Date of Encounter: In May or June, 2004

 

Time of Incident: About 1:30 am.

 

Weather Conditions: Clear, moon phase unknown.

 

State: Alabama

 

County: Lowndes

 

Nearest City or Town: Benton

 

Location: On the Jones Bluff Road* between the Robert F. Henry Lock and Dam on the Alabama River and the town of Benton.

 

Nearest highway or road: County Road #40* runs nearly parallel (east & west) to the Jones Bluff Road* about 1/4 miles north.

 

*NOTE: Based on the Alabama Offical 2005-2006 Highway Map and on the Lowndes Wildlife Management Area map published by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Google Earth’s map of this area erroneously switched the identification of Lowndes County Road #40 with the county’s Jones Bluff road. (Information provided for the reader who might choose to review the sighting area on Google Earth.)

 

General Land Use Description: Undeveloped wetlands intermingled with farm and pasture lands adjoining the Alabama River and its impounded R. E. Woodruff Lake.

 

General Terrain Description: River bottom lands.

 

Nearest Lakes or Streams: The lock and dam is about one mile west of the sighting location and Big Swamp Creek flows just south of the county road at that location.

 

Witness Profile: A 54 year old male who is an avid fisherman and hunter. He has lived in the area since birth. He is familiar with all classified native wildlife.

 

Activities of Witness Prior to Encounter/Incident: He and his brother-in-law had been at a “club” until shortly after 1:00 am. They were traveling west in a vehicle on Lowndes County’s Jones Bluff Road toward Benton. The witness readily admitted that he and his brother-in-law had been drinking beer at the club before the encounter, but he also firmly stated that neither of them were intoxicated. The detailed description of the animal he gave the writer tends to confirm his statement.

 

Details of Encounter / Incident: The two men were in the area of the road in which Big Swamp Creek makes a sharp, “U’ shaped bend to the north and passes within a few hundred yards of the Jones Bluff Road. According to the witness, the roadbed along that stretch is elevated and there are guard rails along each shoulder. (This report was received by telephone after the writer had returned from a four day stay in the area. The writer did not drive this particular stretch of road while in the area.) From an initial distance of about 100 yards, the witness noticed what they thought was a very large man coming up the north side of the roadbed approaching the guard rail. As the driver began to slow the vehicle, the dark, man-like figure stepped over the guard rail onto the shoulder of the road. At that time both men could see that it was not a human but a large hair-covered man/ape like creature that neither had ever seen before, and it was walking upright like a man. At that time the vehicle was stopped about 100 or 150 feet from the creature.

 

At that time both men could also see that the animal had either been injured or was afflicted with physical deformities. The creature’s right leg was grossly abnormal, with the knee joint flexing inward (toward the left leg) at each step. The animal’s left arm appeared to locked in place in a drawn position (the forearm pulled in toward the body) and the entire arm elevated at an angle of about 45 degrees.

 

Immediately after the animal stepped over the guard rail it walked slowly with a pronounced limp for a few steps without looking toward the vehicle. It then reached the dead center of the road and stopped, turning its head to look at the vehicle. After a few seconds, it began running across the road at a surprisingly fast speed, stepped over the guard rail and continued out of sight toward a pasture south of the road.

 

Description of the Animal: The witness stated the animal was approximately 6 feet tall, and covered in long, dark colored “shaggy” hair. He stated the animal’s head was large and appeared to set directly on its shoulders without a visible neck, and the face appeared to be mostly covered in the same dark colored hair as its body. From the distance viewed, they could see no facial features or any evidence of the sex of the animal. They did not see any reflection of light from the eyes of the animal. He stated the animal’s shoulders were very broad and its body did not taper to the waist.

 

When asked by the writer, the witness was not at all sure about the estimated weight of the animal, but said that it probably weighed between 300 and 400 pounds.

 

Both witnesses were reportedly very much surprised to see the speed of the animal when running, considering their observations that the animal was apparently “crippled” in one leg and an arm.

 

Photos or Drawings Made? None.

 

Description of Related Sounds: No sounds heard.

 

Description of Related Scents / Odors: None detected.

 

Historical Notes: When discussing this incident with the witness, he stated he and his brother-in-law were not the only people who had seen such animals in that area. He said that he had heard that a woman and her child had seen such an animal while walking along the railroad that passes through that same area, very close to the road they had been traveling. He also said that another person had seen the same type animal not far from that same location. He volunteered to contact those parties and see if they would be willing to discuss their sightings with the writer. If so, their reports will be posted here later.

 

This incident occurred within a very few miles of those encounters from Dallas and Lowdnes counties posted on this site.