1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,680 Apologies for this, but I've omitted and renamed quite a few of the details in this story 2 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:15,680 with respect to the people involved. 3 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:22,360 This story is my own, but it is rooted in a very real and tragic event that happened decades 4 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:25,720 ago in the small town where I grew up. 5 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:32,180 I experienced something extraordinary and borderline surreal, and I know your audience will 6 00:00:32,180 --> 00:00:35,680 understand and believe what I have to say. 7 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:40,200 From what I have seen thus far, it is a very sympathetic community. 8 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:45,240 However, I know that certain people I care about do not want to be associated with what 9 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,120 I saw all those years ago. 10 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:50,400 I will say this much. 11 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:56,680 Most of this story takes place in Ontario near a national park. 12 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,360 It all began in the 80s when I was in middle school. 13 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:05,160 It was 86 to be exact, and I was 13 years old. 14 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,960 The mother of one of my classmates went missing. 15 00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:13,680 To this day her final whereabouts are unknown. 16 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,640 Here are the facts that we do know. 17 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:23,040 This woman, let's call her Mary, was driving down a country road when her car broke down due 18 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:25,600 to an issue with the alternator. 19 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:30,320 Now this was before cell phones, so Mary must have thought to hoof it in one direction or 20 00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:31,840 the other. 21 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:38,200 There weren't a lot of houses or stores nearby, but it wasn't completely desolate. 22 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,680 About two miles one way would have gotten her to a few different homes, and three miles 23 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,960 in the other direction would have gotten her to a gas station. 24 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:51,320 We do not know what happened to Mary after she left her car. 25 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:56,760 All they found were her keys, and that was after hours of searching the immediate area 26 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:58,920 where the car was parked. 27 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:04,760 Obviously, this was a confusing and tragic event for Mary's family. 28 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:11,120 I went to school with two of her children, and life got a lot harder for them after that. 29 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:16,680 I'll make this disclaimer right now before I get too much further in the story. 30 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,640 I do not claim to know what happened to Mary. 31 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:24,360 I don't think anyone knows what happened that night. 32 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:30,840 Her family is still looking for answers, and I hope to God they find closure one day. 33 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:35,480 But I don't want anyone thinking that what happened to me has anything to do with what 34 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:37,080 happened to Mary. 35 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:44,520 However, Mary is the reason I went back to my hometown in Ontario ten years after she 36 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:46,520 disappeared. 37 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,560 I was young and arrogant back then. 38 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:55,200 I've always been a fan of mystery, true crime, and stories of intrigue, you know, you name 39 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:56,280 it. 40 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,560 I had aspirations of being a private investigator. 41 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:04,800 I thought I was so smart instead of fast that I could make myself into a regular Sherlock 42 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:06,640 Holmes. 43 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:11,640 Maybe because I was in close proximity to Mary's family and her story, having heard so much 44 00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:17,640 about it when I was a kid, that I thought it would be a good idea to do my own investigation 45 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:20,000 into what happened. 46 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:25,800 I understood, though, that it was a justifiably sensitive subject for Mary's family. 47 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:31,720 I was not so arrogant that I thought I could walk into their lives after ten years, thinking 48 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:36,920 I could crack that cold case that had devastated them for so long. 49 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:40,600 I was never close to anyone in Mary's family. 50 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:45,840 Even though I shared classes with her youngest daughter, we didn't share the same circle of 51 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:46,840 friends. 52 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:52,440 I remember everyone being very careful around her and her brother after what happened, treating 53 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,760 them like they were made of glass. 54 00:03:55,760 --> 00:04:01,360 Last I checked, they were doing okay for themselves, but they were still very much affected by 55 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:03,960 their mother's disappearance. 56 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:07,320 So I decided not to seek them out. 57 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:13,360 It seemed too early in my own investigation to do so, and I'm glad I held off. 58 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:21,840 And spoiler alert, my so-called "investigation" didn't pan out very well or last very long. 59 00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:28,200 In any case, I returned to my hometown in 1996, basically framing it as an extended visit 60 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:30,080 to my parents. 61 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:35,260 And I did spend a good deal of time visiting with my folks, as we hadn't seen a lot of each 62 00:04:35,260 --> 00:04:38,920 other since I moved to Vancouver for school. 63 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:44,160 But one of the first things I did when I came back to Ontario was visit Mary's last known 64 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:45,960 location. 65 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:51,480 As I alluded to earlier, my hometown is nestled close to a national park. 66 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:57,520 So if you drive in most directions away from the town, you will eventually hit the clusters 67 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:02,560 of forest and civilization will be in the rear view mirror. 68 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:09,600 Mary's last known location, however, is just shy at the boundaries of the national park. 69 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:15,000 I thought to say what she was doing in this area, but that information is a fairly well-known 70 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:19,840 aspect to the case, and I would rather not give any further hints that might breach the 71 00:05:19,840 --> 00:05:21,800 family's privacy. 72 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:26,360 Again, sorry if it seems like I'm teasing these facts. 73 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:33,280 They haunted my brain for so long that sometimes it's hard not to get into the weeds. 74 00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:38,880 So I drove out there, not a care in the world, morbidly excited to sink my teeth into the 75 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,200 heart of this mystery. 76 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:47,560 It was a fairly indistinct stretch of road, and had I not known so much about it, I might 77 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:49,480 have missed it. 78 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:56,240 But even given how often I had seen pictures and studied the maps, I'm still not entirely 79 00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:02,100 sure that I hit the exact spot where she parked her car that night. 80 00:06:02,100 --> 00:06:09,760 When I finally pulled over for the first time, all I could see were trees in either direction. 81 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:16,760 I parked my car several times on that road, trying to pin the exact spot I was looking for, 82 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:19,960 and each time I would get out and walk around. 83 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:25,560 I went off the road, walking as far as I could before I hit a steep decline or lost side 84 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:30,080 of the road, just trying to get a feel for the area. 85 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:35,640 Each time it looked about the same as the last place where I parked. 86 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:38,160 I didn't think I would find much out here. 87 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,520 I just thought it would help to get to know the place. 88 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:46,720 As far as I was concerned, this was only the first step on a larger journey of learning 89 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:49,400 what happened to Mary. 90 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:54,800 The last time I stopped, I decided I should be heading back soon. 91 00:06:54,800 --> 00:07:00,240 I told myself that being out here was good if only for the sake of familiarizing myself, 92 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:05,360 but I wouldn't learn much if I was looking for something specific. 93 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:10,880 So for the final time, I drove forward a little bit, still seeing nothing but trees in front 94 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:16,160 of me and behind me, and I parked my car on the side of the road. 95 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:21,840 I stood there, leaning against my car for a while, looking out at the tree line before 96 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:23,160 me. 97 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:28,440 And then I heard the tell-tale snap of twigs that indicated something was moving in the 98 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:30,120 forest. 99 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:36,560 I turned my head just in time to see something massive move amongst the trees. 100 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:42,120 It was walking away from where I was at a brisk pace, and I only caught a glimpse of it 101 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:45,800 as it made its way deeper into the woods. 102 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:50,920 The moment was so brief that I was only barely sure I'd seen anything. 103 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:56,360 It was large and dark, so I figured it must have been a bear. 104 00:07:56,360 --> 00:08:02,920 I continued to stand there, waiting, and looking, squinting, and watching closely, hoping that 105 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,280 whatever I had seen would return. 106 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:12,560 But after about five minutes of waiting, I concluded that it wasn't coming back any time soon. 107 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:18,760 Even then, I still sat in my car for a while longer, glancing out the passenger-side window, 108 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,480 hoping I'd see it again. 109 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:24,640 To me, this seemed like a clue. 110 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:27,400 I can't really blame myself for thinking so. 111 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:29,640 It felt like providence. 112 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:35,440 Here I was, trying to get any kind of information that I could about this missing person's case, 113 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:42,120 and then some wildlife just so happens to move into the picture as I am investigating. 114 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:47,560 I immediately began to theorize that maybe Mary had had the dire misfortune of running 115 00:08:47,560 --> 00:08:50,880 into a territorial bear or a pack of wolves. 116 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:57,520 Now, that wasn't a satisfactory answer, but suddenly it was on the table. 117 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:01,240 I felt ecstatic as I drove back home. 118 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:06,400 Upon reflection, it was probably more likely than not that I would eventually encounter 119 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:12,160 an animal of some kind if I stayed out there long enough, given how close to the park it was. 120 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:16,040 But I didn't really give that idea much thought. 121 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:20,040 I was too caught up in my own naive excitement. 122 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:24,680 I had planned on running some other errands for the sake of the investigation, visiting the 123 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:29,360 local police station, going through local archives, etc. 124 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:35,240 But of course, I was so distracted by what I'd seen in the forest the day before that I resolved 125 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:37,720 to go back first thing in the morning. 126 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:42,680 I thought if I went out there close to daybreak, I would have a better chance of seeing the 127 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:44,560 animal. 128 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:49,360 Much to my detriment, that theory was correct. 129 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:54,720 I drove back to that same country road and slowed when I came to the area that I had visited 130 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:56,840 the day before. 131 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:01,760 Once I was satisfied that I had reached my destination, I got out of my car and ventured 132 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,520 a short way into the forest. 133 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,760 Now I wasn't a complete idiot. 134 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:12,960 I hadn't grown up around true wilderness enough to know that any animal encounter could 135 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:16,040 turn deadly under the right circumstances. 136 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:21,880 For this reason, and many more, I did not venture far from my car. 137 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:26,840 I kept looking over my shoulder throughout this ordeal to make sure my car was still squarely 138 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:32,280 where I thought it was, and that I was at a good enough distance that I could book it back 139 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:35,560 there in case of an emergency. 140 00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:38,000 This is foreshadowing. 141 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,760 I walked back and forth, surveying my immediate surroundings, and trying to find signs of 142 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:48,720 the animal I saw the day before, such as footprints or broken branches. 143 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:55,160 In hindsight, I'm not exactly a survivalist or a tracker, so this effort was doomed from 144 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:56,160 the start. 145 00:10:56,160 --> 00:11:03,640 But I continued to pace, looking closely past the trees, jumping at every shadow, waiting 146 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:06,400 for something to show itself. 147 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:10,480 Unfortunately, I got my wish. 148 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:15,160 It was, perhaps, fifteen minutes since I'd gotten out of my car. 149 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:21,240 I made out a figure approaching in the distance, cresting over a nearby hill, standing roughly 150 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:23,680 a hundred yards away. 151 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:29,120 I looked right at it, expecting to see a bear, based on the size of the creature I'd seen 152 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:31,160 previously. 153 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:36,440 But as my eyes lingered on it, it became clear that I was seeing something entirely different 154 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:39,200 from what I had expected. 155 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:45,000 It was just as big as I remembered, but it was also standing on hind legs, like a human 156 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:49,240 wood, and that caught me off guard right away. 157 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:54,280 What's more is that it continued to move closer in my direction. 158 00:11:54,280 --> 00:12:00,760 I saw that it had an ape-like face, long limbs, and a body covered head to toe in reddish-brown 159 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:02,360 hair. 160 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:08,840 I was so stunned that it took me too long to register, that it wasn't stopping its approach. 161 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:14,540 It wasn't until I spied what looked like a snarl on its face, that I realized I was 162 00:12:14,540 --> 00:12:16,440 in danger. 163 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:20,760 I didn't have the time to think about it in the moment, but it's obvious to me now that 164 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:26,400 I was encroaching on this creature's territory, and it wasn't happy about it. 165 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:32,280 As I began to back away and head towards the car, its speed picked up. 166 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:37,720 My instincts finally kicked into high gear, and I bolted to my car as fast as my legs would 167 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:39,480 carry me. 168 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:41,600 I didn't look behind me. 169 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,080 I couldn't afford to. 170 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:51,800 I knew that even just half a breath's worth of hesitation could spell my doom. 171 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:57,080 After I began my escape, the rest of the world became a blur around me. 172 00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:01,720 I remember little else other than jumping into the front seat and slamming the door behind 173 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:03,440 me. 174 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:07,880 And then something hard bludgeoned the passenger's side of my car. 175 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:14,520 I whirled around, and I saw this titan of an animal had slammed its side into my car 176 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:17,440 enough to rock the whole vehicle. 177 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:23,400 It crouched down, long enough to flash me a frightening grimace, and fog up my window with 178 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:25,440 its heavy breath. 179 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:28,320 I didn't waste another second. 180 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:32,600 I started up my car and floored it until the creature had disappeared into my rearview 181 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:34,600 mirror. 182 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:41,280 Even as I was safe and a good distance away from my attacker, it took me a while to stop panting 183 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:43,520 and to collect myself. 184 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:47,920 My heart was going a mile a minute, and my arms were shaking. 185 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:55,080 I drove for a while, trying to control my breathing, before finally pulling over to rest. 186 00:13:55,080 --> 00:14:00,440 I parked near a farmhouse, and I looked behind me, even though there was no way that thing 187 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:02,440 could have caught up to me. 188 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:07,560 And at some time passed before I allowed myself to relax for a second. 189 00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:13,640 And even then I didn't wait too much longer before I resolved to turn around and go back 190 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:15,560 to town. 191 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:20,880 There was some fear in me that I would pass the creature again, but there was nothing to 192 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:22,600 do about that. 193 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:26,360 This was the only road that would take me back to town. 194 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:31,520 I would just have to hope that it wasn't there, and that it definitely couldn't catch up 195 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:33,440 to my car. 196 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:39,320 Luckily, there was no sign of it going back the other way, and I was sure as heck looking 197 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,760 for it when I drove past that spot again. 198 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:48,240 And once I recognized the place, I put some juice on the accelerator, and never looked 199 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:49,240 back. 200 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:56,320 Now, as I said, I fainting myself on amateur sleuth at this time in my life. 201 00:14:56,320 --> 00:15:01,920 And yes, there was definitely a part of me that wanted to know more about the creature 202 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:08,320 I encountered that day, perhaps even to take pictures of it as evidence. 203 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:13,880 However, two main things soared me to the reality of my situation that day. 204 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:17,600 One was that I could have died that day. 205 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:24,120 What I encountered that day, big foot or not, was a wild animal who could have torn me 206 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:27,880 from limb to limb if it had had the chance. 207 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:34,520 I saw glimpses of it one day, and was stupid enough to go back for another look the next day, 208 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:37,440 and it could have cost me my life. 209 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:43,680 Secondly, I was putting myself in danger that made me realize how foolhardy and insensitive 210 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:49,560 I had been to the severity of what had happened to Mary, and what her family is still going 211 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:51,440 through. 212 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:58,960 This of my encounter, I was clearly in over my head, and should probably leave such an investigation 213 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:01,120 to the experts. 214 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:07,000 I've never lost my appetite for a good mystery, though, and I have enjoyed my time looking 215 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:11,440 up and researching other people's big foot stories. 216 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:15,280 It's especially comforting to see how many people's encounters have been much less 217 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:42,400 eventful and much safer than mine.