGFOOT MADE THAT IMPRESSION ON THE WINDOW.
EVERYBODY WAS INTENSE.
IS WHATEVER LEFT THE IMPRESSIONS ON THESE WINDOWS STILL HERE?
SO, THAT GOT US TO THINKING REALLY, REALLY QUICK.
"LET'S JUST GET OUR TRUCKS GOING AND LET'S GET OUT OF HERE."
ON THE WAY DOWN, I CALL MY FRIEND MICKEY BURROW,
WHO WAS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.
HE'S A FORENSIC EXPERT.
AND HE STARTS TO LAUGH AT ME.
I SAID, "WE HAVE THE BEST EVIDENCE I THINK EVER
OF WHAT WE THINK THIS IS... A BIGFOOT."
HE WAS VERY EXCITED.
INITIALLY, HE ASKED ME TO JUST COME TAKE A LOOK AT IT
AND PHOTOGRAPH IT FOR HIM, WHICH I HAD NO PROBLEM DOING.
AS A CRIME-SCENE INVESTIGATOR WITH 16 YEARS ON THE JOB,
MICKEY BURROW IS FAMILIAR WITH CASES OF MURDER AND MAYHEM.
WHAT COULD HE DO
WITH A SASQUATCH-SIZE SMUDGE ON JEFF'S CAR WINDOW?
I APPROACHED THIS AS IF IT WAS A CRIME SCENE,
JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT EXACTLY IT IS I'M LOOKING AT.
SOON, THE FACE PRINT CAME INTO FOCUS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT A VERY LARGE CREATURE.
THE LIPS, IN WIDTH, WERE EIGHT INCHES ACROSS,
AND THE NOSTRILS WERE SIX INCHES ACROSS.
AND I'M THINKING, "YOU KNOW WHAT?
IF THERE'S GONNA BE DNA HERE, IT'S PROBABLY IN THE BEST STATE
THAT WE'RE GONNA FIND IT IN IS RIGHT HERE.
HE GOT THE DNA, AND HE ENCLOSED THEM IN THE TUBES.
WITHIN ALL THAT SLOBBER,
IS THERE THE MEANS FOR IDENTIFYING THE MONSTER?
AFTER THE TEST, IT CAME BACK THAT IT WAS...
IT HAD HUMAN POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION,
WHICH WAS VERY ODD TO ME
BECAUSE WHEN MICKEY TOOK THE SAMPLES OF THE DNA,
HE WAS VERY CAREFUL WITH IT.
AT ALL TIMES, GLOVES WERE WORN.
OUR FACES WERE FAR APART FROM THE WINDOWS
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DIDN'T BREATHE ON THEM.
THE TEAM MAY HAVE CONTAMINATED THE SAMPLES WITH THEIR OWN DNA.
ANOTHER THEORY ARGUES THAT THE PRESENCE OF HUMAN DNA
POINTS TO BIGFOOT'S HALF-HUMAN HERITAGE.
IT'S A QUESTION STILL WAITING FOR ANSWERS.
EVEN WITHOUT DNA PROOF,
MICKEY AND JEFF ARE IMPRESSED WITH THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.
WHEN I SAW THAT FACE IN THE WINDOW,
I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT.
THERE'S SOMETHING OUT IN THOSE WOODS
THAT YOU NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE.
I MEAN, THIS COULD BE THE FIND OF THE CENTURY.
THERE ARE CREATURES OUT THERE THAT WE...
THAT HAVE YET TO BE DISCOVERED,
AND THIS COULD BE ONE OF THOSE CREATURES.
75 MILES DOWN THE CENTRAL VALLEY,
ANOTHER TOWN SITS ALONGSIDE RUGGED WILDERNESS.
ONLY HERE, RATHER THAN BIGFOOT,
TROUBLE ARRIVES WITH TINY, TERRIFYING STEPS.
THE QUIET RIVER TOWN OF PORTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA.
ITS HISTORIC MAIN STREET IS REMINISCENT OF AN EARLIER TIME,
WHEN GOLD SEEKERS AND SETTLERS
BRAVED THE MOUNTAINS TO FIND THEIR FORTUNES.
IN THIS FRONTIER TOWN, SOMETIMES EVIL GREETS NEWCOMERS.
PORTERVILLE IS THE KIND OF PLACE I WOULD EXPECT TO SEE
SOMETHING WEIRD, SOMETHING PARANORMAL OR JUST STRANGE.
TAMMY THOMAS CAME TO PORTERVILLE
TO START A NEW LIFE FOR HER FAMILY.
A WIDOW AND SINGLE MOTHER,
TAMMY WAS HOPING TO MOVE PAST MISFORTUNE.
SHE HAD FOUND A HOUSE ALONG THE TULE RIVER WEST OF TOWN.
WE HAD LIVED WITH MY PARENTS FOR A WHILE
AFTER OUR HOUSE BURNED DOWN.
I WAS SO HAPPY TO HAVE MY OWN HOME AGAIN,
WHERE ME AND THE KIDS COULD BE COMFORTABLE
AND THEY HAD A PLACE WHERE THEY COULD
GO RUN AND PLAY AND JUST BE KIDS.
TAMMY ENJOYED BEING OUTDOORS
AND BEGAN TO PLANT A LITTLE GARDEN.
IT WAS A PRETTY BIG PIECE OF PROPERTY.
WE USED TO HAVE CHICKENS, PEACOCKS, DOGS, CATS.
ANYTHING YOU COULD THINK OF, WE HAD IT.
THEY SOON REALIZED THEIR NEW HOME
WASN'T AS PEACEFUL AS IT APPEARED.
I STARTED FEELING THAT SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT.
I BEGAN HEARING NOISES THAT I COULD NOT EXPLAIN.
WE WOULD HEAR WHAT SOUNDED LIKE SOMEBODY RUNNING
OR SOMETHING RUNNING REALLY, REALLY FAST.
THERE WAS AN OLD SHED BESIDE THE HOUSE.
NONE OF THE ANIMALS WOULD GO NEAR IT.
MY DOGS, THE NEIGHBORS' DOGS... NOTHING WOULD GO NEAR THAT SHED.
I STARTED FEELING NERVOUS.
SOMETHING WAS THERE THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN.
IT WAS JUST AN EERIE FEELING.
WE COULD FEEL IT...
SOME THING WATCHING US OUT THE WINDOW OF THAT SHED.
A DARK PRESENCE WAS CREEPING INTO THEIR LIVES.
TAMMY DID NOT WANT TO CROSS PATHS WITH WHATEVER IT WAS.
SHE KEPT HER CHILDREN CLOSE.
I STOPPED GOING OUT AT NIGHT.
I LIKE TO SIT OUTSIDE IN THE EVENINGS, BUT AFTER THAT,
I WOULDN'T GO OUTSIDE ANYMORE, AND I DIDN'T LET MY KIDS
GO OUTSIDE AT NIGHT BY THEMSELVES.
BUT ONE NIGHT, TAMMY GOT HOME A LITTLE AFTER DARK.
COME HERE, GAVIN.
ALL RIGHT. DOWN WE GO.
YOU ALL RIGHT?
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
WHAT ARE...
WHEN I TURNED AROUND, THERE WAS A CREATURE STANDING THERE.
IT WAS LAUGHING.
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
IN THE FOOTHILLS OF CALIFORNIA'S SIERRA MOUNTAINS,
A LITTLE BIT OF EVIL IS LURKING...
SOMETHING TINY BUT TERRIFYING.
MONSTERS AREN'T NECESSARILY BIG.
SOMETIMES, SOMETHING SINISTER COMES IN A SMALL PACKAGE.
GNOMES HAVE BEEN REPORTED ALL OVER THE WORLD.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT NAMES FOR THEM...
TROLLS, GOBLINS, ELVES.
BUT THEY'RE ALL BASICALLY THE SAME TYPE OF CREATURE.
THEY'RE SMALL, CHILDREN-SIZED CREATURES,
AND SOMETIMES THEY'RE GOOD, AND SOMETIMES THEY'RE BAD.
GNOMES, IF THEY'RE ANGERED, WILL TAKE IT OUT ON PEOPLE.
ANYTHING, FROM SOMETHING MISCHIEVOUS
LIKE TYING ANIMALS' TAILS TOGETHER
TO AS FAR AS EATING HOUSEHOLD PETS.
LITTLE ONES, WHEN THEY'RE GOOD,
ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GUARDIANS AND THEY BRING YOU GOOD LUCK.
BUT THE BAD ONES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE
AN OMEN OF SOMETHING VERY BAD.
IT WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BAD ONES
THAT TAMMY THOMAS ENCOUNTERED
ON A NIGHT IN 1999 AS SHE ARRIVED HOME.
STAND RIGHT THERE WHILE I GET THE GROCERIES.
MY GRANDSON AND I HAD COME HOME FROM GROCERY SHOPPING.
AFTER TAKING HER GRANDSON OUT OF THE CAR
AND UNLOADING THE GROCERIES...
GAVIN?
...TAMMY LOST TRACK OF THE BOY.
GAVIN?
GAVIN!
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
WHAT ARE...
WHEN I TURNED AROUND,
THERE WAS A CREATURE STANDING THERE, LOOKING AT US.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE IT
OTHER THAN IT LOOKED LIKE AN EVIL GARDEN GNOME.
ALL I SEE IS THESE BIG, GLOWING, RED EYES.
I JUST FROZE 'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON.
WE WERE PROBABLY ABOUT 25, 30 FEET AWAY.
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH... MORE SCARED THAN I'D EVER BEEN.
I KNOW IT WAS EVIL BY THE WAY IT LAUGHED AT US.
IT CACKLED.
I GRABBED MY GRANDSON
AND RAN INTO THE HOUSE AS FAST AS WE COULD GO.
LEGENDS ABOUT GNOMES ARE PERVASIVE AROUND THE WORLD.
EVEN THE CALIFORNIA INDIAN TRIBES
IN THE PORTERVILLE AREA
TELL STORIES ABOUT A GNOME-LIKE MONSTER
KNOWN AS THE WATER BABY.
WATER BABIES ARE CREATURES THAT LIVE IN THE TULE RIVER
IN PORTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA.
THEY'RE SMALL, THEY'RE POWERFUL IN THEIR OWN CERTAIN WAY,
AND IF YOU ANGER THEM, THEY WILL TAKE IT OUT ON YOU.
THEY ARE KNOWN TO CREEP
INTO THE AREA WHERE YOU'RE SLEEPING AT NIGHT
AND SMOTHER YOU, CAUSING YOUR DEATH.
WHEN TAMMY THOMAS ENCOUNTERED A GNOME...
GIRLS!
...SHE FELT HER HOME HAD BEEN INVADED,
HER FAMILY UNDER ATTACK.
MY GRANDSON WAS SHAKING.
HE WAS CRYING. HE WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
THEY MANAGED TO GET SAFELY INSIDE.
BUT THE GNOME WASN'T LEAVING.
SHH.
WE HEARD SOMETHING AT THE WINDOW.
I COULD STILL HEAR IT LAUGHING...
THAT CROAKING, GURGLY LAUGH.
AND WE COULD SEE UNDER THE SHADES
THE TOP OF THE CREATURE'S HAT.
AND I PULLED THE CORD TO LET THE WINDOW BLIND DOWN,
AND...
UM...
AAH! WHAT IS THAT?
IT WAS JUST SITTING OUTSIDE THE WINDOW.
AND THAT FREAKED US OUT.
I REMEMBER JUST FREAKING OUT AND SCREAMING, "WHAT IS THAT?
WHAT IS THAT?"
I WAS AFRAID THAT IT WAS GONNA TRY TO COME IN THE HOUSE...
GO UPSTAIRS NOW!
...AND GET ONE OF MY KIDS.
I RAN AND MADE SURE ALL THE DOORS WERE LOCKED,
MADE SURE ALL THE WINDOWS WERE LOCKED.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
I KNEW IF I TRIED TO CALL THE POLICE, I'D BE LAUGHED AT.
COME HERE, GAVIN. COME HERE, BABY.
WE ALL SLEPT IN THE SAME ROOM THAT NIGHT.
I WOULDN'T LET THEM OUT OF MY SIGHT.
DESPITE ITS FAIRY-TALE APPAREL, TAMMY KNEW IN A FLASH
SOMETHING SUPERNATURAL HAD COME TO CALL.
AND IT SHOWED NO SIGNS OF MOVING ON.
I WAS STILL TERRIFIED
BECAUSE I KNEW IT WAS STILL OUT THERE SOMEWHERE.
I WAS AFRAID THAT IT WAS GONNA TRY TO COME IN THE HOUSE.
IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE SIERRAS
IN THE TOWN OF PORTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA,
TAMMY THOMAS AND HER FAMILY SPENT MONTHS UNDER SIEGE...
AAH!
...AGAINST A MINI-MONSTER... AN EVIL GNOME.
GIRLS, WHERE ARE YOU?
FIRST, A TERRIFYING ATTACK OUTSIDE HER HOME.
THEN, TWO NIGHTS LATER, IT STRUCK AGAIN.
MY GRANDSON AND I WERE SITTING ON THE COUCH
AND WATCHING TV WHEN WE HEARD
SOME OF THE PLANT POTS ON THE BACK DECK
FALL OFF THE RAIL.
AND A COUPLE SECONDS LATER WE HEARD THE DOOR,
AND WHEN WE WENT TO LOOK, IT WAS THE CREATURE.
AND AS SOON AS IT SAW US LOOKING AT IT, IT DISAPPEARED.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT RAN.
IT JUST DISAPPEARED.
THE NEXT DAY, TAMMY FOUND HER GARDEN PULLED APART.
IT WASN'T JUST ONCE AND IT WASN'T JUST TWICE.
IT KEPT HAPPENING.
OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS,
THE CREATURE STALKED TAMMY AND HER FAMILY MERCILESSLY.
EVENTUALLY, TAMMY SAVED UP ENOUGH TO MOVE OUT.
WE MOVED OUT AS FAST AS WE COULD AND NEVER LOOKED BACK.
BUT I NEVER STOPPED THINKING ABOUT THE GNOME.
TAMMY STRUGGLED TO MAKE SENSE OF WHAT SHE HAD EXPERIENCED.
AND SHE TURNED TO THE INTERNET FOR HELP,
POSTING HER ENCOUNTER ON A BLOG.
JASON OFFUTT'S WEBSITE IS OFTEN A FORUM
FOR PEOPLE PLAGUED BY STRANGE, INEXPLICABLE ENCOUNTERS.
ANOTHER WOMAN, NAMED CHARLIE,
HAD CONTACTED JASON ABOUT A SINISTER GNOME
THAT HAD RUN HER FAMILY OUT OF THEIR HOME.
WHEN I INTERVIEWED HER, I KEPT PUTTING TOGETHER
THE CLOSENESS TO THE RIVER, THE DESCRIPTION OF THE HOUSE,
THE FACT THAT THIS CREEPY SHED WAS THERE.
SO I PUT THEM IN CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER.
TWO STORIES ABOUT EVIL GNOMES, THEN AN AMAZING DISCOVERY.
WE STARTED TALKING BACK AND FORTH,
AND SHE GAVE ME THE ADDRESS.
MY GOD.
I WAS SHOCKED.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK.
IT WAS THE SAME HOUSE.
CHARLIE HAD RENTED THE HOUSE SOME YEARS BEFORE...
SAME HOUSE, SAME GNOME.
IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WASN'T CRAZY
BECAUSE SOMEBODY ELSE HAD SEEN THE SAME THING.
I WAS TERRIFIED BECAUSE I KNEW THEN IT WAS REAL.
TAMMY AND CHARLIE GOT TOGETHER AND WENT OUT TO THE HOUSE,
AND THEY FOUND THE SHED HAD BEEN TORN DOWN.
THE SHED WAS GONE, THE EVIL GNOME EVICTED.
ALL WE SAW WAS ONE, BUT I THINK
THAT THERE'S MORE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE.
IT'S STILL ALWAYS IN THE BACK OF MY MIND.
THERE'S ALWAYS THAT LITTLE BIT OF FEAR
THAT SOMETIME IT MIGHT COME BACK.
260 MILES SOUTH, THE SIERRAS GIVE WAY
TO ANOTHER INLAND CALIFORNIA WILDERNESS,
A PLACE WHERE SCRUB MOUNTAINS MIX WITH THE BARREN MOJAVE.
AND PERCHED IMPROBABLY IN ALL THIS WASTELAND,
THE RESORT TOWN OF PALM SPRINGS.
WELL, THE WILDERNESS IS VERY CLOSE IN PALM SPRINGS,
BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF WASHES,
WHICH HARBOR A LOT OF WILD ANIMALS,
COYOTES PARTICULARLY.
A LOT OF PLACES TO GET LOST, A LOT OF CANYONS,
A LOT OF TRAILS, A LOT OF PLACES YOU CAN'T IDENTIFY,
YOU KNOW, EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE.
JUST NEXT TO ALL THIS WILDERNESS,
PEOPLE COME TO PALM SPRINGS FOR REST AND RELAXATION.
IT'S NOT ALWAYS SO RESTFUL.
IN A GOLF-COURSE COMMUNITY,
YOU DON'T THINK OF COYOTES ROAMING AROUND
WHEN THE MOON COMES OUT AND THEY'RE ALL HUNGRY
AND ROAMING AROUND LOOKING FOR DINNER.
WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF ANIMALISTIC NOISES
NEAR THE GOLF COURSE OVER THE YEARS,
PARTICULARLY IN THE EVENING.
AND SOME OF THESE ANIMALISTIC NOISES
ARE ATTRIBUTED TO CREATURES FAR LARGER,
FAR MORE BLOODTHIRSTY THAN COYOTES...
THE LEGENDARY HELLHOUND, MONGREL BEARERS OF DEATH...
BLACK AS CHARCOAL, GLOWING EYES, RAZOR FANGS.
THERE ARE SIGHTINGS OF HELLHOUNDS REPORTED WORLDWIDE
AND THEY'VE BEEN OCCURRING FOR CENTURIES NOW.
SPECIFICALLY, THERE HAVE BEEN SIGHTINGS ACROSS THE U.S.
AND ALL THE WAY OVER
TO THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF CALIFORNIA.
I'VE READ ABOUT HELLHOUNDS BEING SEEN,
WHICH ARE VICIOUS ASTRAL DOGS
WITH SHARP TEETH AND SOMETIMES RED EYES
AND ABLE TO MOVE AT INCREDIBLE SPEEDS,
BUT NO PHYSICAL BEING CAN MOVE THAT FAST.
IMAGINE THESE CREATURES VEERED FROM THE BACKCOUNTRY
AND SET THEIR SIGHTS ON SUBURBIA.
RESIDENTS OF A NEIGHBORHOOD IN PALM SPRINGS
ARE STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT HAPPENED ONE RAINY NIGHT IN EARLY 2013.
WE'RE SITTING DOWN AND WATCHING TELEVISION.
I TOLD MY WIFE, "I'M GONNA GO OUT AND LOCK THE GATE,"
WHICH WE LIKED TO DO WHEN IT GETS DARK,
JUST FOR SECURITY PURPOSES.
IT SOUNDED LIKE GROWLING.
I COULD HEAR THEM BREATHING REAL HARD.
I LOOKED ACROSS THE STREET, AND IT JUST BLEW ME AWAY.
THESE BIG MONSTER ANIMALS LOOKED KIND OF LIKE A DOG,
BUT THEY HAD A HEAD OF A WOLF,
BUT THEY WERE BIGGER THAN A WOLF.
I REALLY WAS TERRIFIED. THEY WERE RUNNING REAL FAST.
THEY WERE UNLIKE ANYTHING I'D EVER SEEN.
THESE WEREN'T HOUND DOGS. THESE ARE HELLHOUNDS.
WHEN RON PALFREY RETIRED
FROM THE PRINTING BUSINESS 15 YEARS AGO,
HE AND HIS WIFE MOVED TO THEIR DREAM HOUSE
ALONG A GOLF COURSE IN PALM SPRINGS.
ONE APRIL EVENING IN 2013,
THAT DREAM TURNED INTO A HELLHOUND NIGHTMARE.
I JUST SAW THESE BIG MONSTER ANIMALS.
THEY LOOKED LIKE DOGS,
BUT THEY WERE BIG DOGS WITH A WOLF'S HEAD.
YOU KNOW, IT SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME.
THEY WERE REALLY AGGRESSIVE.
THEY LOOKED BLOODTHIRSTY.
I WAS ACTUALLY SCARED FOR MY LIFE.
I IMMEDIATELY CAME RUNNING IN
AND LOCKED THE FRONT DOOR OF THE HOUSE.
RON CAME RUNNING IN THE HOUSE. HE WAS BESIDE HIMSELF.
HE SAID HE SAW THESE ANIMALS RUN ACROSS THE STREET,
AND HE WAS JUST SCARED BECAUSE HE SAID
HE WASN'T SURE WHAT IN THE HECK IT WAS.
HELLHOUNDS.
STORIES ABOUT THE MONSTROUS CANINES
GO BACK TO BIBLICAL TIMES.
THE HELLHOUND IS STEEPED IN MYSTERY.
THEY EITHER HAVE CONTROL OVER FIRE,
OR, IN SOME CASES, THEY CAN POSSIBLY BREATHE FIRE.
ACCORDING TO THE LEGEND,
YOU DEFINITELY DON'T WANT TO LOOK THIS THING IN THE EYES.
I MEAN, THAT'D BE THE LAST THING YOU'D WANT TO DO.
THEY'RE POWERFUL DOGS.
THEY'RE JUST GONNA CHASE YOU DOWN.
SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ENCOUNTER ONE OF THESE THINGS
YOU BETTER RUN.
THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY.
WHILE RON PALFREY WAS IN THE MIDST
OF HIS NIGHTMARE THAT EVENING,
HIS NEIGHBOR JIM FLOOD SLEPT SOUNDLY,
UNAWARE THAT SOMETHING WICKED HAD COME TO CALL.
AFTER MANY YEARS OF RUNNING
A PUBLIC-RELATIONS AGENCY IN L.A.,
JIM FLOOD ALSO RETIRED TO PALM SPRINGS.
THE PACE IN PALM SPRINGS IS A LOT SLOWER.
IT'S A LOT MORE RELAXED.
IN MANY PLACES, THEY DON'T HAVE STREETLIGHTS
BECAUSE THEY WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE STARS AT NIGHT.
WE WALK IN THE EVENING, WE WALK AT DUSK,
WE WALK IN THE MORNING, WE WALK AT DARK.
YOU KNOW, IN PALM SPRINGS,
IT'S PRETTY COMFORTABLE AND VERY SAFE.
BUT THAT FEELING OF SECURITY WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE.
WELL, THAT MORNING, IT WAS A TYPICAL SUNDAY MORNING FOR US.
I USUALLY GET UP AROUND 6:30.
I WALKED OUT TO PICK UP THE SUNDAY PAPER.
OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE, I NOTICED SOMETHING
LIKE A LITTLE REFLECTOR OR A PIECE THAT LOOKED LIKE
IT WAS PART OF THE CAR LYING ON THE GRAVEL.
I WENT OVER THERE AND TOOK A LOOK AT IT.
I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I SAW.
THEN JIM SAW THE COVER ON HIS CAR...
MY GOD.
...RIPPED AND TORN.
HEY, HONEY, COME OUT HERE!
I THOUGHT IMMEDIATELY THAT SOMEBODY HAD VANDALIZED THE CAR.
HONEY! WHAT'S WRONG?
VANDALS ARE NOT NORMAL,
PARTICULARLY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE THOUGHT, "WELL, WE BETTER CALL THE POLICE."
LOOKING AT THE FRONT.
VANDALISM IS PAINFUL.
THIS DAMAGE WAS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.
THE POLICE CAME OUT, AND THEY SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT?
THIS WASN'T MISCHIEF BY ANY KIDS OR ANYTHING.
THIS WAS SOME KIND OF AN ANIMAL THAT DID THIS."
I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I SAW.
METAL WAS TORN, PLASTIC WAS TORN.
I MEAN, IT WAS AMAZING.
THEY LITERALLY TORE OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF HIS BUMPER.
THE ENTIRE COVER AROUND WHERE THE WHEEL IS
TOTALLY RIPPED OFF AND LYING NEXT TO IT.
IT HAD TO BE SOMETHING THAT WAS STRONG.
THERE WERE TEETH MARKS. THERE WERE FANGS AND HUGE, BIG HOLES.
AND THEN THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF SALIVA
OR SOMETHING ON THE FENDER.
AND THEN OVER HERE. LOOK AT THESE PAW PRINTS.
THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO ME.
PAW PRINTS ON THE DRIVER... BIG.
IT WAS HARD TO FIGURE.
IT WAS REALLY HARD TO FIGURE WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED.
THE CAR COVER RIPPED, FANG MARKS ON THE BUMPER,
AND PAW PRINTS ON THE GROUND.
JIM.
AND THAT'S WHEN I PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER AND SAID,
"JIM, I THINK I SAW THOSE ANIMALS."
RON TOLD US ABOUT THE TWO LARGE ANIMALS
THAT HE SAW ACROSS THE STREET FROM HIS HOUSE
RUNNING TOWARDS OUR HOUSE.
HE SAID, "OBVIOUSLY CHASING SOMETHING.
THEY WERE RUNNING PRETTY FAST."
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE STRENGTH OF WHATEVER ANIMAL
THAT COULD DO THIS TO AN AUTOMOBILE, TO THE METAL,
IT'S HARD TO KNOW WHAT THEY WOULD DO TO A PERSON.
YOU KNOW, IT SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME.
THESE ARE REALLY WEIRD ANIMALS.
I MEAN, THEY'RE A DIFFERENT BREED, TOTALLY,
THAN WHAT I'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE.
I WOULDN'T EXPECT TO SEE ANY KIND OF A BIG, HAIRY BEAST
IN PALM SPRINGS AT ALL.
THESE KIND OF THINGS DON'T HAPPEN.
IT WAS SOMETHING TOTALLY IN OUTER SPACE
THAT THIS COULD EVER HAPPEN IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
WHERE TOWNS BUMP UP AGAINST ROUGH COUNTRY
AND FAMILY HOMES ARE SET CLOSE TO THE WILD,
THOSE ARE THE PLACES MYSTERIOUS BEASTS
ARE FOUND TO BE LURKING.
NOW, WHEN I GO OUTSIDE,
I'M A LOT MORE CAUTIOUS THAN I USED TO BE.
THE UNKNOWN IS KIND OF SCARY,
AND I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.
WHEN I GO TO THE MOUNTAINS NOW, I FEEL LIKE I'M THE HUNTED.
I'M THE PREY.
I'M NOT THE APEX PREDATOR ANYMORE. THEY ARE.
THEY LIVE IN THE WOODS. THEY'RE NINJAS OF THE FOREST.
THEY CAN BE FIVE FEET FROM YOU AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW IT.
ANYTIME THEY WANT, THEY COULD JUMP OUT AND POP YOUR HEAD OFF.
PFFT.
CARRY YOU AWAY.