A YOUNG MOTHER CAUGHT IN THE CLUTCHES OF A WATER-BORN BEAST.
SHE DID A BIG AND THEN SHE WENT DOWN SO FAST.
IT WAS LIKE, "MY GOD. SHE'S GONE."
A MYSTERY THAT ATTRACTED NATIONAL INTEREST
AND, SOME CLAIM, GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE.
YOU'D THINK THAT IF SOMETHING'S GRABBING PEOPLE IN THE RIVER
THEY'D WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW ABOUT IT.
YOU NEED TO FORGET THIS EVER HAPPENED.
BUT THEY SAID, "NEVER REPEAT IT."
NIGHT WATCH TURNS TO NIGHTMARE AS A MONSTER BREAKS IN.
I LOOKED IN ITS EYES,
AND I THOUGHT, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"
MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS, "IS THIS THING GONNA TEAR ME APART?"
A FAMILY ON A HIKE,
THEIR KIDS STALKED BY THE LEGENDARY GRASSMAN.
THE WAY THAT MY KIDS ACTED,
THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THEY SAW SOMETHING.
THEY SAW SOMETHING BIG.
THE OHIO RIVER WINDS ITS WAY WEST
FOR NEARLY A THOUSAND MILES,
ONE OF THE GREAT AMERICAN WATERWAYS,
A CONDUIT FOR COMMERCIAL CRAFT AND LEISURE-TIME BOATING.
YET RESIDENTS AROUND EVANSVILLE, INDIANA,
TELL A DIFFERENT STORY ABOUT THE RIVER,
ONE WITH A MONSTER LASHING OUT FROM THE MUDDY DEEP.
AROUND THE OHIO RIVER,
I THINK A LOT OF STRANGE THINGS DO TAKE PLACE THERE.
THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PLACE, BEAUTIFUL TREES.
BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DISAPPEAR FROM THE OHIO RIVER
AND NOBODY NEVER KNOWS WHERE THEY WENT.
THEY'RE JUST GONE.
THIS IS SO CRAZY.
COME ON. YOU READY?
YEAH. COME ON.
OKAY.
ONE, TWO, THREE!
DID YOU FEEL THAT?
SOMETHING'S IN HERE. WHAT?
MY GOD!
FOR DARRELL AND DARWIN JOHNSON,
THE OHIO RIVER IS A PLACE OF FEAR.
MY MOM MADE ME PROMISE HER
THAT I WOULD NEVER GET INTO THE RIVER
BECAUSE OF SOMETHING THAT SCARED HER SO BAD.
I'VE ALWAYS GOT A GUN WITH ME WHEN I'M AT THE RIVER...
ALWAYS GOT A GUN.
WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG, THE JOHNSON BROTHERS,
ALONG WITH THEIR SISTER, SANDRA, NEARLY LOST THEIR MOTHER
TO SOMETHING LURKING IN THE DEPTHS.
I WAS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME.
WHEN IT'S SOMETHING THAT TRAUMATIC,
I THINK IT HELPS YOU REMEMBER MORE.
IT ALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 14, 1955.
NAOMI JOHNSON TOOK HER CHILDREN AND HER BEST FRIEND, LOUISE,
TO A SWIMMING BEACH ALONG THE OHIO RIVER.
SO, MISS SANDRA, YOU GONNA BUILD ANOTHER SAND CASTLE?
SUMMER WAS IN FULL SWING, AND ON HOT OHIO DAYS,
THE RIVER'S COOL CURRENT WAS JUST THE TONIC.
MY MOTHER WAS A REALLY STRONG SWIMMER.
SHE HAD FOUR OLDER BROTHERS, AND THEY MADE HER TOUGH.
NEVER SEEN HER BACK DOWN FROM ANYBODY.
ON THAT SUMMER DAY, HOWEVER,
NAOMI JOHNSON WASN'T FEELING VERY CONFIDENT.
ALL RIGHT, YOU GUYS STAY HERE.
WE'RE GONNA GO IN THE WATER.
SHE HAD A STRANGE FEELING THAT DAY
THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG,
AND SHE WOULDN'T LET ME GO IN THE WATER,
AND I WAS MAD ABOUT IT.
NAOMI'S DAUGHTER, SANDRA,
WAS ALSO ALONG WITH HER MOM THAT DAY.
SHE'LL NEVER FORGET IT.
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY.
SHE TOLD ME TO STAY ON THE BANK, LIKE SHE ALWAYS DID,
SO I JUST WAS THERE PLAYING.
AND LOUISE... SHE COULDN'T SWIM,
SO SHE HAD A BIG INNER TUBE SHE WOULD ALWAYS GET IN.
WELL, MOM WOULD DRAG HER OUT IN THE RIVER,
AND THEY WERE OUT IN THE RIVER PROBABLY 15 OR 16 FEET.
AT 16 FEET FROM SHORE, THE WOMEN FELT SAFE
FROM THE FAST CURRENTS RUNNING IN THE CENTER OF THE RIVER.
NAOMI!
NAOMI'S DAUGHTER, SANDRA, WAS PLAYING ON THE BEACH
WHEN SHE GOT THE FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE.
NAOMI! NAOMI! SOMEBODY HELP!
I HEARD LOUISE SCREAMING AND HITTING THE WATER,
AND I LOOKED UP, AND MOM WASN'T THERE.
SOMEBODY HELP!
WHEN SHE JERKED OUT OF THE WATER,
SHE DID A BIG AND THEN SHE WENT DOWN SO FAST.
IT WAS LIKE, "MY GOD. SHE'S GONE."
I WAS HORRIFIED.
SOMETHING GRABBED HER BY THE LEG.
NAOMI! SOMEBODY HELP!
LOUISE WAS HITTING THE WATER
AND KICKING AND SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS.
I LOOK AROUND THAT WATER
TO TRY TO SEE IF I COULD SEE MOM,
AND SHE WASN'T THERE.
IT WAS AWFUL.
FOR MINUTES ON END,
NAOMI JOHNSON WAS IN A DEATH STRUGGLE
WITH AN UNDERWATER BEAST.
PLEASE. NAOMI.
MY MOTHER CLAWED HER WAY BACK TO THE SURFACE,
AND SHE SAID, "SOMETHING'S GOT AHOLD OF ME."
AND IT YANKED HER DOWN AGAIN.
AGAIN AND AGAIN, NAOMI WAS DRAGGED BELOW.
NAOMI.
SHE MIGHT NEVER HAVE BEEN SEEN AGAIN
IF LOUISE HADN'T PADDLED HER INNER TUBE
DIRECTLY OVER THE SPOT.
LOUISE WAS TRYING TO SCARE THE THING AWAY
AND TO MAKE IT LET HER GO.
WHEN NAOMI RESURFACED,
SHE MADE ONE LAST, DESPERATE REACH.
THAT'S WHEN THE CREATURE TURNED HER LOOSE.
MY GOD. WE'VE GOT TO GET BACK TO SHORE.
MOM!
THOUGH NAOMI HAD NARROWLY ESCAPED DROWNING,
SHE COURAGEOUSLY TURNED TO HELPING HER FRIEND LOUISE.
DID YOU SEE IT?
MOM TOWED HER BACK IN WITH HER.
SHE GRABBED LOUISE'S INNER TUBE,
AND THEY SWAM TO THE BANK AND GOT OUT OF THE WATER.
MY GOD.
WHILE NAOMI HAD ESCAPED WITH HER LIFE,
HER BODY WAS BRUISED, HER LEGS CLAWED AND BLEEDING.
SHE COULD BARELY GET OUT OF THE WATER.
SOMEONE HAD CALLED AN AMBULANCE.
RIGHT AWAY, THEY LOOKED AT HER LEG,
AND THEY SEEN PRETTY BIG SCRATCHES.
YOU'RE PRETTY TORN UP, LADY. SOMETHING GOT YOU GOOD.
THREE SCRATCHES, LIKE THREE CLAWS.
AND IT WENT FROM HER KNEE, CLOSE TO HER ANKLE.
I LOOKED AT HER LEGS, AND SHE HAD MARKS, BLUE MARKS,
AND IT SWIRLED DOWN BOTH LEGS.
THE MAN WHO DROVE THE AMBULANCE...
HE HAD SOME RUBBING ALCOHOL,
AND HE WAS TRYING TO GET THE BLUE MARKS OFF OF HER LEGS,
AND IT WAS DYED ON.
I MEAN, THE DIRT AND STUFF CAME OFF,
BUT THOSE MARKS DIDN'T.
AND I REMEMBER HER SAYING THAT IT WAS BURNING HER
BECAUSE OF THE SCRATCHES.
HE TRIED ALL KINDS OF STUFF
TRYING TO GET THE COLOR OFF THE LEG,
BUT IT JUST STAYED ON IT.
AND WHEN THEY TOOK SAMPLES OF THIS MUD
AND THEY SENT IT TO PENNSYLVANIA TO A UNIVERSITY...
AND THIS UNIVERSITY CAME BACK AND TOLD THE JOHNSONS
THAT THIS MUD, THIS BLUE MUD
COMES FROM THE DEEPEST OF RIVERS.
IT ACTUALLY COMES FROM CAVES.
IT MAKES YOU WONDER IF MAYBE IF THERE'S NOT CAVES
IN THE OHIO RIVER THAT MIGHT HAVE SOME TYPE OF
AN AQUATIC CRYPTID CREATURE LIVING IN IT.
THE ATTACK DREW HEADLINES AND NATIONAL INTEREST,
AND ADDING TO THE MYSTERY,
RUMORS OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SECRETLY INVOLVED IN THE CASE.
MISS JOHNSON, I'M FROM THE AIR FORCE.
A MAN CAME TO OUR HOUSE,
AND HE SAID HE WAS AN AIR FORCE COLONEL.
BIG QUESTION IS WHY WOULD THE AIR FORCE
HAVE ANY INTEREST WHATSOEVER IN NAOMI JOHNSON'S STORY?
MISS JOHNSON, IT'S OVER.
YOU CAN NEVER REPEAT THIS STORY TO ANYONE.
IN EVANSVILLE, INDIANA,
DURING THE HOT SUMMER, SWIMMING BEACHES
ALONG THE BANKS OF THE OHIO RIVER
CAN OFFER REFRESHING RELIEF.
AUGUST 14, 1955, SEEMED LIKE THE PERFECT KIND OF DAY
FOR NAOMI JOHNSON TO TAKE HER CHILDREN
TO PLAY ALONG THE SHORE
WHILE NAOMI AND HER FRIEND LOUISE RELAXED,
FLOATING IN THE SHALLOWS OF THE RIVER.
MY MOM WAS SWIMMING IN THE OHIO,
AND SOMETHING HAD GRABBED HER AND PULLED HER UNDER THE WATER.
SHE FOUGHT HER WAY BACK TO THE TOP,
AND IT GRABBED HER AGAIN.
NAOMI!
AND TO LOOK AROUND THAT WATER
TO TRY TO SEE IF I COULD SEE MOM,
AND SHE WASN'T THERE... IT WAS AWFUL.
NAOMI JOHNSON NARROWLY ESCAPED DROWNING.
IN ALL THE TURMOIL, SHE MANAGED TO CATCH
ONE FLEETING IMPRESSION OF THE MONSTER.
A HAIRY PALM WITH CLAWS THAT GRABBED HER,
AND IT WAS REALLY STRONG.
EVER SINCE THEN,
IT'S BEEN KNOWN AS THE GREEN-CLAWED BEAST,
A CREATURE THAT MAKES NO BIOLOGICAL SENSE...
GREEN SCALES OF AN AMPHIBIAN, FURRY FRINGE OF A MAMMAL,
LETHAL CLAWS OF A LIZARD.
THE NORMAL RULES OF NATURE NO LONGER SEEM TO APPLY.
NAOMI JOHNSON WAS THE ONLY VICTIM IN 1955
THAT REPORTED AN ATTACK BY THE CREATURE IN THE OHIO RIVER.
YET HER CASE WAS ONE MORE STORY IN A SERIES OF OUTLANDISH TALES,
AT A TIME WHEN AMERICA WAS ANXIOUS
ABOUT ALIENS FROM SPACE AND MUTANT MONSTERS HERE ON EARTH.
1954, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS RELEASED A FILM KNOWN AS
THE "CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON"...
...THAT PORTRAYS A REPTILIAN HUMANOID-TYPE CREATURE
THAT LURKS IN THE MURKY WATER,
REACHING UP TO GRAB THE VICTIMS WITH A WEBBED, CLAW-LIKE HAND.
HOLLYWOOD WAS CAUGHT UP WITH MONSTER MANIA,
BUT FOR THE JOHNSON FAMILY, THE ATTACK WASN'T ENTERTAINMENT.
APPARENTLY, THE U.S. MILITARY DIDN'T THINK SO EITHER.
MISS JOHNSON, I'M FROM THE AIR FORCE.
THE AIR FORCE?
I UNDERSTAND THERE WAS SOMETHING
THAT HAPPENED TO YOU IN THE OHIO RIVER.
A MAN CAME TO OUR HOUSE,
AND HE SAID HE WAS AN AIR FORCE COLONEL.
AND HE TALKED TO HER, AND SHE TOLD THE WHOLE STORY.
...AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, A MONSTER...
WELL, SOMETHING PULLED ME DOWN.
DURING THE MEETING,
THIS COLONEL HAD TAKEN SUBSTANTIAL NOTES
ABOUT HER ENCOUNTER.
I WAS UNDERWATER. I WAS ABLE TO SEE.
I KNOW IT WASN'T AN ALLIGATOR. IT WASN'T A BIG FISH.
IT HAD ME BY MY LEGS. IT WAS A MONSTER.
BIG QUESTION IS WHY WOULD THE AIR FORCE
HAVE ANY INTEREST WHATSOEVER IN NAOMI JOHNSON'S STORY?
IT WAS NOTHING I'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE.
MISS JOHNSON, IT'S OVER.
YOU CAN NEVER REPEAT THIS TO ANYONE.
YOU NEED TO FORGET THIS EVER HAPPENED.
HE SAID, "NOW, DON'T EVER REPEAT THE STORY TO ANYONE."
AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT WAS ALL ABOUT.
YOU'D THINK IF SOMETHING'S GRABBING PEOPLE IN THE RIVER,
THEY'D WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW ABOUT IT,
BUT HE SAID, "NEVER REPEAT IT."
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HASN'T ACKNOWLEDGED THE INCIDENT.
PARANORMAL GROUPS AND UFO RESEARCHERS
AREN'T CONVINCED.
THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE BELIEVED THAT NAOMI JOHNSON
MAY HAVE ENCOUNTERED SOMETHING UNEARTHLY,
MAYBE AN ALIEN, MAYBE A CRYPTID CREATURE.
WE DON'T KNOW.
THE EXCITEMENT OVER THE GREEN-CLAWED BEAST
CAME AND WENT.
FOR MOST FOLKS, THE OHIO FLOWED ONWARD,
BUT NOT FOR THE JOHNSON FAMILY.
IT'S AS IF THE RIVER HASN'T MOVED SINCE THAT SUMMER IN 1955.
HAD IT GRABBED ME, I WOULDN'T BE HERE TODAY.
I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN STRONG ENOUGH TO GET AWAY FROM IT.
IT WAS REALLY STRONG.
SCARED HER REALLY, REALLY BAD.
SHE DIDN'T WANT TO EVER GO BACK INTO THE RIVER.
WE HAD TO PROMISE WE'D NEVER GO TO THE RIVER.
WE HAD TO STAY FAR AWAY FROM THE RIVER.
SHE COULDN'T SWIM ANYMORE, AND IT WAS JUST...
SHE WAS SO TERRIFIED FROM BEING CAUGHT IN THE RIVER.
THE OHIO ISN'T THE ONLY WATERWAY HIDING SECRETS.
JUST A HUNDRED MILES TO THE WEST, IN ILLINOIS,
THE BIG MUDDY RIVER CHURNS WITH A MYSTERY ALL ITS OWN.
THE BIG MUDDY RIVER RUNS JUST OUTSIDE OF MURPHYSBORO.
SMALL RIVER. IT'S AN ERRATIC RIVER.
IT FREQUENTLY REACHES FLOOD STAGE.
IT GOES UP AND DOWN AND UP AND DOWN.
ACCORDING TO LOCALS, EVERY NOW AND THEN,
SOMETHING MONSTROUS EMERGES FROM THE RIVER MUCK.
SOME 40 YEARS AGO, RON MANWARING WAS POLICE CHIEF.
HE REMEMBERS THE NIGHT IN JUNE OF 1973 LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY.
IT WAS A HOT, HUMID NIGHT IN MURPHYSBORO,
TYPICAL SUMMER NIGHT.
THERE WAS A COUPLE PARKED NEAR THE BOAT-RAMP AREA
AT RIVERSIDE PARK.
YOU HAVE RANDY NEEDHAM AND JUDY JOHNSON LATE AT NIGHT.
AND WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING THERE?
DO YOU THINK ANYBODY WILL SEE US?
NO. I DON'T THINK SO.
THEY WERE MARRIED, BUT NOT TO EACH OTHER.
I MISSED YOU.
WHAT WAS THAT?
AND THEY HEAR SOMETHING COMING OUT OF THE RIVER.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS AT FIRST,
BUT IT'S COMING TOWARD THE CAR.
WHAT IS IT? I DON'T KNOW.
WHAT WAS THAT?
THEY'D HEARD A LOUD SCREAM,
SOMETHING THAT THEY'D NEVER HEARD BEFORE...
...AND LOOKED UP AND SAW THIS BIG CREATURE
THAT SCARED THEM TO DEATH.
WE GOT TO GO! AAH!
AT THE RIVER'S EDGE OF MURPHYSBORO, ILLINOIS,
A BIG MUDDY MONSTER HAS LONG BEEN RUMORED TO LURK.
ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 25, 1973,
ONE COUPLE PLANNED AN ILLICIT RENDEZVOUS BY THE RIVER.
JUST WHEN THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD MANAGED A MOMENT ALONE,
A MUD-SPLATTERED BEAST EMERGED FROM THE DARK WATER.
MY GOD.
THE SMELL IS WHAT EVERYBODY SEEMS TO
ALWAYS COME BACK TO WITH IT.
IT JUST SMELLED PUTRID.
IS SOMEBODY OUT THERE?
I DON'T KNOW.
WHAT IS THAT?
AND THEY SAW THIS CREATURE
STANDING WITHIN A FEW FEET OF THEIR CAR.
NO! NO! AAH!
IT WAS 7 FEET TALL, WEIGHED 400 POUNDS.
AND IT JUST STINKS.
GO! GO! RANDY!
THE EYES JUST GLOWED AND STARED AT THEM.
AND THEY'RE FREAKED OUT.
PUT THE CAR IN GEAR, AND THEY GET OUT OF THERE.
PANICKED BY THE MONSTER,
THEY DROVE TO THE LAST PLACE
A COUPLE HAVING AN AFFAIR WOULD GO.
YEAH, WE NEED SOME HELP.
YEAH, WE NEED TO REPORT SOMETHING.
YOU'D HAVE TO BE FRIGHTENED FOR YOUR LIFE
TO GO TO THE POLICE, I MEAN, OF ALL PLACES TO GO.
YOU'RE DOWN HERE HAVING AN AFFAIR BY THE RIVER?
YEAH. WE WERE...
MURPHYSBORO IS A SMALL TOWN.
EVERYBODY KNOWS EACH OTHER.
THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE.
IT NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH.
WE'LL LOOK INTO IT.
SO, THE COPS GO DOWN. THEY CHECK IT OUT.
THEY GO DOWN INTO THE WOODS.
THEY START SEEING FOOTPRINTS, WHICH ARE MAYBE A FOOT LONG.
THEY'RE DEFINITELY ODD-LOOKING.
WHILE THEY WERE DOWN THERE,
THE OFFICERS HEARD THIS CREATURE.
AND THEY DESCRIBED IT AS NOTHING LIKE THEY'D EVER HEARD BEFORE.
AND IT SCARED THE ONE DEPUTY SO BAD
THAT HE HAD DROPPED HIS GUN
AND DIDN'T WANT TO GO BACK AND GET IT.
THEY WERE GENUINELY FRIGHTENED BY WHAT THEY'D HEARD.
THE LEGEND OF THE BIG MUDDY MONSTER WAS BORN.
ANYTIME ANYTHING WEIRD, UNEXPLAINED
HAPPENS AROUND MURPHYSBORO,
THE BIG MUDDY MONSTER IS PROBABLY
WITHIN THE TOP-FIVE EXPLANATIONS FOR WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN.
THAT'S EXACTLY THE EXPLANATION THAT BOB REIMAN PREFERS TO USE.
ACCORDING TO BOB, THE BIG MUDDY CHURNED AGAIN IN 1988,
AND THE MONSTER CAME FORWARD.
IT HAPPENED 30 YEARS AGO,
AND I REMEMBER IT JUST LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY.
BOB REIMAN OWNED A SALVAGE BUSINESS
ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF MURPHYSBORO.
THE YARD BACKED RIGHT UP TO THE RIVER'S EDGE.
WE HAD A FEW THIEVES.
YOU KNOW, KIDS WOULD GET IN THERE,
SO I DECIDED TO GET SOMEBODY TO DO SOME SECURITY WORK FOR ME.
ONE CHILLY NIGHT IN JUNE 1988...
...THE SECURITY GUARD HEARD SOMETHING MOVING ABOUT OUTSIDE.
HE GAVE BOB A CALL.
MY SECURITY OFFICER, CHARLIE STRAUB, SAID,
"BOB, THERE'S SOMEBODY IN THE YARD."
SO I GOT UP OUT OF BED AND GOT DRESSED
AND DROVE OVER TO THE SHOP.
ALL RIGHT, WHAT'S GOING ON?
THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING OUT HERE, MAN.
SO, WE WALKED DOWN ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF THE YARD.
WE DIDN'T SEE ANY FLASHLIGHTS
OR ANY SIGN OF ANYBODY STEALING PARTS.
BUT WE HEARD A NOISE.
AND THEN A TERRIBLE ODOR.
WHAT'S THAT SMELL?
IT SMELLS HORRIBLE.
IT WAS KIND OF A CROSS BETWEEN ROTTEN EGGS AND A SKUNK.
IT WOULD BURN YOUR EYES,
AND IT KIND OF BURNED THE BACK OF YOUR THROAT
AND YOUR NOSTRILS.
THEY DIDN'T REALIZE
THE SCORCHING SMELL WAS A WARNING.
WE SEEN THIS HUMONGOUS CREATURE.
AND IT LET OUT A SCREAM THAT WOULD SET YOUR HAIR ON END.
AND ITS EYES WERE GLOWING
JUST AS RED AS TWO TAILLIGHTS ON A CAR.
HE'S VERY HUGE.
MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS...
"ARE WE GONNA DIE TONIGHT?"
THE TOWN OF MURPHYSBORO IN SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.
SINCE THE EARLY 1970s,
IT'S BECOME AN EPICENTER
OF ENCOUNTERS WITH A MYSTERIOUS MONSTER...
A LONGHAIRED BEAST, VERY BIG AND VERY MUDDY.
IT'S THOUGHT TO BE A VARIETY OF BIG FOOT,
BUT ONE THAT SEEMS TO USE THE BIG MUDDY RIVER
AS ITS PRIMARY MEANS OF MIGRATING.
AFTER MORE THAN A DOZEN SIGHTINGS
ALL AROUND MURPHYSBORO,
IT APPEARED AS IF THE BIZARRE BRUTE
WAS TURNING THE TOWN UPSIDE DOWN.
YOU DON'T SEE A 7-FOOT WHITE MONSTER
COME CRAWLING OUT OF THE RIVER EVERY DAY.
BOB REIMAN CLAIMS HE DID.
ALERTED THERE WAS AN INTRUDER AT HIS SALVAGE YARD,
BOB AND HIS SECURITY GUARD, CHARLIE, WENT TO INVESTIGATE.
THAT'S WHEN THEY HEARD THE SCREAM.
IT COME OUT LIKE A SIREN.
IT WAS LIKE A "OH!" AND RAISED TO A REAL HIGH PITCH.
THAT ALONE WAS ENOUGH TO SCARE YOU.
YOU KNOW HOW SOMEBODY SAYS THEY'RE IN AWE.
I WAS SO PETRIFIED, IT WAS LIKE I WAS IN AWE.
I MANAGED TO GET THE WORDS OUT TO CHARLIE...
"SHOULD I SHOOT IT?"
AND HE SAID, "NO, DON'T." NO!
AS BIG AS THIS THING WAS,
IT WOULD PROBABLY JUST MAKE IT MAD.
THEY GOT AWAY AND REGROUPED AT THE SHOP.
THE PHONE RUNG, AND IT WAS BOBBY JOE ON THE PHONE,
AND HE SAID FOR US TO COME DOWN THERE,
THAT HE THINKS HE SEEN THE BIG MUDDY MONSTER.
BOB'S SISTER AND MOTHER WERE SO CERTAIN HE WAS PLAYING A PRANK,
THEY PRESENTED HIM WITH A GIFT.
THIS IS FOR ALL THE B.S. YOU'RE FEEDING US.
WE THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST JOKING.
THEY LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE REALLY SCARED.
I MEAN, BOB'S EYES WAS VERY BIG,
AND HE SAID, "I'M TELLING YOU. IT'S FOR REAL."
YOU PROBABLY JUST SAW YOUR OWN SHADOW.
AT THE VERY LEAST, THEY THOUGHT IT WAS OVER.
OUT OF NOWHERE COMES THIS BIG BANG
ON THE BACK OF THE BUILDING,
SCARED THE HELL OUT OF EVERY ONE OF US.
IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMEBODY HAD SHOT A GUN
AND IT HIT THE BUILDING.
I HEARD THAT BANG, AND I THOUGHT I WAS A GONER.
YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF ALL LOOKED AT EACH OTHER.
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GONNA TAKE PLACE.
THIS THING SOUNDED LIKE
IT REALLY WANTED TO GET INSIDE THE BUILDING.
EVERYBODY THERE WAS KIND OF PETRIFIED.
THE CREATURE COULD HAVE HAD SOME ILL WILL TOWARDS US.
HE COULD HAVE BEEN TRYING TO WANT TO HURT US.
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
I THINK THE BIG MUDDY MONSTER COULD RIP YOUR LEG OFF OF YOU
AND BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH IT.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I THINK HE COULD DO.
AFTER THE BIG MUDDY LEFT HIS MARK ON THE BUILDING,
IT DISAPPEARED BACK INTO THE NIGHT.
WE DIDN'T TELL ANYBODY
BECAUSE WE DIDN'T THINK ANYBODY WOULD BELIEVE US,
AND SO WE LEFT IT AT THAT.
IS IT AN APE?
IS IT SOME MISSING LINK?
IS IT SOMETHING THAT JUST GOT COMPLETELY LEFT OUT OF EVOLUTION
AND WAS HIDING OUT IN A CAVE?
YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT IS.
THAT'S PROBABLY PART OF WHAT MAKES IT SO SCARY.
SALT FORK STATE PARK,
OHIO'S LARGEST RECREATIONAL WILDERNESS.
WHILE CITIES AND SUBURBS COVER MUCH OF THE STATE,
SALT FORK REMAINS OPEN,
A FRAGMENT OF BACKCOUNTRY HIDDEN AWAY IN EASTERN OHIO.
WITHIN THESE NATURAL SPACES,
RUMORS PERSIST ABOUT A LEGENDARY BEAST.
I HAD ALWAYS HEARD LEGENDS AND STORIES OF IT,
BUT WE JUST ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS, YOU KNOW,
SOMETHING TO SCARE THE KIDS.
SALT FORK IS THE GROUND ZERO OF GRASSMAN SIGHTINGS
IN THE STATE OF OHIO.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF SIGHTINGS,
IT'S OUTRAGEOUS WHAT WE'VE GOT.
EVERY TIME I COME TO SALT FORK,
SOMETHING HAPPENS THAT'S UNEXPLAINABLE TO ME.
AT NIGHT, SOMETIMES WHEN I'M BY THE CAMPFIRE,
I HEAR THEM THROUGH THE WOODS.
THE LEGENDS DATE BACK TO THE MID-1800s.
NEWSPAPERS INCLUDE STORIES ABOUT GIANT WILD MEN
HARASSING FAMILIES AND THEIR FARMS.
JANUARY 1869, GALLIA COUNTY, OHIO.
A MAN AND HIS DAUGHTER WERE RETURNING HOME FROM TOWN.
THE GIRL MANAGED TO SAVE HER FATHER.
NEARLY 150 YEARS LATER,
THE GRASSMAN'S VIOLENT REPUTATION IS STILL DISCUSSED.
I THINK IT COULD, YOU KNOW,
VERY WELL SNAP YOUR BACK, SNAP YOUR NECK.
I THINK THE FACT OF SOMETHING THAT LARGE COMING AT YOU
PROBABLY WOULD GIVE YOU A HEART ATTACK
AND YOU WOULD DIE AND HIT THE GROUND
BEFORE IT EVEN GOT TO YOU.
IN A LINEUP OF THE HAIRY APE-MEN BELIEVED TO EXIST,
IT'S BIGFOOT'S SHORTER, STOCKIER, ANGRIER COUSIN.
THE SIZE IS PROBABLY RIGHT AROUND 6 TO 7 FEET,
ABOUT 300 POUNDS, EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE.
THEIR NAME MAY DERIVE FROM LARGE, MYSTERIOUS NESTS
MADE OF GRASS, FOUND IN THE REGION...
BIG NEST, BIG BEAST.
I'VE HEARD GRUNTS. I'VE HAD STICKS THROWN AT ME.
I HAVE HAD ROCKS THROWN AT ME.
IT'S A VERY ODD FEELING THAT YOU HAVE
WHEN YOU'RE HERE AT THIS PARK.
YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S SOMETHING DEFINITELY HERE.
AND THAT SOMETHING
WOULD MAKE ITSELF KNOWN TO THE EDDY FAMILY.
THEIR DAY HIKE THROUGH SALT FORK PARK
TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE.
IT WAS VERY TERRIFYING KNOWING THAT THE GRASSMAN
WAS WITHIN 60 FEET FROM MY CHILDREN.
WHAT'S THE MATTER? WHAT IS IT?
IT WAS SCARY.
IT WAS SO TERRIFYING.
SCARIEST MOMENT IN MY LIFE.
WHERE'S JERSEY?!
AND SCARIER STILL, THE EDDYS' YOUNGEST ONE,
LITTLE JERSEY, WAS ALL ALONE WITH THE BEAST.
SOME 90 MILES SOUTH OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,
A SECLUDED REGION OF THE STATE, THE SASQUATCH TRIANGLE,
HOME TO THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF SIGHTINGS OF THE GRASSMAN,
A WILD APE-MAN BEAST, KNOWN FOR AN AGGRESSIVE DISPOSITION.
THEY'RE EXTREMELY MUSCULAR.
THEIR ARMS ARE VERY LONG, LEGS ARE VERY LONG.
I BELIEVE THEY CAN KILL YOU IF THEY WANT TO.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE EDDY FAMILY
HADN'T HEARD MUCH ABOUT THE GRASSMAN LEGENDS.
THE EDDYS OF CAMBRIDGE, OHIO,
ARE A MIDWESTERN, MINIVAN-DRIVING AMERICAN FAMILY.
MELISSA AND HER HUSBAND, BOB, HAVE FOUR CHILDREN,
RANGING IN AGE FROM 5 TO 16.
MY KIDS ARE GOOD KIDS.
THEY HAVE GOOD GRADES... STRAIGHT A's.
THESE ARE TOUGH KIDS. THEY DON'T CRY IN THE WOODS.
EVEN IF THEY WOULD GET LOST, THEY WOULD TURN AROUND.
THEY WOULD TRY TO FIND THEIR WAY OUT.
THEY WOULD KEEP WALKING FOR MILES
BEFORE THEY WOULD EVEN YELL FOR HELP.
THAT'S HOW THEY'VE BEEN BROUGHT UP.
RECENTLY, THE EDDYS DECIDED TO GO OUT FOR A HIKE.
THEIR PLANS TOOK THEM TO SALT FORK PARK,
OHIO'S HOT SPOT FOR GRASSMAN SIGHTINGS.
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY... SUNNY, WARM.
AND WE GET THERE AND GO OUT
AND BEGIN OUR HIKE ON MORGAN'S TRAIL.
AT JUST UNDER A MILE, WITH SLOPING HILLS AND RAVINES,
MORGAN'S LOOP TRAIL IS CONSIDERED
ONLY A MODERATELY DIFFICULT HIKE... GOOD FOR FAMILIES.
BE CAREFUL, GUYS! SLOW DOWN!
I DON'T THINK ANY OF US HAD BEEN ON MORGAN'S TRAIL.
IT WAS NEW TO US, SO WE JUST FOLLOWED THE PATH
TO SEE WHERE IT WOULD LEAD.
ALL RIGHT, WHICH WAY YOU GUYS WANT TO GO?
THAT WAY. OVER THERE?
BE CAREFUL, GUYS!
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S OVER THERE!
THEY'RE IN A HURRY.
YEAH, THEY ARE.
EMILY, HER BROTHER, ANDREW, AND LITTLE SISTER, JERSEY,
WENT OFF INTO THE WOODS TO PLAY... ON THEIR OWN.
HEY, MOM. YEAH?
WHERE'S DAD AT?
I DON'T KNOW.
AFTER SOME TIME PASSED, MELISSA BEGAN TO FEEL UNEASY.
MY DAUGHTER KEPT SAYING, "WHERE'S DAD AT?"
AND I KIND OF GOT SCARED
'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE MY HUSBAND WAS.
IT WAS A HARD TRAIL TO WALK ON,
AND I COULDN'T KEEP UP WITH THE KIDS.
AAH! GOD.
FINALLY HE CAUGHT UP TO US
AND TOLD US WE WEREN'T ON MORGAN'S TRAIL.
WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU GUYS? IT'S NOT EVEN THE MAIN TRAIL.
WHERE ARE THE KIDS? I THOUGHT THEY WERE WITH YOU.
WHERE ARE THEY?
MY THREE YOUNGEST KIDS WERE STILL WAY AHEAD OF US.
WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WOODS,
AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA MEET OR SEE.
AND THAT SCARED US.
ACCORDING TO GRASSMAN RESEARCHERS, THE DANGER IS REAL.
I WOULD NEVER HAVE ANY KIDS RUN IN THE WOODS
BY THEMSELVES IN SOUTH FORK.
WHEN THE EDDYS HEARD THEIR CHILDREN IN THE DISTANCE...
YOU HEAR THAT? YES.
...THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD RELAX.
WE COULD STILL HEAR THEM GIGGLING, YOU KNOW, RUNNING,
THROWING ROCKS AND STICKS AND STUFF.
THEIR KIDS WERE HAVING A GOOD TIME...
UNTIL THEY WEREN'T.
EMILY, WHAT'S WRONG?
WHAT WAS THAT?
SUDDENLY, THEIR DAUGHTER EMILY BURST OUT OF THE TREES
IN A BLIND PANIC.
I JUST WANT TO GO HOME NOW.
HERE COMES EMILY RUNNING, SPRINTING UP THE HILL,
CRYING AND SCREAMING.
AND SHE GOES, "MOM, I WANT TO GO HOME NOW."
SHE WANTED OUT OF THE WOODS. SHE WANTED TO GO HOME.
CALM DOWN. TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
EMILY WAS IN HYSTERICAL TEARS AND CRYING.
YOU COULDN'T UNDERSTAND HER.
I TOLD HER TO CALM DOWN, AND SHE FINALLY SAID,
"THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE WOODS,
SOMETHING THAT PEEKED AROUND THE TREE AT ME."
FOR TOUGH KIDS USED TO THE OUTDOORS,
THIS WAS UNEXPECTED.
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY WAS UNFOLDING.
WHEN SHE FINALLY CALMED DOWN, EMILY RECOUNTED WHAT HAPPENED.
ME AND MY BROTHER AND SISTER WENT AHEAD AND...
THERE'S A SPIDER IN YOUR HAIR.
WHAT?! I'M JUST KIDDING.
WE WERE PLAYING IN THE WOODS.
IT WAS A FUN DAY UNTIL WE LOOKED OVER AND SAW THIS DEER.
ONLY SOMETHING SPOOKED THE DEER.
AND THEN NEXT THING YOU KNOW,
BEHIND THE TREE, THERE'S A BIG BLACK SHADOW.
AND IT KIND OF LEANED OVER, AND IT WAS REALLY TALL.
IT WAS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS WHEN YOU'RE SO SCARED,
YOU JUST STAND THERE.
I WAS FROZEN.
I WAS TERRIFIED OF IT, LIKE, WALKING, THROW SOMETHING,
OR DO SOMETHING TO ME.
IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A PERSON... JUST REALLY BIG AND BLACK.
EMILY'S BROTHER, ANDREW,
WAS NEARBY WHEN SHE SCREAMED.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, SHE STARTED FREAKING OUT,
AND SHE SAYS SHE SEES SOMETHING.
IT WAS FAR AWAY.
THERE WAS A NOT A LOT OF DETAIL,
BUT IT WAS A LARGE SHADOWY FIGURE WALKING ON TWO LEGS.
I'VE NEVER SEEN SOMETHING THAT SCARY BEFORE IN MY LIFE.
ANDREW TORE OUT AFTER EMILY.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT LEFT THEIR LITTLE SISTER, JERSEY,
ALL ALONE.
INNOCENCE CAME FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE MONSTER.
WE WERE JUST SITTING THERE, PLAYING AROUND,
AND WE JUST SAW A BIG BLACK SHADOW.
IT'S A PARENT'S WORST NIGHTMARE...
WHERE'S JERSEY?!
...A CHILD MISSING.
SECONDS FEEL LIKE HOURS,
BUT FOR JERSEY, TIME MUST HAVE STOOD STILL.
HE WAS PEEKING BEHIND THE TREE, AND HE WAS LOOKING AT ME.
COULDN'T SEE HIS EYES, BUT HE'S BLACK.
IN THE NICK OF TIME, HER BROTHER RETURNED.
WHEN I SAW JERSEY CRYING,
I GRABBED HER AND RAN UP THE HILL.
YOU'RE OKAY.
THE EDDY FAMILY WERE ALL SAFE... FOR THE MOMENT.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THERE WAS A LARGE KNOCK
ON THE TREE TO OUR LEFT...
...AND THEN AGAIN TO THE CENTER...
...AND THEN AGAIN TO THE RIGHT.
IT'S QUITE OBVIOUS SOMETHING WAS STRIKING A TREE.
WHEN EMILY GRABBED ONTO HER DAD
AND WAS SCREAMING SHE WANTED TO GO HOME,
SHE WANTS TO GO HOME NOW,
IT SCARED ME.
IT SCARED THE KIDS.
EVERYBODY, BACK TO THE CAR. NOW. LET'S GO.
WAS THIS HUNGRY, HULKING BEAST TRACKING THE CHILDREN?
I WAS FEARFUL FOR OUR SAFETY,
HAVING EVIDENCE THAT THERE IS POSSIBLY ONE HERE
IS FRIGHTENING.
I THINK THE KIDS SAW THAT WILD GRASSMAN.
THAT GRASSMAN WAS WATCHING THOSE KIDS.
HIGHER THAN THAT.
I THINK KIDS ARE LIKE A PREY TO THEM.
THE GRASSMAN WAS JUST STARING AT THEM
LIKE IT WAS PREYING ON THEM.
THE EDDY CHILDREN ARE ONLY THE LATEST
TO RUN FOR THEIR LIVES FROM AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE GRASSMAN.
SINCE THE 1970s,
HUNDREDS HAVE REPORTED SEEING THE MYSTERIOUS BEAST.
ONE MAN CAME UNDER DIRECT ATTACK.
I WAS A GONER. I KNEW THAT WAS IT.
I WAS FINISHED.
30 MILES WEST OF SALT FORK PARK
SITS ZANESVILLE, OHIO.
STORIES HAVE LONG CIRCULATED ABOUT HAIRY MONSTERS
RESIDING IN THE GRASS HILLS OUTSIDE OF TOWN.
THEY WERE THE KIND OF STORIES
THAT HUNTER AND TRAPPER HAWK SPEARMAN
NEVER PAID MUCH ATTENTION TO.
YOU KNOW, I REALLY DIDN'T BELIEVE IN IT MYSELF.
THE GRASSMAN, TO ME, WAS A RUMOR.
MY FIANCéE AT THAT TIME TOLD ME SHE HAD AN ENCOUNTER WITH ONE
WHEN WE FIRST GOT TOGETHER, AND I LAUGHED IT OFF.
I THOUGHT SHE WAS JUST YANKING MY CHAIN.
HAWK'S ATTITUDE WOULD CHANGE
AFTER THE COUPLE MOVED TO A HOUSE
ON THE EDGE OF THE WOODBURY WILDLIFE AREA.
I WASN'T CRAZY ABOUT IT. IT MADE ME VERY NERVOUS.
BUT HE TALKED ME INTO MOVING OUT THERE.
I TOLD HER, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALL RIGHT.
THINGS WERE GREAT AT FIRST.
AFTER I GOT OUT THERE, I LOVED IT.
IT REALLY WAS A DREAM HOME FOR ME AND HER.
WITH THE MOVE TO THE COUNTRYSIDE,
LIFE FOR HAWK AND KAREN APPEARED FULL OF OPPORTUNITIES.
IT WAS EARLY SPRING.
HAWK FIGURED WILD GAME WOULD BE STARTING TO STIR.
WE GOT A BEAGLE
BECAUSE OF THE WAY I LIKE TO HUNT IN THAT AREA.
HE WAS TRAINED TO HUNT AND CHASE DOWN
PRETTY MUCH ANY ANIMAL YOU COULD FIND.
I TOOK HIM UP ON A HILLSIDE TO GO HUNTING.
AND THAT'S WHEN WE SMELLED A VERY STRONG URINE SCENT
WITH A MUSKY SMELL.
IT WAS VERY, VERY STRONG...
ALMOST TO THE POINT OF GAGGING YOU STRONG.
AND WHEN I COME THROUGH THE GRASS,
COME UP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRUSH,
THAT'S WHEN I SEEN A 6 1/2-TO 7-FOOT-TALL CREATURE.
IT HAD WIDE SHOULDERS.
IT HAD MASSIVE, HUGE, BOWLING-PIN-LIKE ARMS.
LOOKED HUMAN, BUT COVERED IN HAIR...
LIKE A NEANDERTHAL IN THE FACE.
THE MINUTE IT DID NOTICE ME, I KNEW THAT WAS IT.
I THOUGHT I WAS FINISHED FOR SURE.
THE ROCK LANDED IN FRONT OF MY TOES.
I TURNED, AND I RAN BACK DOWN THE HILLSIDE.
WHEN HE COME BACK DOWN,
HE HAD THIS ASHEN LOOK ON HIS FACE,
AND IT TOOK ME ABOUT THREE DAYS
TO GET OUT OF HIM WHAT HE'D SEEN.
I COULD TELL THE WAY HE'D TOLD ME ABOUT HIS SIGHTING
THAT HE WASN'T JOKING.
AND THAT WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
THE GRASSMAN HAD TRACKED HAWK BACK HOME.
WE STARTED HEARING GRUNTS AND GROWLS AND HOLLERS.
AND WE'D SEE SILHOUETTES OF WHAT LOOKED TO BE
UPRIGHT WALKING PEOPLE GOING PAST THE WINDOWS AND STUFF.
AT NIGHTTIME, IT GOT KIND OF SPOOKY.
HE WOULD SIT UP WITH THE GUN ALL NIGHT,
WAITING TO SEE WHAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN.
KAREN BEGGED HAWK TO LEAVE.
HE KEPT SAYING THE CREATURES WOULD MOVE ON.
I PROMISE.
THEY DIDN'T.
THEN ONE NIGHT,
THEY WERE AWAKENED BY A TERRIFYING SOUND.
THERE WAS A REALLY LOUD RACKET OUT THERE,
AND YOU COULD HEAR IT HITTING AGAINST THE TRAILER.
WHAT IS IT?
THE GRASSMEN ARE VERY TERRITORIAL
AND EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE.
IF THEY DON'T WANT YOU THERE,
THEY'RE GONNA SIT THERE AND HARASS YOU TILL YOU LEAVE.
IT'S GONE NOW. WHATEVER IT WAS.
LOOK.
THE LAST STRAW WAS WHEN WE FOUND A GASH ABOVE THE DOOR
PROBABLY 8 FEET OFF THE GROUND.
IT LOOKED LIKE A CLAW MARK TORE THROUGH THE TRAILER,
AND THAT WAS THE LAST STRAW FOR ME.
I KNEW THEN THERE WAS NOTHING THAT I COULD DO
TO PROTECT MY FAMILY IF I NEEDED TO,
SO I SAID IT WAS TIME FOR US TO GO.
WE PACKED UP, AND WE GOT OUT OF THERE.
THE GRASSMAN DEFINITELY TERRIFIED US.
I'M STUNNED, YOU KNOW, TO KNOW THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT
ACTUALLY EXISTS.