IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS,
A PARANORMAL PANTHER ON A RAMPAGE.
BOOM. IT HIT ME.
I MEAN, IT KNOCKED ME IN THE ROAD.
AND I KNEW THAT'S WHEN IT WAS GONNA TRY TO EAT ME.
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
THE TWIN YOU NEVER KNEW YOU HAD
TURNS INTO YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE.
WHO KNOWS WHAT THIS THING'S ACTUAL INTENTION IS?
THE EYES OF WHATEVER THIS IS.
MAYBE IT'S GONNA BE THE LAST THING I SEE.
THE SKIES OVER KENTUCKY,
SCORES OF UFO SIGHTINGS.
NOW NEW EVIDENCE FROM A CHOPPER CREW
THAT BARELY SURVIVED AN AERIAL ASSAULT.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THIS OBJECT IS COMING TOWARD US,
AND AS I TRIED TO GET AWAY FROM IT AND LOOK,
AND IT WAS CHASING US. "IT'S CHASING US."
AT ILLINOIS' SOUTHERNMOST TIP,
WHERE THE OHIO RIVER MERGES WITH THE MISSISSIPPI,
SPRAWLS THE SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST.
SMALL TOWNS EXIST AS QUIET OUTPOSTS
ALONGSIDE THE 280,000 ACRES OF PROTECTED WILDERNESS.
IT SEEMS PEACEFUL ENOUGH,
EXCEPT FOR THE RUMORS ABOUT A SUPERNATURAL PREDATOR.
IF YOU LOOK AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
WITH A REAL FOCUS ON THE SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST,
YOU GET LOTS OF DIFFERENT REPORTS OF CRYPTIDS.
AND IN THE REPORTS,
ONE CRYPTID CREATURE APPEARS AGAIN AND AGAIN.
A FEROCIOUS FELINE, BLACK AS THE NIGHT,
FANGS OF FURY, A SUPERNATURAL SLASHER.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE COME UP THIS HILL...
...AND THERE IT IS.
DEEP WITHIN THE SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST
IS A RUGGED BACKCOUNTRY WILDERNESS
KNOWN AS THE DEVIL'S KITCHEN.
THE INDIANS, THE LOCALS, THE SETTLERS
ALL FEARED THAT AREA AND REALLY KEPT AWAY FROM IT.
BEGINNING IN THE MID 1800s,
TERRIFYING TALES BEGAN TO EMERGE,
ENCOUNTERS WITH UNUSUAL CAT CREATURES.
FROM ABOUT THE 1850s THROUGH ABOUT 1917,
YOU GET A LARGE BODY OF ACTUAL, FACTUAL CASES
TALKED ABOUT IN NEWSPAPERS.
USUALLY A COUPLE LINES... "FAMILY SEES PANTHER."
"FAMILY WAS ATTACKED BY A BLACK PANTHER."
ONE SUCH CASE OCCURRED IN JULY OF 1917
ON THE GROUNDS OF AN ESTATE IN MONTICELLO, ILLINOIS.
A VERY MYSTERIOUS CASE HAPPENED ON A LOCAL MANSION
WHERE A BUTLER WAS OUT DOING THEIR GARDENING,
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN...
THIS UPRIGHT BLACK PANTHER ATTACKED HIM,
AND IT BECAME A VERY FRIGHTENING SITUATION.
REPORTERS DUBBED IT "NELLIE THE LION."
OVER THIS WAY! COME HERE!
THE ATTACK SPARKED A MASSIVE HUNT.
THE TRACKS JUST DISAPPEAR RIGHT HERE.
THE MARAUDING BEAST WAS NEVER FOUND.
ROADS WERE MONITORED BY POLICE OFFICERS,
SCHOOLS WOULD CLOSE
BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID KIDS WERE GOING TO BE SNATCHED.
THEY'RE DESCRIBED
AS MUCH LARGER THAN A TYPICAL PANTHER,
WELL OVER 9 FEET IN LENGTH WITH JET-BLACK FUR.
THESE BEASTS DON'T BEHAVE LIKE CATS TYPICALLY SEEN IN NATURE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SEEN THE PHANTOM PANTHER
APPEAR BEFORE THEM AND DISAPPEAR.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE SEEN THE PANTHER JUMP AT THEM
AND DISAPPEAR IN MID LUNGE.
SOMETHING THAT'S PHYSICALLY THERE
THAT YOU CAN SEE WITH YOUR EYES, BUT IT'S TANGIBLY NOT THERE.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CAPTURE THESE ANIMALS
SINCE THEY'VE BEEN SIGHTED,
FROM CAMERA TRAPS TO PHYSICAL, METAL TRAPS,
AND ALL OF THEM SEEM TO BE FRUITLESS
BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT BOUND BY THE NORMAL PHYSICS THAT WE ARE.
PEOPLE SEE THEM ALL THE TIME,
YET ZOOLOGY CANNOT EVEN EXPLAIN THEM.
THAT'S THE REASON THEY BECOME CRYPTIDS.
RESEARCHER LOREN COLEMAN
HAS INVESTIGATED CRYPTID SIGHTINGS AROUND THE WORLD
FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS.
AS A SCIENTIST, I ACCEPT OR DENY THE EVIDENCE.
AND THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ME.
I'M NOT A TRUE BELIEVER, I'M NOT A DEBUNKER.
I TRY TO LOOK AT THIS SKEPTICALLY,
AND THAT'S A REAL IMPORTANT STANCE FOR ME.
OF ALL THE CRYPTID CREATURES HE'S INVESTIGATED,
COLEMAN HAS COME FACE-TO-FACE ONLY ONCE.
HE HAS NEVER TOLD HIS ACCOUNT ON CAMERA UNTIL NOW.
IN THE FALL OF 1969,
NOT FAR FROM THE SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST,
COLEMAN AND A COUPLE OF COLLEAGUES WERE IN A CAR.
WE WERE ALL RETURNING FROM WORK
AS RECREATIONAL THERAPISTS AT THE STATE HOSPITAL,
AND THERE'S A PART OF THE ROAD
THAT GOES THROUGH THE GIANT CITY STATE PARK.
VERY RUGGED AREA, LOTS OF WOODS AROUND.
I'M SITTING THERE IN A POSITION LOOKING STRAIGHT OUT THE FRONT.
FROM THE PASSENGER SEAT,
COLEMAN SAW A LARGE BLACK MASS MOVING JUST UP AHEAD.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, A GIANT BLACK PANTHER CROSSES THE ROAD.
STEVE, BACK UP.
THIS IS A LARGE CAT, ONE THAT REALLY SHOULDN'T BE HERE.
THEY WATCHED HELPLESSLY, TOO AFRAID TO MOVE.
THIS THING COULD HURT US.
LUCKILY, THE GIANT BEAST LEAPT OFF THE ROAD
AND VANISHED INTO THE WOODS.
I WANT TO TURN AROUND, LOOK FOR TRACKS.
YOU'RE CRAZY. WE'RE OUT OF HERE.
EVERYBODY ELSE WANTED TO GO HOME.
SO, IT WAS FRUSTRATING.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING I TALK ABOUT THAT OFTEN,
AND YET I KNOW IT WAS REAL.
AND THEN THE NEXT YEAR, WAS LOTS OF SIGHTINGS AROUND THERE.
I WROTE MY FIRST ARTICLE, ACTUALLY,
ON MYSTERY ANIMALS OF ILLINOIS IN 1971.
ONE OF THE MOST TERRIFYING ENCOUNTERS
LOREN COLEMAN INVESTIGATED HAPPENED TO THIS MAN.
MIKE BUSBY IS A 63-YEAR-OLD RETIRED AUTO MECHANIC.
HE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.
GROWING UP, MIKE HEARD THE RUMORS ABOUT THE PANTHERS.
YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS A SMALL KID,
WE WAS TOLD THERE WAS A BLACK PANTHER,
BUT I NEVER DREAMED OF EVER SEEING ANYTHING, YOU KNOW?
OR ESPECIALLY BEING ATTACKED BY IT.
IN THE SPRING OF 1970,
BUSBY WAS A 19-YEAR-OLD NEWLYWED.
ONE NIGHT, HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO PICK UP HIS BRIDE
IN A NEARBY TOWN.
WE HAD JUST GOT THROUGH WORKING AT MY DAD'S GARAGE.
WE PUT A MOTOR IN A CAR.
AND IT WAS LATE.
I WAS DRIVING DOWN ROUTE 3.
NOT A VERY WELL-TRAVELED ROAD BACK IN THE DAY.
AND I HAD AN OLD '55 CHEVROLET.
HE WAS READY TO UNWIND AFTER A LONG DAY AT WORK.
WITHIN MINUTES, HE'D BE FACING THE BATTLE OF HIS LIFE.
THEN THE CAR, IT STARTED JUMPING AND JERKING.
OUT OF NOWHERE, THE ENGINE CUT OUT.
WHEN IT DIED, I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?
I WENT OUT, PECKED ON THE CARBURETOR,
AND I KNEW THAT WOULD FIX IT.
BUT THEN I HEARD SOMETHING, LIKE LIMBS AND BRUSH BEING BROKE,
STEPPED ON OR SOMETHING RIGHT BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
THAT'S WHEN IT POUNCED ON ME.
I COULDN'T GET IT OFF OF ME.
IT HAD ME PINNED. I COULD NOT PUSH IT OFF.
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
I THOUGHT THIS THING WAS GONNA TRY TO EAT ME ALIVE.
SO I GRABBED IT WITH BOTH HANDS...
...AND HELD ITS MOUTH OPEN SO IT COULDN'T BITE MY THROAT.
FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE,
BUSBY FELT WHOLLY OUTMATCHED BY THE GROWLING BEHEMOTH.
IT WAS SCRATCHING ME AND HITTING ME
LIKE A HUMAN WOULD HIT YOU, YOU KNOW?
AND IT WAS COMING TOWARD MY THROAT.
AND I JUST KNEW THIS THING IS GONNA KILL ME.
COME OVER HERE! THIS WAY!
IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS,
IT'S BEEN SEEN HUNDREDS OF TIMES.
RIGHT HERE. IT'S NEVER BEEN CAPTURED.
BUT WITNESSES SWEAR A DEMONIC BLACK PANTHER WITH GLOWING EYES
STALKS THESE DARK, WOODED ROADS.
IN 1970 ON A RURAL HIGHWAY NEAR THE SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST,
MIKE BUSBY CROSSED PATHS WITH THIS MONSTER.
I WAS SCARED TO DEATH. I WAS HOLLERING.
I KNOW I WAS CRYING, AND HOLLERED,
HOPING THAT WOULD GET IT OFF OF ME,
BUT THE MORE I WOULD HOLLER AND CRY...
...IT SEEMED LIKE THE MORE IT WAS TRYING TO TEAR ME UP.
THE WAY IT GROWLED, IT WAS LIKE A
A CAT GROWL.
IT HELD ME TO THAT BLACKTOP ROAD.
I COULD NOT GET AWAY FROM IT.
AND I WAS PRETTY STRONG MYSELF BACK THEN.
BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA TRY TO EAT ME ALIVE.
I KNEW I WAS DEAD, SO I JUST WENT LIMP.
THE THING GOT UP OFF ME.
JUST THEN, HEADLIGHTS APPEARED LIKE A SAVING ANGEL.
I HEARD THE BRAKES SQUEAL.
THE THING TOOK OFF TO THE WOODS,
BUT WHEN IT TOOK OFF, IT WAS ON ITS BACK LEGS.
AND WENT FOUR OR FIVE STEPS, AND THAT'S THE LAST I SAW
BECAUSE I CRAWLED TILL I GOT UP ON THE ROAD.
HEY! YOU'RE HURT.
LET ME HELP YOU.
DID YOU SEE THAT?
HE COME OUT AND ASKED ME...
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?
HE SAID, "DID YOU SEE THAT?
IT WENT IN THE WOODS ON ITS BACK LEGS."
I SAID, "YES, SIR, I SAW THAT."
HE SAID, "WELL, IT WAS BIG, WHATEVER IT WAS."
THE DRIVER HELPED MIKE GET TO THE HOSPITAL.
I HAD SCRATCHES ALL OVER BOTH ARMS, THE BACK, CHEST...
JUST RELAX.
...BOTH SIDES OF MY NECK, AND MY FACE HAD SCRATCHES.
GOING TO SUTURE THIS UP.
I WAS LAID UP FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS.
MR. BUSBY. I'M OFFICER MORGAN.
FROM HIS HOSPITAL BED,
MIKE BUSBY GAVE A STATEMENT TO LOCAL POLICE.
YOU KNOW WHAT IT WAS THAT ATTACKED YOU, SIR?
AND I TOLD THEM WHAT WENT ON,
AND THEY DIDN'T REALLY BELIEVE ME.
THE COPS THOUGHT IT WAS A WOLF,
BUT I KNEW IT WASN'T 'CAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE A LONG SNOUT.
IT WAS A BIG CAT.
THEY NEVER FOLLOWED THE INVESTIGATION OR NOTHING.
THEY NEVER DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
WHEN LOCAL REPORTERS PICKED UP ON THE STRANGE STORY,
IT CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF CRYPTOZOOLOGIST LOREN COLEMAN.
YOU'RE STILL IN SOME PAIN.
COLEMAN INTERVIEWED MIKE BUSBY
JUST DAYS AFTER THE TERRIFYING ATTACK.
LOOK AT THIS.
I COULD TELL HE WAS UPSET.
IT WAS SOMETHING REAL THAT HAPPENED
AND IT CAUSED BODILY HARM TO THIS GUY.
JUST POUNCED ON ME.
GOT UP AND RAN AWAY ON TWO LEGS.
WHEN HE TOLD HIS STORY, HE WAS BACK THERE AGAIN,
AND IT WAS SO INTENSE FOR HIM.
THING WAS EVIL. IT WANTED ME DEAD.
IT WAS POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS.
HE TOLD HIS STORY AND THEN HE HAD TO CALM DOWN AGAIN
BECAUSE IT WAS SO REAL FOR HIM.
AND THEN TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO THE TRUCK DRIVER,
THEY JUST WENT TOGETHER SO WELL.
IT WAS A STORY THAT I HAD TO REALLY CONSIDER
AND ACCEPT AS GOOD EVIDENCE.
A FEW WEEKS LATER, THE ALEXANDER COUNTY SHERIFF
KILLED A WOLF ON ROUTE 3
AND DECLARED IT THE CULPRIT IN THE BUSBY ATTACK.
AND HE COME OUT TO OUR GARAGE AND HE SAID,
"THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT GOT YOU, MIKE, WAS THAT WOLF."
I SAID, "NO. WELL, I DON'T CARE.
I KNOW THAT'S NOT WHAT ATTACKED ME.
IT WAS NOT NO WOLF OR NO DOG OF ANY KIND."
MIKE DROVE THAT ROUTE OFTEN BACK AND FORTH FROM WORK.
HE WAS SCARED.
HE WAS TERRIFIED THAT HE WOULD MEET THIS CREATURE AGAIN.
I WILL NEVER, AS LONG AS I LIVE,
GO BACK THERE AT NIGHTTIME AGAIN.
NOT EVEN WITH A GUN.
THERE'S STILL SOMETHING OUT THERE.
ANYTHING CAN EXIST OUT THERE.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S IN THE DARK.
JUST OUTSIDE OF ORLANDO, FLORIDA,
THE AFFLUENT SUBURB OF OVIEDO,
PALM TREES AND EXPANSIVE LAWNS LINE SAFE AND FRIENDLY STREETS.
TO ONE FAMILY THAT SETTLED HERE, IT SEEMED LIKE HEAVEN.
THAT IS UNTIL THEY WERE TERRORIZED
BY ONE OF THE STRANGEST MONSTERS OF ALL.
ONE THAT NO GATES, NO ALARMS,
NOR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH CAN PROTECT YOU FROM.
I WAS ALMOST ABOUT TO FALL ASLEEP,
AND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS MY SISTER CAME IN.
HONESTLY, I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S EVER GONNA GO AWAY
UNTIL IT DOES WHAT IT NEEDS TO DO.
FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL, IT'S BEEN A TERRIFYING OMEN.
BELIEVED TO FORETELL DANGER OR IMMINENT DEATH.
DOPPELGANGER IS A VERY OLD TERM FROM GERMANY
TRANSLATING TO MEANING "DOUBLE WALKER."
IT'S DEFINED AS A PARANORMAL DOUBLE OF A LIVING PERSON.
DOPPELGANGERS ARE OFTEN DESCRIBED AS AN EVIL TWIN
THAT'S LURKING IN THE WORLD FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US.
FOR TANNA LEGGET AND HER FAMILY, THE LEGEND IS ALL TOO REAL.
THEY WERE STALKED BY A DARK AND DEADLY DOPPELGANGER,
ONE THAT SEEMED DRIVEN TO WIPE TANNA OUT OF EXISTENCE
AND TAKE HER PLACE.
AS A MOTHER AND EVERYTHING,
YOU KNOW EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR CHILDREN,
AND TANNA'S WALK, HER MANNERISMS, EVERYTHING.
TANNA.
I KNEW IMMEDIATELY THAT THAT'S NOT TANNA, CAN'T BE TANNA.
AND THEN I THOUGHT, "MY GOSH, SOMETHING'S WENT WRONG."
WHETHER IT'S A WARNING OF DOOM OR A SNATCHER OF SOULS,
WHEN A DOPPELGANGER COMES TO CALL,
ITS MESSAGE IS SHEER TERROR.
ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS CASES OF A DOPPELGANGER
OCCURRED IN 1860 ON THE EVE
OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S FIRST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
AFTER HE ARRIVED HOME, AS HE SAT DOWN TO REST,
HE CAUGHT SIGHT OF HIMSELF IN THE MIRROR.
SOMEHOW, A SECOND IMAGE MATERIALIZED...
PALE AND DEATHLY.
THE SECOND IMAGE IN THAT MIRROR, HE SAID, HAD A FACE
THAT WAS LINED AND WAS ABOUT FIVE SHADES PALER.
ANOTHER FACE NEXT TO MY FACE.
WHEN HE SPOKE TO HIS WIFE, MARY TODD LINCOLN,
ABOUT WHAT HE HAD SEEN, SHE BELIEVED THAT IT WAS A SIGN,
AND SHE INTERPRETED IT AS HE WOULD BE ELECTED A SECOND TIME,
BUT THE PALLOR AND JUST THE WAN LOOK OF THAT SECOND IMAGE,
MARY TODD BELIEVED THAT HE WOULD NOT LIVE
TO SEE THE END OF HIS TERM.
AND AS WE ALL KNOW, HE DID NOT.
REPORTS OF A DOPPELGANGER
AREN'T CONFINED TO THE HISTORY BOOKS.
IN OVIEDO, FLORIDA, THE LEGGETT FAMILY
EXPERIENCED A HOME INVASION LIKE NO OTHER.
MOM, HAVE YOU SEEN MY HAIRBRUSH?
NO IDEA.
WE ALWAYS HAD VERY SCIENTIFIC AS OPPOSED TO SUPERNATURAL BELIEFS.
TO US, SCIENCE WILL EVENTUALLY FIGURE EVERYTHING OUT.
IT'S IN JORDAN'S ROOM. IT'S GOT TO BE.
JORDAN!
YET SCIENCE COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.
DON'T YELL, TANNA.
TELL HER TO STOP TAKING MY BRUSH!
APRIL 2003.
GET OUT OF MY ROOM.
AN ORDINARY MORNING IN THE LEGGETT HOUSEHOLD.
MOM, SHE TOOK IT.
I JUST HAD TWO CUPS OF COFFEE,
SETTLING DOWN TO WATCH MY MORNING TV, AS I NORMALLY DO.
I'M LOCKING MY ROOM.
SHE CAN'T JUST COME IN WITHOUT ASKING.
DID YOU TAKE HER BRUSH?
I JUST USED HER STUPID BRUSH.
SERIOUSLY? YOU CAN'T USE YOUR OWN BRUSH?
NOW WE'RE GONNA BE LATE.
LOOK, THE BUS IS OUT THERE. GO.
Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD DAY.
BY 8:00, THE GIRLS HAD BOTH LEFT FOR SCHOOL.
FINALLY, KIM HAD THE HOUSE TO HERSELF.
I WAS ON THE COUCH.
AND TANNA CAME WALKING OUT...
WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE.
...WITH A TOWEL AND A TOWEL ON HER HEAD.
YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE FOR SCHOOL.
FIVE MILES AWAY AT OVIEDO HIGH SCHOOL,
TANNA IS SETTLING IN TO CLASS.
BUT BACK AT THE LEGGET'S HOME,
TANNA'S MOTHER IS CONVINCED SHE'S STILL IN THE BATHROOM.
AND I FOLLOWED HER IN THERE, AND NO ONE WAS THERE.
TANNA, WHERE'D YOU GO?
THERE WAS LITERALLY NO WAY THAT SHE COULD HAVE...
THERE WAS NO DOORS, NO WAY SHE COULD'VE GOTTEN OUTSIDE.
WHAT DID I JUST SEE?
LATER THAT DAY,
KIM CONFRONTED TANNA ABOUT MISSING THE BUS.
YOU WERE LATE. TELL ME THE TRUTH.
MOM, I SWEAR.
STOP SAYING I WASN'T AT SCHOOL! I'M NOT LYING!
SHE WAS ON THE BUS, MOM. I PROMISE.
SHE HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT,
AND IF SHE HAD MISSED CLASSES, I WOULD'VE GOTTEN A CALL AT HOME.
NO CALL CAME.
I HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR IT.
AND YEAH, IT KIND OF SHOOK ME UP, YOU KNOW,
AS I WENT OVER IN MY HEAD "WHAT COULD I HAVE SEEN?"
AND I JUST COULDN'T PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER.
THE TROUBLE WAS ONLY GETTING STARTED.
AS NIGHT FELL, THE SISTERS WERE IN THEIR SEPARATE ROOMS.
IT WAS PRETTY LATE,
AND WAS PROBABLY CLOSE TO FALLING ASLEEP,
BUT NOT TO THE POINT WHERE I WAS ACTUALLY ASLEEP.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, MY SISTER, SHE WALKS IN THE ROOM.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
I DON'T HAVE YOUR BRUSH. GET OUT OF MY ROOM.
JORDAN SENSED THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS DARK,
I COULD STILL SEE THAT THERE WAS HAIR COVERING THE FACE.
AND I COULDN'T SEE THE EYES OR ANYTHING.
GET OUT.
THOSE AREN'T YOURS. GET OUT OF MY ROOM.
GET OUT! MOM!
MY SISTER TURNED AND WALKED AWAY FUNNY.
MOST OF THE CASES THAT I'VE RESEARCHED,
THE PERSON CAN TELL THAT THERE'S SOMETHING
A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT GOING ON HERE,
WHETHER IT'S THE WAY THEY MOVE OR THE WAY THEY APPEAR TO THEM.
BUT THERE IS SOMETHING OFF.
THE NEXT DAY, JORDAN CONFRONTED TANNA
ABOUT THE STRANGE VISIT TO HER ROOM.
YOU REALLY FREAKED ME OUT. THAT WASN'T COOL AT ALL.
JORDAN, I SWEAR I WASN'T IN YOUR ROOM.
SHE SAID THAT I HAD WALKED IN VERY PURPOSEFULLY,
VERY DRIVEN, AND I HAD WALKED BACK OUT.
JUST STOP. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?
SHE DENIED EVER GOING IN THERE.
JORDAN, I SWEAR.
AND I WAS A LITTLE TAKEN ABACK 'CAUSE I KNOW WHAT I SAW.
I NEED A LOCK ON MY DOOR.
I WAS SHOCKED. ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED.
I SAT DOWN AND I THOUGHT,
YOU KNOW, SOMETHING WAS GOING ON.
SHE WAS VERY NERVOUS AT THE TIME.
SHE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS VERY, VERY SOLID
AND VERY, VERY CONVINCING THAT IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME.
MOM!
WE JUST STILL COULDN'T EXPLAIN IT.
WE REALLY COULDN'T.
JORDAN TOOK IT UPON HERSELF
TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS STALKING HER FAMILY.
THE TECH-SAVVY TEEN SOUGHT THE HELP
OF A PARANORMAL RESEARCHER ONLINE.
I RECEIVE E-MAILS FROM PEOPLE
ABOUT THEIR OWN DOPPELGANGER ENCOUNTERS.
IS THAT THE GUY?
YEP.
DOPPELGANGERS.
YEAH. SEND IT.
I DID FEEL LIKE IT WAS MAYBE A POSSIBLE SIGN
OF SOMETHING GOING TO HAPPEN, YOU KNOW,
WHETHER IT'S SOMETHING TRAGIC OR DEATH.
THE FAMILY WAS BEGINNING TO FEAR
THAT A DOPPELGANGER HAD TANNA IN ITS CROSSHAIRS,
TRYING TO KILL HER OFF AND TAKE HER PLACE.
TANNA WAS FEELING ANXIOUS, HER IMAGINATION RUNNING WILD.
IF I SAW ITS FACE, HONESTLY, NOT TO SOUND THE ALARMIST,
BUT I THINK THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE END FOR ME.
THE MIRROR! THE MIRROR!
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING.
SINCE IT LOOKED LIKE ME,
IT WAS ALREADY TAKING THE IDENTITY OF ME,
I WAS VERY CONCERNED THAT I NEEDED TO STAY PROTECTED.
TANNA, I BELIEVE YOU.
WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, TANNA HAD MOVED AWAY TO COLLEGE.
THE FAMILY THOUGHT THEY HAD SHAKEN FREE
OF TANNA'S DARK DOUBLE.
TANNA?
WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING HERE?
TANNA'S DOPPELGANGER WAS ABLE TO FORCE THAT DOOR TO OPEN,
AND I REALLY, AT THAT POINT, DIDN'T KNOW
WHETHER TO FEEL UNSAFE OR WHAT TO FEEL.
IT WAS PHYSICALLY OPENING DOORS, AND THAT FREAKED HER OUT.
I THINK THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME SHE WAS TRULY AFRAID OF IT.
IN FLORIDA IN 2003, A DOPPELGANGER, A MURDEROUS MIMIC,
BEGAN STALKING 17-YEAR-OLD TANNA LEGGET.
AFTER LEAVING HOME FOR COLLEGE, TANNA THOUGHT SHE WAS FREE.
BUT HER DIABOLICAL DOUBLE WOULDN'T QUIT.
THE SITUATION CHANGED QUITE A BIT FOR ME
BECAUSE I HAD NEVER SEEN IT BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING PHYSICAL.
ONE AFTERNOON, KIM WAS AT HOME RESTING ON THE COUCH.
TANNA?
THE FRONT DOOR JUST KIND OF BANGED OPEN.
TANNA?
AND I THOUGHT, "MY GOSH, SOMETHING'S WENT WRONG."
I'M LIKE, "TANNA, WHAT'S WRONG?"
AND STILL NOTHING.
AS SHE STEPPED AWAY FROM THE DOOR,
KIM NOTICED SOMETHING STRANGE.
ARE YOU OKAY?
IT'S ALMOST AS IF SHE WAS MOVING TOO FAST AND WALKING, YOU KNOW,
AT A SLIGHTLY OFF... THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN DESCRIBE IT,
AS THIS ALMOST DIFFERENT MANNERISMS.
IT WAS SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE.
THEN IT SPOKE.
TANNA.
THERE WAS NOTHING THERE. IT WAS GONE, VANISHED.
THE FACT THAT IT WAS ABLE TO TOUCH THE DOOR
OR AT LEAST OPEN THE DOOR,
AND THE FACT THAT IT WAS TRYING TO COMMUNICATE IN SOME SENSE
WAS VERY ALARMING.
MAYBE IT DOES HAVE SOME MANIPULATION
AS FAR AS OUR PHYSICAL WORLD GOES.
ALL KIM KNEW WAS THE DOPPELGANGER WAS BACK,
DETERMINED TO GET HER DAUGHTER...
WHEREVER SHE WAS.
I WAS WORKING IN A PIZZA RESTAURANT
AS THE OPENING MANAGER,
SO I HAD TO COME INTO THE STORE BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE.
I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF ACTUALLY JUST MOVING
OUR LITTLE BUCKETS OF SANITIZER AROUND
AND SETTING UP THE ACTUAL WAY
THE STORE NEEDED TO BE LAID OUT FOR THE DAY.
I THOUGHT NO ONE ELSE IS AROUND.
WE DIDN'T HAVE OUR PEOPLE COMING IN
TILL THE STORE ACTUALLY OPENED.
WHOEVER WAS THERE WITH TANNA WAS UP TO NO GOOD.
FRANK?
ARE YOU TRYING TO SCARE ME?
FINALLY, TANNA SAW IT.
THROUGH THE OVENS, I SAW WHAT REALLY LOOKED LIKE ME
IN MY EXACT UNIFORM FOR THE DAY, WALKING PAST THROUGH THE OVEN.
SEEING IT THERE, SOLID AS IT WAS,
IT WAS EXTREMELY ALARMING.
IT'S FOUND ME. IT KNOWS WHERE I WORK.
WITH NONE OF HER FAMILY AROUND,
TANNA WAS IN A SHOWDOWN WITH A DOPPELGANGER.
NO ONE ELSE CAN HELP ME,
AND WHO KNOWS WHAT THIS THING'S ACTUAL INTENTION IS?
SHE THOUGHT IF SHE LOCKED EYES WITH IT,
IT MIGHT MEAN INSTANT DEATH.
TANNA FLED THE BUILDING.
SHE DIDN'T DARE LOOK BACK.
LOOKING INTO WHATEVER THIS CREATURE'S EYES,
I THINK THAT WOULD ACTUALLY SIGNAL,
LIKE, THE FINAL DEATH THROES FOR MYSELF.
I THINK THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE END FOR ME.
WHEN TANNA CALLED, SHE WAS, YOU KNOW, VERY SHOOK UP.
SHE HAD SHEER TERROR, AND SHE SAID, "MOM, I SAW SOMETHING.
IT WAS ME. I SAW THE DOPPELGANGER."
AFTER THE HARROWING GLIMPSE
OF HER SUPERNATURAL SELF,
TANNA IS AFRAID IT WON'T STOP
UNTIL IT ACHIEVES ITS DARK MISSION.
I DO FEEL AND FEAR,
ESPECIALLY BEING AS CLOSE THE LAST TIME THAT IT CAME,
THAT IT WILL FIND ME AGAIN.
HONESTLY, I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S EVER GONNA GO AWAY
UNTIL IT DOES WHAT IT NEEDS TO DO.
I FEEL LIKE THIS IS GONNA BE WITH OUR FAMILY FOREVER.
IT'S GOING TO APPEAR AGAIN,
AND I HOPE TANNA NEVER HAS TO SEE WHAT'S BEHIND THOSE EYES.
FOR DECADES, RESIDENTS OF KENTUCKY
HAVE REPORTED CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
WITH UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS.
NOW NEW PROOF OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL VISITORS
FROM SOME OF THE MOST CREDIBLE WITNESSES SO FAR...
TWO AIR POLICE OFFICERS FORCED INTO A FACEOFF AGAINST A UFO.
IT WAS JUST SITTING THERE ABOVE THE TREETOPS.
AFTER A FEW SECONDS, IT DRIFTED.
LOOK AT THAT.
WHAT IS THAT THING?
AND THEN IT CAME DEAD CENTER.
IT'S MOVING WITH US.
IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE KIND OF IN A DUEL.
IT WOULD WAIT FOR ONE PERSON TO MAKE A MOVE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THIS OBJECT IS COMING TOWARD US.
AND AS I STARTED TO FLY OUT, KENNY SAYS...
THERE IT IS.
..."IT'S CHASING US. IT'S CHASING US."
GO! GO!
ALONG THE SOUTHERN BANKS OF THE OHIO RIVER
SITS LOUISVILLE, THE LARGEST CITY IN KENTUCKY.
IT'S A RELAXED AND HOSPITABLE TOWN
KNOWN FOR SIMPLE PLEASURES...
FRIED CHICKEN, BOURBON WHISKEY, THOROUGHBRED RACES.
BUT THIS REGION ALSO HAS A DARKER REPUTATION.
RUMORS OF UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
HOVERING IN THE NIGHT SKIES.
ALIEN INCIDENTS, UFO INCIDENTS IN KENTUCKY.
SEEMS LIKE EVERY YEAR OR EVERY COUPLE YEARS,
THERE ARE PRETTY NOTORIOUS CASES THAT COME UP.
REPORTS OF MYSTERIOUS OBJECTS
FLYING OVER KENTUCKY GO BACK TO 1948.
THOMAS MANTELL WAS A AIR FORCE PILOT,
AND HE GOT A CALL THAT THERE WAS A UFO THAT HAD BEEN SPOTTED.
ON THE AFTERNOON OF JANUARY 7, 1948,
THE KENTUCKY HIGHWAY PATROL
REPORTED AN UNUSUAL CIRCULAR OBJECT
NEARLY 300 FEET IN DIAMETER CLIMBING FAST.
THEY SCRAMBLED THE FIGHTER PLANES,
AND HE ACTUALLY CHASED THE UFO FOR QUITE A DISTANCE.
MANTELL WENT SKY HIGH IN PURSUIT
ALMOST 5 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH.
AND HE CHASED IT TO THE POINT
WHERE HIS PLANE CRASHED.
MANTELL'S DEATH WAS ONE OF THE FIRST CASES
TO FOCUS THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ON THE UFO PHENOMENON.
A FEW YEARS LATER, KENTUCKY WAS ONCE AGAIN THE TARGET
OF A FAMOUS EXTRATERRESTRIAL ENCOUNTER.
IN 1955 IN HOPKINSVILLE, LITTLE GREEN MEN
WERE ALLEGED TO HAVE HELD ONE FAMILY UNDER SIEGE.
IT WAS A FAMILY THAT SAW AN OBJECT ON THEIR FARM,
AND THEN THE CREATURES STARTED SHOWING UP OUTSIDE THEIR HOUSE.
TERRIFIED, THE FAMILY CALLED IN THE POLICE.
WHEN THE POLICE OFFICER ARRIVED,
THERE WAS SOME TYPE OF GLOWING MATTER ON THE GROUND.
PROBABLY ONE OF THE BETTER DOCUMENTED CASES
AS FAR AS UFO AND ALIEN ENCOUNTERS GO.
YET OVER THE YEARS,
REPORTS OF ALIENS ARRIVING TO KENTUCKY
BEGAN TO FEEL LIKE FOLKLORE.
THEN A NEW CASE ARRIVED, MORE CONVINCING THAN EVER BEFORE.
ON A FEBRUARY NIGHT IN 1993, KENNY GRAHAM AND KENNY DOWNS,
BOTH VETERAN POLICE OFFICERS,
HAD A TERRIFYING CLOSE ENCOUNTER IN THE AIR.
ONE THAT NO ONE'S EVER BEEN ABLE TO EXPLAIN.
WE HAD TWO VERY WELL TRAINED VETERAN OFFICERS
THAT SAW THIS OBJECT
AND ACTUALLY HAD A PRETTY BIG ENCOUNTER WITH IT.
You're clear for takeoff.
10-4.
ON THE EVENING OF FEBRUARY 1, 1993,
THE TWO OFFICERS WERE STARTING THEIR SHIFT.
DOWNS. GO AHEAD.
IT WAS A COLD NIGHT, AND IT WAS A SLOW POLICE NIGHT.
WE WENT OUT ON OUR ROUTINE PATROL CHECKING BUSINESSES.
ONE OF OUR MAIN THINGS WAS TO PATROL ROOFTOPS, MALLS,
PARKING LOTS TO TRY TO DETER CRIME.
10-4. LOCATION?
AND A CALL CAME OUT OF A POSSIBLE BURGLARY
ROUGHLY 2 MILES NORTH OF THE HELIPORT.
OFFICER KENNY GRAHAM WAS AT THE CONTROLS.
OFFICER KENNY DOWNS HANDLED THE CHOPPER'S SPOTLIGHT
AND SIGNALING SYSTEMS.
WE WERE ALMOST ON THE SCENE WHEN WE WERE CANCELLED.
IT WAS A FALSE ALARM.
FALSE ALARM?
ALL RIGHT, LET'S HEAD BACK HOME.
AND WE WERE ON THE WAY BACK TO THE HELIPORT AT THE TIME WHEN...
I SAW A LIGHT.
IT LOOKED LIKE ABOUT TREE LEVEL AND IT WASN'T MOVING.
I SAID, "IS THAT A NEW TOWER? WHAT IS THAT?"
HE SAID, "NO, THERE'S NO NEW TOWER THERE."
WE WERE BAFFLED.
AND AS WE HOVERED, KENNY SHINED THE BIG SPOTLIGHT ON IT.
DO YOU SEE THAT?
THERE'S A SHAPE IN THE LIGHT.
WHAT IS THAT THING?
AND INSIDE WAS A GLOWING ORANGE SHAPE, LIKE BASKETBALL SIZE.
WHATEVER IT WAS GLOWED INTENSELY,
EVEN UNDER THE BLAST OF THE POWERFUL POLICE SPOTLIGHT.
SHOULD WE...
I-I DON'T WANT TO GET TOO CLOSE.
THE OBJECT SEEMED TO MIMIC THE HELICOPTER'S MANEUVERS.
IT'S MOVING WITH US.
THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT WAS THIS THING IS WATCHING US,
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE WERE
AT THE SAME TIME WE WERE WATCHING IT
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT WAS.
IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE KIND OF IN A DUEL,
IT WOULD WAIT FOR ONE PERSON TO MAKE A MOVE.
I DIDN'T WANT IT TO GET TOO CLOSE TO US AT ALL
'CAUSE IT WAS, YOU KNOW, WAS AN UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT,
AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS GONNA DO.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE UFO MADE ITS MOVE.
IT'S GONE, MAN.
THIS OBJECT JUST TOOK UP AND OUT AT A VERY HIGH RATE OF SPEED,
AND IT, YOU KNOW, DISAPPEARED OUT OF SIGHT.
IF THE OFFICERS THOUGHT THE OBJECT HAD LEFT,
THEY WERE WRONG.
AND AS I STARTED TO FLY OUT OF OUR AREA, KENNY SAYS...
THERE IT IS. IT'S CHASING US.
..."IT'S CHASING US. IT'S CHASING US."
IT'S CIRCLING US. IT'S TOO FAST!
I CAN'T EVEN CONTROL THIS THING.
AND THAT'S WHEN, YOU KNOW, I REALLY PICK THE AIR SPEED UP
AND TRY TO GET AWAY FROM IT.
OFFICER GRAHAM GUNNED THE CHOPPER FULL THROTTLE,
PUSHING IT ABOVE 100 MILES AN HOUR.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS,
AND I DIDN'T WANT IT TO HIT OUR TAIL ROTOR, AND WE WOULD CRASH.
AS IT CAME BACK AROUND, I TURNED TOWARD IT AGAIN.
OFFICER GRAHAM TO CONTROL.
AT A LOUISVILLE AIRPORT...
COPY, OFFICER.
...AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS NOTICED THE HELICOPTER CIRCLING.
Something is chasing us out here.
I WAS CALLING LOUISVILLE AIRPORT TOWER
TO ASK IF THEY HAD SEEN ANYTHING IN THE AIR WITH US.
CHASING YOU? Are you picking it up?
WE WERE WONDERING...
THEY SAID, "NO, BUT WE WERE WONDERING
WHY YOU ALL WERE GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES AT LOW ALTITUDE,"
LIKE WE WERE DOING.
NOTHING BACK THERE.
NOTHING?
ALL RIGHT, COPY. KEEP AN EYE ON IT FOR US.
FROM THE GROUND,
TWO OFFICERS SPOTTED THE UNUSUAL GLOWING OBJECT
AND WITNESSED THE HELICOPTER MAKING HIGH-SPEED MANEUVERS.
WHAT IS THAT THING?
THERE WAS ONE OFFICER SAID THAT HE TRIED TO CATCH UP WITH IT,
AND THERE WAS NO WAY HE COULD KEEP UP.
THEN THE UFO BEGAN FLYING AROUND THE POLICE CHOPPER
LIKE A PREDATOR CIRCLING ITS PREY.
HE WOULD TURN THE HELICOPTER
AND TRY TO STAY IN VISUAL SIGHT OF IT,
BUT IT WAS GOING SO FAST, WE COULDN'T DO THAT.
WHAT CAME NEXT WOULD PUT THE OFFICERS' LIVES AT RISK.
IT SHOT THREE FIREBALLS OUT.
IT'S SHOOTING! GO!
AND I REMEMBER THINKING, "THIS THING IS TELLING US
'YOU BETTER LEAVE ME ALONE,
'CAUSE I CAN SHOW YOU WHAT I CAN DO'."
IN 1993 ABOVE THE LOUISVILLE SKYLINE,
VETERAN AIR PATROLMEN KENNY DOWNS AND KENNY GRAHAM
CAME IN CONTACT WITH A UFO.
FOR SEVERAL MINUTES,
THE OBJECT LED THEM ON A LETHAL GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE.
IT HAD NO PROPULSION WHATSOEVER.
YOU DIDN'T SEE A JET ENGINE,
YOU DIDN'T SEE ANY KIND OF SMOKE COMING OFF OF IT.
IT WAS, LIKE, FLOATING.
BUT IT WAS FLOATING AT SPEEDS I'D NEVER WITNESSED BEFORE.
WE GOT SOMETHING CHASING US.
IT'S CIRCLING AROUND.
IT WOULD LOOK AT YOU FOR A MINUTE,
AND THEN IT LOOKED LIKE A SECOND LATER, IT WAS A MILE AWAY.
HEY, FRED, SOMETHING IS CHASING US OUT HERE.
ARE YOU PICKING UP ANY OF THIS?
NOTHING?
IT WAS TRAVELING MORE THAN 600 MILES AN HOUR,
'CAUSE IT REALLY MOVED OUT, AND IT WAS NOTHING THAT...
ANY AIRCRAFT THAT I SEE THAT CAN MANEUVER LIKE THAT.
GRAHAM PULLED THE HELICOPTER TO A HOVER
ABOUT 500 FEET OFF THE GROUND.
THE OBJECT ALSO CAME TO A HALT.
EVERYTHING WAS STILL FOR A MOMENT.
THEN ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE.
THREE SMALL FIREBALLS CAME OUT OF IT.
AS I SAW THEM COME OUT, I BANKED THE HELICOPTER HARD LEFT,
KIND OF ALMOST PUT IT ON ITS SIDE.
A DRASTIC AND DANGEROUS MANEUVER
TO AVOID A DIRECT HIT.
AND WHEN I CAME BACK UP AND AROUND, IT HAD GONE.
THE OFFICER ON THE GROUND
SAID THE UFO HAD ROCKETED STRAIGHT UP OUT OF SIGHT.
INSIDE THE CHOPPER,
THE OFFICERS WATCHED AND WAITED, REFLEXES READY.
BUT THE MYSTERIOUS UFO WAS GONE FOR GOOD.
WELL, THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL INCIDENTS, NOT ONLY IN KENTUCKY,
BUT ACROSS THE NATION OF UFOs DROPPING WHAT SEEMS LIKE FLARES
OR FIRING OBJECTS AT OTHER OBJECTS.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT THEY ARE BECAUSE THERE'S NO EVIDENCE
THAT'S EVER BEEN FOUND WHERE THESE OBJECTS HIT OR LAND.
SO, THEY SEEM TO, YOU KNOW, INCINERATE INSIDE OF THE AIR.
GRAHAM AND DOWNS RETURN TO THE HANGAR.
WE WERE BOTH BREATHING REALLY HEAVY,
AND I REMEMBER KENNY SAID,
"I JUST FEEL LIKE I JUST RAN A MARATHON."
AND I SAID, "SO DO I."
AND I'M THINKING, "JUST WHAT WAS THAT?"
NO ONE'S GONNA BELIEVE THIS.
BEING ON THE GROUND AND HAVING TIME TO COLLECT MY THOUGHTS,
THAT'S THE CLOSEST THING TO ANY FEAR,
BUT... THAT'S WHEN WE REALLY KIND OF SIT DOWN
AND REALLY WAS CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT IT WAS.
THE NEXT DAY, THE DEPARTMENT
HELD AN IMPROMPTU PRESS CONFERENCE.
THE OFFICERS' SUPERVISOR ATTESTED TO THEIR CREDIBILITY.
AFTER 20 YEARS, GRAHAM AND DOWNS AREN'T ANY CLOSER
TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT ATTACKED THEM THAT NIGHT.
ALL THEY KNOW
IS THEY ENCOUNTERED SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.
WE TOLD OUR STORY AS WE SAW IT.
YOU KNOW, WE TOLD THE TRUTH,
AND WE HAVE NO PROBLEM SAYING WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE SAW.
I JUST WISH SOMEBODY WOULD COME FORWARD, SAY,
"HEY, THIS IS WHAT YOU SAW THAT NIGHT.
THIS IS THE REASON IT WAS FLYING THAT FAST.
THIS IS THE REASON IT WAS CIRCLING YOU."
NOBODY EVER HAS.
UNTIL SOMEBODY COMES FORWARD AND TELLS ME THAT,
THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE OUT THERE.