Mysterious Four-Toed "Footprints" Appear Overnight in England

Six of the supposed footprints can be seen in the snow on Smith’s vehicle. (Alicia Smith) — Six of the supposed footprints can be seen in the snow on Smith’s vehicle. *(Alicia Smith)*

Alicia Smith, a resident of Scartho—a suburban village in Grimsby, England—said she woke up Thursday morning to find a set of mysterious four-toed “footprints” tracing a path over her car’s windshield and roof.

The prints were only a few inches long.

According to Smith, she and her partner noticed the “footprints” when they went outside at around 10:30 am.

"We'd never seen anything like this before, it was very odd," she told the Grimsby Telegraph. "They're a strange shape and only have four toes, and don't quite look human. I'm not sure if it was a child. And why would someone be barefoot in this weather?"

"The car was parked outside our house all night so whatever did it must have been just outside. We didn't hear or see anything," Smith added. "It was 10:30 am when we came out and spotted the footprints. We had no idea what made them, and wanted to see if anyone else had seen anything similar. We really want to hear people's suggestions on what they might be."

The prints have prompted much speculation in fortean circles, with many wondering what sort of creature might have left them. Strange prints left in snow have a long history in forteana, as evidenced by the infamous “Devil’s footprints” of 1855, and more recently, anomalous prints have been reported in association with the Lake Michigan Mothman investigation in West Englewood and Woodstock, Illinois.

However, professional hypnotist Mark Obscura shared an explanation Saturday morning on Twitter that may have solved the mystery.

I used to do this as a pre-teen on the hoods of dusty cars. Curl your fingers like in this photo. That leaves the base of the foot. Then use your thumb and fingers one at a time to make the "toes". The rest, is melted snow. You can see the base pattern in the center of the print. pic.twitter.com/BG356ZpMDZ
— Esoteric Visions of Obscura (@MarkObscura) January 2, 2021

“I used to do this as a preteen on the hoods of dusty cars,” Obscura said. “Curl your fingers like in this photo [pictured above]. That leaves the base of the foot. Then use your thumb and fingers one at a time to make the ‘toes.’ The rest, is melted snow. You can see the base pattern in the center of the print.”

Other discrepancies in the prints were noticed, including a suspicious smudge in the snow near the top of the windshield that could have been made by someone bending over the car while making the prints, and the fact that there are two left “footprints” in a row.

Assuming Obscura’s hypothesis is correct, it remains unclear if Smith and her partner were victims of a prank or themselves perpetrating a hoax.

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