Thumb Butte Loop, Prescott, Arizona, 2012
It was August of 1981 and I was on the Thumb Butte Loop
in Prescott next to the city park. While driving I spotted a reddish-
brown ape like creature. I stopped the car immediately and observed
the creature. The hair on his arms was longer than the rest. It
appeared to have little or no neck. It appeared to be very muscular
and covered ground quickly.
It was hard to judge the height of the
creature because of the distance and shock but I knew it was tall. It
walked in the tree line and there was a gap in the tree's about 75
meters long. I watched this creature walk through the opening. I
remember his arms swinging and he only looked forward. I estimated
(through military experience) that it was 100 meters from my
position. I was sitting in the car with my head turned looking out
the back and side window. I estimate that I saw him for at least 10
seconds although it seemed longer.
What I remember most is my mind was
wrestling with the thought that what I was seeing was not supposed to
exist yet I was viewing it. It was a most unsettling experience.
What I tell you is the truth. I have
never told anyone out of fear of ridicule and having my sanity
questioned. I hope this information can help your organization.
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO
Investigator:
I met the witness near the Thumb
Butte trail head just outside of Prescott. We then drove up the same
road where he saw the animal. Since the sighting was 30 years ago,
the forest had changed quite a bit; therefore the witness could not
pinpoint the exact location. He did find a location where the
topography was similar so that he could recreate the sighting for me.
The forest was rather thick in
those days with large Ponderosa pine. Late one evening in the summer
of 1981 at approximately 6-7 pm, he was driving very fast up the dirt
road toward Deering Park when he saw an animal appear in an opening.
He saw the side of what he described as a very large ape. The animal
was on his right and parallel to the road, walking just inside the
tree line.
The witness slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop on
the gravel road. After he came to a stop, the animal was behind the
car. It did not look at the vehicle—not even when it skidded. Once
the animal traveled through the opening in the trees, it disappeared
into the tree line.
The following details may be added
from the interview:
• Gait was “huge” and the
animal traveled 75 meters “in no time”
• Hands swung up close to
shoulder height
• Side of the face that was
visible to the witness was black
• Animal was very muscular and
very large
The witness was 18 at the time of
the sighting. He has since retired from the Army and described this
sighting as more disturbing to him than what he witnessed in the
first Gulf War. He did not go back to look for prints as he was “too
freaked out”. He expressed that the animal seemed to have no fear
and was a definite “king of the jungle”.
When asked why he decided to submit
a report after all these years, the witness stated that he has lived
with this for 30 years and wanted to tell someone. Until our meeting,
he has only told his daughter and his best friend about this
sighting. I found the witness to be very sincere and credible.
Source: BFRO.net
