INNOCENCE PURSUED BY A DARK COLLECTOR OF SOULS.
WE WERE TERRIFIED.
THAT FEAR SETS IN, AND YOU JUST CAN'T MOVE.
YOUR WORST FEAR, HE KNOWS IT, AND HE MAKES IT REAL.
TWO BROTHERS IN THE FIGHT OF THEIR LIVES
AGAINST THE WITCH OWL.
THE NIGHT I SAW THE LECHUZA,
I WAS, LIKE, QUESTIONING EVERYTHING.
WE'RE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER JUST, LIKE, WE'RE GONNA DIE.
THIS... THIS IS THE END. THERE'S NO HOPE.
THE WILD MAN MONSTER THAT THREW A TOWN INTO PANIC.
I STOOD THERE IN SHOCK.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THIS MONSTER WAS GOING TO DO.
EVEN STRANGER...
THE MYSTERIOUS MANHUNT THAT FOLLOWED.
THERE WERE SHERIFFS' CARS, STATE POLICE, BLACK S.U.V.s.
THE PLACE WAS SWARMED WITH FEDERAL AGENTS.
THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME.
ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA...
AN INDUSTRIAL CITY WITHIN AMERICA'S CRUMBLING RUST BELT.
BENEATH ITS TOUGH EXTERIOR,
WHISPERS OF A MYSTERIOUS MONSTER.
HORRIFYING AND HYPNOTIC,
A SILENT STALKER WITH A TENTACLED DEATH GRIP.
EVERY CIVILIZATION HAS THEIR OWN BOOGEYMAN...
A CREATURE THAT STALKS AND KILLS THE INNOCENT.
THE LEGEND OF THE RAKE STATES THAT, ONCE THE RAKE IS SEEN,
IT WILL STALK THE INDIVIDUAL FOR THE REST OF ITS LIFE
UNTIL IT DRIVES THEM INSANE, OR IT KILLS THEM.
IT'S A RELENTLESS PREDATOR.
THIS IS THE ENEMY THAT ROBIN SWOPE HAS VOWED TO FIGHT.
SWOPE IS A PASTOR AT ST. PAUL'S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN ERIE.
AS A SEMINARY-TRAINED EXORCIST,
HE IS NO STRANGER TO BATTLES WITH THE DEMONIC.
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT RELIGION YOU ARE.
IT'S YOUR FAITH IN GOD TO DRIVE OUT THE EVIL,
TO FORCE THE CREATURE TO GO AWAY
BECAUSE, REALLY, THE PLACE THAT THEY'RE HAUNTING
IS THE TERRITORY OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING.
AND THESE SHADOW CREATURES REALLY DON'T BELONG THERE.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE RAKE,
THE STRUGGLE WITH THE SHADOW ADVERSARY IS OLD.
THE CONCEPT GOES BACK TO THE TIMES OF ANCIENT EGYPT.
SO, BASICALLY, 4,000 YEARS.
OSIRIS, GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD, STRUCK FEAR AMONGST THE LIVING.
AND OVER THE AGES, SIMILAR FORMS HAVE COME FORTH...
OFTEN TALL, DARK, AND FACELESS.
THE END GAME IS ALWAYS DEATH.
THE RAKE IS MORE OF A 21st CENTURY MANIFESTATION
OF THE SAME PERSONA THAT'S BEEN HAUNTING FOR CENTURIES.
HE'S LOOKING FOR PEOPLE'S FEAR.
HE'S DEFINITELY OUT FOR ALL OF US.
IT WAS, BY FAR, THE SCARIEST THING
THAT I'VE EVER SEEN,
AND I'VE HAD A FEW OTHER EXPERIENCES IN LIFE,
BUT THAT IS DEFINITELY THE MAIN ONE.
NEVER BEEN SO SCARED IN MY LIFE.
KERRIE FARGIORGIO RUNS A BUSY TATTOO STUDIO
IN ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.
FROM AN EARLY AGE, THIS ARTIST HAS PLAYED BY HER OWN RULES.
SHE WASN'T THE KIND OF GIRL WHO WAS AFRAID OF MONSTERS.
IN HIGH SCHOOL, I KIND OF KEPT TO MYSELF.
I WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
MY PARENTS DECIDED TO SEND ME TO CATHOLIC BOARDING SCHOOL
TO TRY TO DRAG ME OUT OF MY SHELL,
AND THAT'S NOT WHAT IT TURNED OUT TO BE.
THE OLD BOARDING SCHOOL SAT IN SECLUSION,
SURROUNDED BY DEEP WOODS.
AFTER CLASS AT SCHOOL,
THERE WASN'T REALLY MUCH FOR ME TO DO THERE.
SO, WE HAD TO KIND OF FIND OUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT,
AND WE USED TO SNEAK AND SMOKE CIGARETTES.
ONE NIGHT, KERRIE SNUCK OUT TO MEET HER BOYFRIEND.
SHE WAS WORRIED SHE MIGHT GET IN TROUBLE.
THE LAST THING SHE EXPECTED WAS A VISIT FROM THE RAKE.
WE WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE OUT AFTER DARK.
AND WE SAW A TEACHER WITH HIS BIG, BLACK DOG.
THE SCHOOL PROCTOR WAS PROWLING FOR WAYWARD STUDENTS.
HE'LL JUST GO BACK IN.
SO, WE HID, JUST LAID THERE,
STILL AND QUIET, SCARED.
AND WE THOUGHT FOR SURE, SURELY WE WERE GONNA GET CAUGHT,
GET IN A LOT OF TROUBLE.
I MEAN, THAT TEACHER WAS COMING. WE WERE PETRIFIED.
LIKE BLOOD ATTRACTING SHARKS,
THEIR FEAR WORKED LIKE A MAGNET FOR THE RAKE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE SAW A REALLY TALL HUMAN
KIND OF CROUCHED OVER.
IT SLOWLY ROSE UP.
MY GOD.
AND IT JUST TURNED AND LOOKED AT US.
WHAT IS THAT?!
I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO COMPARE IT TO.
IT'S JUST A BLACK-ON-BLACK BEING.
AND WE COULDN'T MOVE. WE WERE TERRIFIED.
JUST THAT... THAT FEAR SETS IN, AND YOU JUST CAN'T MOVE.
KERRIE STARED IN HORROR AT THE GARGANTUAN, GRASPING CREATURE.
HIS HANDS WERE LARGE, AND ITS FINGERS WERE LONG,
ALMOST LIKE A HAND IN A SHADOW,
HOW THE SHADOW WOULD DISTORT YOUR FINGERS AND EXTEND THEM.
THEY WERE LONG AND POINTY,
LIKE THREE TIMES THE SIZE OF A NORMAL HAND.
THE RAKE APPROACHES A PERSON SORT OF LIKE A NIGHT TERROR,
AND IT TAUNTS THE PERSON
UNTIL IT CATCHES THEM AND TAKES THEM AWAY.
JUST AS THE RAKE WAS CLOSING IN FOR THE KILL,
THE PROCTOR AND HIS DOG WERE BACK.
THE NIGHT ERUPTED IN THE CRIES OF A HOWLING DOG.
IT WAS IN THIS... LIKE THE GLOW OF A STREETLIGHT
AND JUST RAN OFF IN THE NIGHT INTO DARKNESS.
AND WE WERE TERRIFIED.
THE RAKE HAD BEEN THWARTED.
ACCORDING TO DOZENS OF REPORTS BY THOSE WHO SURVIVED,
THIS CREATURE PREFERS TO KILL
WHEN THE VICTIM IS UNAWARE OF HIS PRESENCE.
THE CREATURE SOMETIMES CAN BLEND INTO ITS ENVIRONMENT,
AND IT CAN SNEAK UPON THE PERSON
AND EXTEND TENDRILS FROM ITS BACK,
ALMOST LIKE LIVING TREE LIMBS OR OCTOPUS OR SQUID TENTACLES.
WHERE THEY REACH OUT TO THE PERSON,
THEY GRAB THE PERSON AND TRAP THEM AND TAKE THEM AWAY.
THE RAKE HAS BEEN SHOWING UP EITHER IN THE CORNER
OR ON THE BED OR SOMETHING,
AND IT WAS AN INTERNET MEME THAT WAS FLOATING AROUND.
IN THE PAST DECADE, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE
HAVE DESCRIBED TERRIFYING ENCOUNTERS WITH THE RAKE.
WHATEVER WE SAW THAT NIGHT,
IT'S LIKE HE KNEW WHAT WE FEARED.
IT'S LIKE HE CAME TO SCARE US THAT NIGHT,
LIKE HE WAS STALKING US.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE STALKING WAS FAR FROM OVER.
THE RAKE WASN'T FINISHED WITH KERRIE,
AND THIS MONSTER HAS A LONG HISTORY
OF SHOWING UP WHEN YOU'RE DEFENSELESS,
ASLEEP IN BED.
THE RAKE WOULD PAY A BEDTIME VISIT TO KERRIE FARGIORGIO.
SHE BARELY SURVIVED THE ENCOUNTER.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE WOULD HAVE DONE TO ME
HAD MY ROOMMATE NOT HAVE WOKEN UP.
MY HEART ALMOST STOPPED.
I'D NEVER BEEN SO SCARED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.
THE RAKE... NOCTURNAL NIGHT STALKER
WITH A TERRIFYING TASTE FOR THE YOUNG.
TOWERING, FACELESS, RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS.
THERE ARE HISTORICALLY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
WHO'VE SEEN THESE TYPES OF CREATURES.
IT'S AN INTRUDER.
IT HAS LONG ARMS THAT MOVE IN A WAY
THAT IS NOT TYPICAL OF A HUMAN BEING.
IT HAS TENDRILS THAT ARE NOT TYPICAL.
AND THAT FEATURELESS FACE...
THE UNKNOWN TERROR COMING AT YOU.
THAT'S WHAT INSPIRES THE FEAR OF DREAD.
FOR TATTOO ARTIST KERRIE FARGIORGIO,
THE DARK SILHOUETTE OF THIS MONSTER
IS FIRMLY TRACED IN HER MIND.
WHEN SHE WAS A TEENAGER ATTENDING BOARDING SCHOOL,
KERRIE NARROWLY ESCAPED A NIGHTTIME ATTACK BY THE RAKE.
IN ANOTHER VISIT, IT SHOWED UP ALONGSIDE HER BED.
MY DORM ROOM HAD TWO BUNKS.
ONE NIGHT, I WAS IN MY BED, SLEEPING KIND OF RESTLESS.
I WOKE UP ABRUPTLY,
AND I REMEMBER LOOKING AT THE CLOCK.
IT WAS 3:33.
I SAW MY ROOMMATE STARING DOWN AT ME HORRIFIED,
JUST TERROR ON HER FACE.
KERRIE HAD NO IDEA WHAT HAD JUST TRANSPIRED,
HOW CLOSE SHE HAD COME TO NEVER WAKING UP.
HER ROOMMATE KNEW.
NOW SHE HAD LAID EYES ON THE RAKE.
SHE JUST LOOKED TERRIFIED, ALMOST STARTED CRYING.
SHE STARTED TELLING ME THAT SHE WOKE UP AT 3:30,
LOOKED DOWN AND SAW THIS BEING, THIS THING SITTING ON MY BED,
JUST SMOTHERING ME.
AND SHE WAS HORRIFIED.
SHE DESCRIBED IT AS MAYBE EIGHT FOOT TALL,
THIN, THIN, LONG FINGERS.
IT WAS SO BIG, IT COULDN'T FIT UNDER THE BUNK BED ABOVE IT.
IT WAS HUNCHED OVER.
AND SHE SAID JUST... SHE COULDN'T...
SHE COULDN'T MOVE, PARALYZED WITH FEAR.
THIS MONSTER DOESN'T WANT WITNESSES.
I DON'T KNOW IF HE WAS SCARED AWAY,
BUT WHEN IT RAN OFF INTO THE NIGHT,
WE JUST LAID THERE FROZEN, TERRIFIED.
I FELT SICK. I FELT DIZZY.
I WANTED TO THROW UP. I WANTED TO CRY.
A MILLION EMOTIONS AT ONCE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE WOULD HAVE DONE TO ME,
HAD MY ROOMMATE NOT HAVE WOKEN UP.
BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THAT HE WAS TRYING TO HURT ME.
KERRIE WENT TO THE DEAN
TO REPORT WHAT HAD HAPPENED.
SHE WAS SURPRISED BY WHAT FOLLOWED.
THE DEAN TOOK IT VERY SERIOUSLY.
SO SERIOUS THAT, WHEN WE ENTERED OUR ROOM
THAT DAY AT LUNCH HOUR,
THERE WAS A MEDICINE WOMAN DOING A SMUDGE OVER MY BED
SAYING PRAYERS AND SHAKING AROUND SHELLS.
AND FOR A CATHOLIC SCHOOL, THAT'S UNHEARD OF.
FOR THEM TO RESORT TO THAT,
IT HAD TO BE SOMETHING THEY'VE DEALT WITH BEFORE.
A LOT OF KIDS HAD SEEN HIM.
THAT CHRISTMAS BREAK, I NEVER WENT BACK.
I WAS TOO SCARED TO GO BACK.
I BELIEVE HE'S STILL AROUND.
I THINK THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT HAS THOSE CAPABILITIES,
THAT CAN CHANGE THEIR SHAPE...
I BELIEVE THAT HE'S DIMENSIONAL, REALLY.
AS A MINISTER, I BELIEVE WE'RE SURROUNDED
BY ANGELS, DEMONS, SPIRITS, AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS
THAT WE CANNOT SEE, BUT WE SENSE.
SOMETIMES THESE ENTITIES ARE VIOLENT.
SOMETIMES THEY'RE KIND AND ASSISTING,
BUT THE VIOLENT ONES CAN STALK YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
YEARS LATER, THE RAKE'S MESMERIZING IMAGE
STILL LINGERS IN KERRIE FARGIORGIO'S MIND,
AND NOW, ON HER BODY.
I BECAME OBSESSED WITH IT. I STILL AM OBSESSED WITH IT.
I JUST... IT'S SO HARD TO BELIEVE.
EVEN TODAY, LIKE, I STILL THINK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME.
I COULD SEE IT LIKE IT HAPPENED YESTERDAY.
40 MILES NORTH OF WASHINGTON, D.C.,
SYKESVILLE, MARYLAND, SITS TUCKED WITHIN DENSE FORESTLAND.
IN THE EARLY 1970s,
A FEW HUNDRED FAMILIES CALLED THIS PLACE HOME.
SYKESVILLE WAS A VERY QUIET LITTLE COMMUNITY.
IT WAS PEACEFUL AND AN ENJOYABLE PLACE TO BE.
THAT IS, UNTIL THE DAY A MONSTER SHOWED UP.
THE TOWN OF SYKESVILLE WAS IN FEAR.
PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW IF THEY SHOULD BE ARMED,
IF IT WAS DANGEROUS.
SIGHTINGS ABOUT CRYPTIDS IN THE WOODS
ARE TYPICALLY MET WITH SKEPTICISM.
DISMISSED AS CRAZY OR JUST IGNORED.
SOMETHING DIFFERENT HAPPENED IN SYKESVILLE.
IT'S INTERESTING TO ME WHY SO MANY AUTHORITIES
WERE HERE SO QUICKLY.
IT SEEMS LIKE THE AUTHORITIES WERE A LITTLE TOO READY.
THE INCIDENT,
WITHIN 24 HOURS, TRIGGERED A VERY ENORMOUS MANHUNT.
SOMETHING WAS GOING ON.
EVEN THE SYKESVILLE POLICE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON.
IF RESIDENTS WERE IN A PANIC,
EVEN STRANGER WAS THE MYSTERIOUS MANHUNT
LAUNCHED BY LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS.
MANY TRACE THE STORY'S BEGINNINGS TO 1973
AND A HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF SYKESVILLE.
THE WOMAN LIVED IN A RANCHER,
AND THERE WAS TREES ALL AROUND THE HOUSE.
RESIDENTS IN THIS RURAL AREA
WERE USED TO LIVING ALONGSIDE WILDLIFE.
THAT NIGHT, THE NOISE OUTSIDE WAS UNUSUAL.
THE WOMAN THOUGHT THERE WAS A PROWLER OUT THERE.
SOMETHING HAD GOTTEN INTO A SHED NEAR THE HOUSE.
CURIOUS, SHE DECIDED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.
SYKESVILLE, MARYLAND.
DECADES AGO, SIGHTINGS OF A MONSTROUS BEAST
GRIPPED THE TOWN IN A MIX OF FASCINATION AND FEAR.
IN 1973, A WOMAN LIVING NEAR TOWN HEARD A COMMOTION OUTSIDE.
LUCKILY, SHE LOCKED THE DOOR IN TIME.
AND WITH AN INTRUDER LIKE THAT, SHE NEEDED HELP IMMEDIATELY.
A LOCAL POLICE OFFICER RESPONDED TO THE CALL.
OFFICER GOT THERE AND WAS LOOKING AROUND OUTSIDE.
AND AS HE WAS PUTTING HIS FLASHLIGHT IN THAT DIRECTION...
...WHATEVER IT WAS THREW HIM ON THE GROUND,
AND HE JUST ROLLED.
THE CREATURE HAD ENORMOUS STRENGTH AND SPEED.
IT QUICKLY VANISHED INTO THE NIGHT.
FROM THAT MOMENT ON,
SYKESVILLE POLICE STARTED GETTING MANY PHONE CALLS.
REPORTS WERE COMING IN BY THE DOZEN.
PEOPLE SEEING THINGS, HEARING THINGS.
THEY WERE SCARED.
AND SYKESVILLE POLICE WERE ACTUALLY OVERWHELMED
WITH THE AMOUNT OF CALLS THAT THEY WERE GETTING.
THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF IT.
SEVERAL PEOPLE IN SYKESVILLE
THOUGHT IT WAS AN ANIMAL OF SOME SORT.
OTHER PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS SOMEONE
THAT ESCAPED FROM THE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL
HERE IN THE AREA.
JOHN LUTZ WAS A WILDLIFE TRACKER
AND ONE OF THE FIRST TO INVESTIGATE REPORTS
OF SYKESVILLE'S MONSTER.
I WAS CONVINCED THERE WAS A LIVE ENTITY OF SOMETHING
THAT WAS MOVING AROUND.
AND WHAT I SAY BY ENTITY, SOME FORM OF A CREATURE.
WE DID FIND SOME INTERESTING TRACKS
THAT MEASURED OVER 14 INCHES LONG
AND WHAT APPEARED TO BE FOUR TOES.
THE LEGEND OF BIGFOOT WAS KNOWN,
BUT SYKESVILLE'S CREATURE SEEMED DIFFERENT.
THE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT PEOPLE WERE SEEING
WASN'T EXACTLY LIKE BIGFOOT.
IT WAS MORE HUMAN LIKE.
LOTS OF HAIR, BUT A HUMAN FACE.
THEY JUST COULDN'T TELL WHAT IT WAS.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE MYSTERY STOOD FOR CLOSE TO A DECADE
UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE HAD A RUN-IN WITH THE BEAST.
LON STRICKLER HAD HEARD THE LOCAL LEGEND
OF THE OVERGROWN WILD MAN,
BUT HE HAD NEVER GIVEN IT MUCH THOUGHT.
THE BURLY FACTORY WORKER WASN'T EVER AFRAID IN THE WOODS.
THAT WOULD SOON CHANGE.
THE DATE WAS MAY 9, 1981. TYPICAL SPRING DAY.
I WAS GOING FISHING
AT A LOCATION I WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH
ABOUT A MILE DOWNSTREAM FROM SYKESVILLE.
I DID NOTICE A DOG ROAMING AROUND IN THE WEEDS.
I DIDN'T PAY IT ANY ATTENTION.
A COUPLE MINUTES LATER, I HEARD THE DOG LET OUT A YELP.
WHEN THE BEAST STOOD UP, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK.
AT FIRST, I THOUGHT IT WAS A PERSON.
IT WAS ABOUT SEVEN TO EIGHT FOOT TALL.
AS I WATCHED, THIS BEING TURNED AROUND.
THE FACE LOOKED HUMAN TO A DEGREE,
BUT IT WAS MORE NEANDERTHAL, AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
I STOOD THERE IN SHOCK.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THIS MONSTER WAS GOING TO DO.
IT STARTED MOVING AWAY TOWARD THE WOODS.
IT VERY SWIFT.
I FELT THIS HAD TO BE REPORTED.
I QUICKLY GOT IN MY CAR.
HADN'T EVEN TAKEN THE WADERS OFF
AND DROVE TOWARDS SYKESVILLE,
FOUND THE FIRST PAY PHONE I COULD FIND,
AND I CALLED THE SYKESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
Hey, it was huge.
It was eight feet tall.
I SWEAR, IT'S TRUE.
I DESCRIBED IT AND WHAT I HAD SEEN,
AND THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE ME.
BUT THEY SAID THEY WOULD MEET ME AT THE LOCATION.
SOON AFTER HIS ENCOUNTER,
A BIZARRE CHAIN OF EVENTS BEGAN TO UNFOLD...
EVENTS THAT STRICKLER CAN'T UNDERSTAND TO THIS DAY.
IT WAS VERY STRANGE BECAUSE I GOT...
I IMMEDIATELY GOT BACK IN MY CAR AND DROVE BACK.
IT WAS NO MORE THAN A FOUR- OR FIVE-MINUTE DRIVE.
STOP, SIR.
WHEN HE PULLED UP,
STRICKLER WAS SHOCKED AT WHAT HE SAW.
THERE WERE POLICE CRUISERS.
THERE WERE BLACK VEHICLES THERE.
WHAT I THOUGHT LOOKED FEDERAL.
SIR, THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION.
YOU NEED TO LEAVE NOW.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK.
YOU CANNOT BE HERE, NO.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THAT IS.
YOU NEED TO LEAVE NOW.
HAVE YOU SEEN IT? NOW.
SOME FOUR DECADES AGO,
THE SMALL TOWN OF SYKESVILLE, MARYLAND,
ERUPTED IN FEAR AFTER A FLURRY OF SIGHTINGS
OF A WILD MAN IN THE WOODS... THE SYKESVILLE MONSTER.
THERE ARE MANY THEORIES
AS TO WHAT THIS CREATURE COULD BE.
IS IT THE STANDARD BIGFOOT,
THE YETI, THE YOWIE, THE SASQUATCH?
OR IS IT SOMETHING MORE?
MAYBE A THROWBACK TO OUR ANCESTORS.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE SYKESVILLE CREATURE
SOMEHOW GOT WASHED DOWN OUT OF THE MOUNTAINS
DURING TROPICAL STORM AGNES.
IN THE SUMMER OF 1972,
HURRICANE AGNES BLEW THROUGH MARYLAND,
UNLEASHING A TORRENT OF FLOODING
THAT TORE THE SYKESVILLE BRIDGE FROM ITS MOORINGS.
DID THE STORM LET LOOSE SOMETHING MONSTROUS, AS WELL?
SIGHTINGS IN THE SYKESVILLE AREA
NEVER STARTED TILL ABOUT SEPTEMBER OF '72.
OVER THE YEARS, THE ENCOUNTERS CONTINUED,
AND IN MAY 1981, MILL WORKER LON STRICKLER
WAS FISHING NEAR SYKESVILLE
WHEN HE SAW SOME SORT OF HAIRY HOMINID MOVING IN THE BRUSH.
WITHIN MINUTES, THE WOODS WERE SWARMING WITH POLICE.
STATE POLICEMAN TOLD ME TO GET BACK IN MY CAR AND LEAVE,
AND I EXPLAINED TO HIM, "I MADE THE CALL."
HE SAID, "YOU GOT TO LEAVE."
HAVE YOU SEEN IT? IT'S MASSIVE.
IT WAS... IT WAS... IT WAS HUGE.
YOU CANNOT BE HERE.
WHEN I WAS TOLD TO LEAVE, I WAS FRUSTRATED.
SOMETHING WAS GOING ON, SOMETHING I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT.
WITH THE FIRST SYKESVILLE MONSTER ENCOUNTER,
JUST ONE POLICE OFFICER RESPONDED.
ALMOST 10 YEARS LATER,
STRICKLER'S ENCOUNTER TRIGGERED A MANHUNT.
THE AUTHORITIES WERE ON RED ALERT,
AND IT WASN'T JUST LOCAL POLICE.
BY ALL APPEARANCES, THE RESPONSE HAD TURNED TO THE FEDS.
I CAME BACK ABOUT AN HOUR LATER,
AND THE WHOLE AREA WAS CORDONED OFF.
THERE WERE PEOPLE GOING THROUGH THE WOODS,
DOGS GOING THROUGH THE WOODS.
THERE WERE HELICOPTERS.
THERE WERE SHERIFFS' CARS, STATE POLICE,
BLACK S.U.V.s.
THE PLACE WAS SWARMED WITH FEDERAL AGENTS.
THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME.
SO, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE HAD BEEN SOME EVIDENCE FOUND,
BUT I WAS TOLD I HAD TO LEAVE, SO THAT'S WHAT I DID.
I WENT. I LEFT AND WENT HOME.
THE TOWN WAS IN SORT OF A CHAOS.
THERE WAS A CURFEW PUT ON. YOU COULDN'T GO OUT AT NIGHT.
PEOPLE WERE SCARED HERE.
EXACTLY WHICH AUTHORITIES WERE IN SYKESVILLE,
OR WHAT THEY MAY HAVE RECOVERED HAS NEVER BEEN DOCUMENTED.
THE FACT THAT THE OFFICIALS GOT THERE AS QUICKLY AS THEY DID
TELLS ME THAT THEY WERE TRACKING IT,
AND THEY WERE READY FOR IT.
I DO BELIEVE THE GOVERNMENT
REALIZES THAT THESE CREATURES ARE REAL.
THEY JUST DO NOT WANT THE PUBLIC
TO SAY MUCH AND KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT.
THE GOVERNMENT'S RELUCTANCE TO COMMENT
HAS STOKED THE COMMUNITY'S SUSPICION.
IT'S VERY CREEPY TO ME AND VERY DISCONCERTING
THAT THERE ARE NO RECORDS OF THE SYKESVILLE MONSTER
IN OUR OWN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THE OFFICIAL RECORD IS BLANK,
YET CRYPTOZOOLOGISTS ARE ADAMANT THAT SOMETHING WAS OUT THERE.
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
ACTUALLY RELEASED A BULLETIN
THAT ASKED THEIR LOCAL PERSONNEL TO BEGIN INVESTIGATIONS
WHENEVER SUCH AN INCIDENT OCCURS.
AND TO THIS DAY, THEY STILL DO,
ALTHOUGH THEY CONTINUE TO DENY THEIR INVOLVEMENT.
STRICKLER DECIDED TO TRY AND FIND SOME ANSWERS.
I ACTUALLY FOUND A FEW OF THE ORIGINAL WITNESSES
FROM THE '70s AND INTERVIEWED MANY OF THEM.
I ASKED A SKETCH ARTIST IN FLORIDA,
WHO WAS A RETIRED DETECTIVE, TO GIVE ME A RENDERING.
WHAT I RECEIVED WAS A PICTURE OF A CAVEMAN,
OF AN NEANDERTHAL,
BUT THAT IS WHAT I HAD SEEN.
THIS WAS NOT AN APE. THIS WAS NOT A GORILLA.
IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I SAW.
THIS WAS THE FACE OF A MONSTER.
MY ENCOUNTER MADE ME REALIZE
THAT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS OUT THERE.
I DON'T KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE READY FOR IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE READY FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
200 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ALBUQUERQUE,
THE FARMING TOWN OF ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO,
SITS PERCHED ON THE HIGH PLAINS.
THE INFAMOUS SITE OF AN ALLEGED UFO CRASH IN THE 1940s,
ROSWELL IS ALSO THE SITE OF A SINISTER VISITATION
BY A FLYING MONSTER...
ONE THAT'S FEATHERED, FEMALE, AND FRIGHTENING.
A SHAPE-SHIFTING WITCH KNOWN AS LA LECHUZA...
THE OWL.
IT'S SENT TO CAUSE TERROR
AND EVENTUALLY HAVE THE PERSON DIE OF FEAR.
THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THIS THING IS TO SCARE YOU TO DEATH.
THE ORIGINS OF THE LEGEND SUPPOSEDLY START
WITH AN OLD MEDICINE WOMAN...
ONE THAT STRAYED FROM HEALING TO BLACK MAGIC.
AFTER NEWBORN BABIES WENT MISSING,
VILLAGERS ARRIVED AT HER DOOR.
THEY WERE DETERMINED TO WIPE OUT THE CONJURING CRONE.
BRUJA! BRUJA!
BUT FOR THIS WITCH, DEATH DIDN'T LAST LONG.
LA LECHUZA WAS BORN, AND SHE'S OUT FOR REVENGE.
LA LECHUZA, PART OWL, PART WOMAN, ALL MONSTER.
THE ANCIENT MAYANS BELIEVED THAT ONCE THE SUN WENT DOWN,
THE REALM OF DEATH ARRIVED,
AND THE OWLS WERE GODS OF THE DAMNED.
IN MYTHS AROUND THE WORLD,
OWLS ARE PERCEIVED AS HERALDS OF DOOM,
BABY STALKERS, NIGHT KILLERS.
THE LECHUZA IS REALLY PERVASIVE IN THE SOUTHWEST.
AND IT'S MOVING INTO OTHER PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES.
THE IDEA BEHIND THE LECHUZA IS THAT IT DRAINS YOU PHYSICALLY,
AND IT DOES THIS THROUGH FEAR AND TORMENT.
WHEN CHILDREN AND ADULTS SEE THIS OWL,
IT'S ALWAYS AT NIGHT,
AND THEY DON'T ALWAYS SEE THE NEXT DAY.
THE WORST CASE IS PEOPLE BEING FOUND
WITH THEIR EYES CLAWED OUT.
PEOPLE BEING FOUND WITH CLAW MARKS ON THEIR BACKS,
AND THEY'RE FOUND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, ANYWHERE.
MIDDLE OF, LIKE, NOWHERE.
THAT, TO ME, IS HORRIFYING.
IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE SCARIEST CREATURES
THAT I'VE EVER HEARD ABOUT.
OCTAVIO RAMOS IS A JOURNALIST
AND TECHNICAL WRITER AT LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LAB.
MY PARENTS WERE IN THEIR 20s
WHEN THEY MOVED TO THE UNITED STATES FROM MEXICO.
MY FATHER CAME AS A MIGRANT WORKER
AND MOVED HIS WAY INTO ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO.
MY MOTHER ALSO MOVED OVER TO ROSWELL
WHERE SHE WAS WORKING IN A HOUSEHOLD.
THAT'S WHEN THEY MET, AND THEY MARRIED.
THIS IS IT. WE'RE HERE.
SOON, THEY FOUND A NEW HOME TO START THEIR LIFE TOGETHER.
IT WAS THEIR FIRST HOME.
FOR THEM, IT WAS QUITE LUXURIOUS.
THEY NEVER HAD ANYTHING SO BIG IN THEIR LIVES BEFORE,
SO THEY WERE EXTREMELY HAPPY OF WHERE THEY WERE.
THE YOUNG COUPLE SETTLED IN, FULL OF HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.
I WAS BORN... I WAS ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD.
WITH THEIR NEWBORN SON,
JUAN AND MARIA'S PARADISE WAS COMPLETE.
ONLY THE VERY BUNDLE THAT BROUGHT THEM SO MUCH JOY
MAY HAVE ATTRACTED A WICKED FORCE.
THE LECHUZA MAY HAVE SENSED
THAT THERE WAS A BABY IN THE HOUSE.
ONE NIGHT IN THE FALL OF 1964...
MY FATHER WAS IN CHARGE OF WATERING THE LAND
THAT SURROUNDED THE HOUSE.
AT NIGHT, IT'S EASIER TO WATER
BECAUSE THERE'S LESS EVAPORATION.
THE LAST THING HE WOULD DO BEFORE TURNING IN
WOULD BE TO GO OUTSIDE AND MAKE SURE
THAT THE GENERATOR WAS RUNNING PROPERLY.
AND THAT'S WHEN HE SAW THE FIREBALL
COMING FROM OUR NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE BACK OVER TO OUR HOUSE.
MARIA!
JUAN CALLED MARIA OUT TO SEE IT,
TO MAKE SURE HE WASN'T IMAGINING THIS.
MY PARENTS DESCRIBED IT AS A VERY ORANGE FLAME
THAT WAS LIKE SCINTILLATING BLUE.
IT WAS INCREDIBLY BRIGHT, INCREDIBLY BRIGHT.
HE THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A METEOR,
OR HE THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE SOME STRANGE FORM OF LIGHTNING.
VáMONOS.
THE TERRIFYING VISIT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING.
EVERY NIGHT, THE FRIGHTENING FIREBALL
DESCENDED UPON THE FAMILY.
MY PARENTS REMEMBER THE DOGS JUST BARKING CONSTANTLY.
AND THEN EVENTUALLY,
GOING FROM BARKING TO THIS HIGH-PITCHED HOWLING.
THEY WERE SO TERRIFIED OF THIS THING.
JUAN STILL HAD TO BRAVE THE OUTDOORS
TO TAKE CARE OF HIS CHORES IN THE BARN.
THAT'S WHEN THE TRUE NATURE OF THE STRANGE EVENTS
WAS REVEALED...
LECHUZA.
THERE WAS A LOT OF COMMOTION IN THE BARN,
AND HE WENT INTO THE BARN,
AND HE SAW 10 TO 12 OWLS INSIDE THE HAY LOFT.
HE FELT AS THOUGH THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG,
AND HE FELT REALLY, REALLY TERRIFIED.
AND MY FATHER DOESN'T TERRIFY EASILY.
AND SO HE WENT BACK IN THE HOUSE,
AND HE TOLD MY MOTHER THAT HE FELT
AS THOUGH THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG.
AND THAT'S WHEN THEY STARTED TO HEAR THE OWLS
WALKING ON TOP OF THE ROOF.
INTERSPERSED WITH THAT SOUND WAS THAT DEEPER, RESONATING SOUND,
AS IF THERE WAS SOMETHING WITH THE OWLS,
WALKING WITH THEM.
EXCEPT THE SOUND WAS MUCH HEAVIER AND DEEPER,
AND THAT'S WHEN THE LECHUZA
BEGAN TO MOVE DOWNWARD ONTO THE SHUTTERS.
AND MY MOTHER, BEING CURIOUS,
DECIDED TO OPEN ONE OF THE WINDOWS.
SHE SCREAMED, AND SHE TOLD MY FATHER WHAT SHE HAD SEEN.
AND SO, THEY STAYED THERE FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT.
THEY HAD SURVIVED A MYSTERIOUS FIREBALL,
A VISIT BY THE WITCH OWL HERSELF,
THEN JUAN FELL GRAVELY ILL.
HE HAD BEEN WORKING IN THE FIELDS
WHEN THE APPENDICITIS HAD STRUCK HIM,
SO HE WAS IN BED.
HE SLEPT MOST OF THE TIME.
HE WAS GETTING WEAKER AND WEAKER BY THE DAY.
JUAN'S HEALTH CONTINUED TO DETERIORATE,
AND THE LECHUZA CAME EVERY NIGHT
TO CHECK ON HIS DOWNWARD SPIRAL, AS IF TO WATCH HIM DIE.
MY MOTHER SAYS THAT SHE BELIEVED MY FATHER WAS GOING TO DIE
IF THEY DID NOT TAKE ACTION,
WHICH IS WHY SHE WENT TO THE EXTREME OF GOING TO A CURANDERA.
WHICH IS A GOOD WITCH, SUPPOSEDLY A GOOD WITCH.
GOING TO A CURANDERA MEANS THAT YOU'RE TAPPING INTO MAGIC,
AND ANY TYPE OF MAGIC IS NOT A HEALTHY THING.
BUT THE ONLY WAY TO DESTROY THIS CREATURE
WAS TO DO AS THE CURANDERA SAID.
THE CURANDERA TOLD THEM
SOMEONE WAS USING THE OWL WITCH TO HARASS THE FAMILY.
BOTH THE NEWBORN BABY AND JUAN WERE IN DANGER
IF THEY DIDN'T ACT SOON.
THEY HAD BUT ONE OPTION.
TAKE A BULLET AND ENGRAVE A CRUCIFIX OR A CROSS ON IT.
LOAD THE RIFLE AND GO OUTSIDE AND SHOOT IT.
AND SHE SAID THAT HE WAS THE ONLY PERSON
THAT COULD POSSIBLY GO OUT THERE AND KILL IT.
IN 1964, IN ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO,
A SINISTER OWL WITCH KNOWN AS LECHUZA
WAS STALKING A YOUNG COUPLE, JUAN AND MARIA RAMOS...
...AND THEIR NEWBORN BABY.
AFTER JUST DAYS OF TORMENT, JUAN WAS SICK, NEAR DEATH.
HIS ONLY HOPE FOR SURVIVAL, KILLING THE MONSTER,
USING A BULLET CARVED WITH A CROSS.
THE TORMENT WAS SO BAD,
MY FATHER DECIDED THAT HE HAD ENOUGH.
AND SO HE LOADED IT, WENT OUTSIDE,
WAITED FOR IT TO MANIFEST ITSELF INTO THE BALL OF FIRE.
HE SAID THAT THERE WAS A HORRIBLE, HIGH-PITCHED SCREAM,
AND HE SHOT IT.
THEY FOUND SOME FEATHERS, AND THEY FOUND SOME BLOOD.
HE DOESN'T KNOW IF HE KILLED IT, OR IF HE WOUNDED IT.
BUT THAT WAS THE END OF IT FOR THEM.
IT NEVER TORMENTED THEM AGAIN.
JUAN RECOVERED FROM HIS ILLNESS.
HE EVENTUALLY SHARED THE STORY OF LA LECHUZA
WITH HIS SON, OCTAVIO,
BUT REFUSES TO DISCUSS IT WITH ANYONE ELSE.
WELL, MY FATHER DOESN'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE LECHUZA
BECAUSE HE IS VERY RELIGIOUS,
AND ANYTHING TO DO WITH ANY TYPE OF MAGIC
IS CONSIDERED BLASPHEMOUS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
BUT I KNOW BY THE CADENCE OF HIS VOICE
THAT HE SAW SOMETHING THAT HE'D RATHER NOT TALK ABOUT.
I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE FEW SECRETS
THAT MY FATHER WILL TAKE TO THE GRAVE.
REPORTS OF LA LECHUZA CONTINUE TO SURFACE ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST.
RECENTLY, IN AUSTIN, TEXAS,
TWO TEENAGERS WENT LOOKING FOR FUN.
THEY NEARLY ENDED UP AS PREY FOR THE BLOODTHIRSTY OWL WITCH.
WE JUST HAD BAND PRACTICE, AND WE WERE HANGING OUT.
YOU KNOW, WE JUST HAD ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS
WHERE WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO.
IN THE SUMMER OF 2010, DAVID GARCIA WAS 15 YEARS OLD.
HIS BROTHER, MIKE ANDRES, WAS SIX YEARS OLDER.
ON A WHIM, THEY DECIDED TO HUNT AROUND
IN A DERELICT STRUCTURE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN.
COME ON. YOU GUYS GO THAT WAY AND LOOK.
WE'LL LOOK THIS WAY.
DUDE, I DON'T WANT TO GO.
COME ON.
I'LL BE HONEST, I WAS NERVOUS
BECAUSE I'VE NEVER REALLY GONE INSIDE
AN ABANDONED BUILDING AT MIDNIGHT.
COME ON, LET'S GO.
AND IT WAS, LIKE, AM I REALLY DOING THIS?
AS THEY ENTERED THE BUILDING, THE AIR SUDDENLY WENT COLD.
IT WAS THAT EERIE KIND OF COLD
WHERE YOU GET A CHILL UP YOUR SPINE,
AND YOU JUST KIND OF, LIKE, "I SHOULDN'T BE HERE."
THIS IS SO COOL.
SO, WE WALKED AROUND, AND WE COULD HEAR, LIKE,
SCUTTLING AND NOISES HERE AND THERE
AND THINGS FALLING, YOU KNOW.
WE THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST AN ABANDONED BUILDING.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE NOBODY TOOK CARE OF IT,
AND IT WAS JUST FALLING APART.
SHH. DID YOU HEAR THAT?
BUT THEN THE NOISES TURNED INTO VOICES.
MIKE.
I JUST HEAR, LIKE, THERE'S SOMEONE BEHIND ME,
LIKE, "MIKE. MIKE."
WAS THAT YOU?
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, FREAK ME OUT?
DUDE, IT WASN'T ME.
IT WAS MORE OF A SOFTER, YOUNGER WOMAN'S VOICE.
MICHAEL.
I THINK IT CAME FROM DOWN THERE.
LET'S GO CHECK IT OUT.
I WAS SCARED.
THAT'S WHEN WE WERE, LIKE, WHO'S IN HERE WITH US?
DESPITE THEIR FEAR,
DAREDEVIL COURAGE LED THE BROTHERS ON.
THEN WE START WALKING. WE HEAR A SCREECH.
WHAT WAS THAT?
A SCREECH, JUST PETRIFYING KIND OF SCREECH.
I HEARD WINGS. I HEARD TALONS, I HEARD CLAWS.
IT WAS CLEAR THEY'D TRESPASSED ON MONSTER TERRITORY.
WHEN YOU HEAR THIS, YOU ARE MORTIFIED.
YOU'RE FROZEN IN FEAR.
THERE IT IS.
ALL WE SEE IS SOMETHING PERCHED OVER THE BANISTER.
MIKE'S YELLING, "MY GOD. MY GOD.
"BAD THINGS ARE GONNA HAPPEN IF WE STAY HERE.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE.
TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT WE'RE GONNA DIE."
I LITERALLY THOUGHT IT WOULD JUST GET US AND RIP US APART.
MIKE AND DAVID WERE RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES,
LA LECHUZA CLOSE BEHIND.
ALL WE SAW WAS SOMETHING BLACK, FEATHERY,
SLAM ITSELF AGAINST THE WINDOW.
IT WAS FIERCE.
IT WANTED TO BREAK THOSE DOORS DOWN.
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GLASS,
A CREATURE THAT WOULD HAUNT THEIR MEMORY FOREVER.
AND I SEE CLEAR, A YOUNG, YOUNG GIRL.
I MEAN, NOTHING PAST 20.
JUST STARING.
AND THE FOLKLORE DESCRIBES THE CREATURE'S EYES
THAT ARE LIKE DARK CHASMS THAT YOU STARE INTO
AND THAT CREATE A REALLY HEIGHTENED SENSE
OF PARALYSIS AND HORROR.
COME ON. LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!
BREAKING FREE OF LECHUZA'S MESMERIZING GRIP,
THE BROTHERS ESCAPED WITH THEIR LIVES.
LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!
I TRULY BELIEVED THAT I WAS IN THE PRESENCE
OF THIS MAJESTICAL, DEMONIC THING.
I WISH I COULD PUT IN MORE WORDS HOW BEAUTIFULLY TERRIBLE IT WAS.