"In 1972, residents in the area from Toledo to Defiance, Ohio, described a hairy, bipedal creature, 6 to 8 feet tall, with a wolf head. It had big paws for feet, fangs, and 'ran like a caveman in the movies.' Police started taking the reports seriously after the thing clubbed a railroad worker with a 2x4 in Defiance.
"In October 1972, two months after the first reports, Ed Miller and his wife saw a large, bipedal creature run through a field. They left, and three of their younger friends went to the spot and saw the creature. The Millers returned later and also saw it again. 'It would start running towards the car, then crouch down in the weeds so we couldn't see it.' Mrs. Miller said. 'It howled at us… it was a long, hissing sound.'
"Gary Moore and his wife also saw the creature, and described it as 'wide, black, and hairy.' It had huge, glowing eyes. Both witnesses agreed it wasn't a man in a costume.
"Linda Godfrey, author of several books on Dogman sightings (and books on other cryptids as well) believes the 'werewolf' in Defiance was just a person in a werewolf costume.
"In 2004, a fisherman saw an 'extremely hairy person' hunched over behind a bush. He observed the face before he left, and said it looked like a mix between a dog and a human."
This post about the Defiance, Ohio werewolf is excerpted from my book Cryptid U.S.: Tales of Bigfoot, Lake Monsters, and More from Across America. Many other sightings of Dogmen in Ohio and across the USA are the subject of chapter four.
Comments
Post a Comment