Indiana Man Reports 1969 Abduction by 'Tall, Winged Humanoid'

An image of the creature provided by Hancock. (Image credit: Floyd R. Hancock)

Lon Strickler of Phantoms and Monsters spoke to witness Floyd R. Hancock recently who described a terrifying encounter with a “tall, winged humanoid” that he had as a young child in Rolling Prairie, Indiana on October 27th, 1969.

"[Hancock] states that he and his family (mother, father, sister and grandmother) were living in a trailer situated on their family's land. The trailer had sustained damage on the roof, leaving a large hole. The hole was covered with a wide waterproof tarp until it was to be repaired," Strickler said. "[He] and his baby sister shared a bedroom. He was awakened by a strange noise and a strong disagreeable odor. As he looked towards his sister's crib, he saw a tall winged humanoid staring down at her. The being slowing turned and looked at a horrified [Hancock]."

The creature was described as being very tall—between seven and eight feet in height—with a body and face covered in black hair. Its posture was crouched. It had huge, leathery wings shaped like those of a bat or gargoyle, and muscular arms and legs. The creature's body and face were thin, and looked like a human skeleton with sharp teeth and dark eyes. It made a low, garbled sound.

"[Hancock] screamed in order to alert his parents in the adjoining room, but they never responded. His grandmother was alerted and came to his aid, though she was stunned at the sight and immediately fell to her knees," said Strickler.

"The creature picked up [Hancock] in its arms and made its way into the living room, where it ascended through the hole in the ceiling. It's obvious it had moved the tarp in order to gain access inside the trailer. [He] remembers being very cold and wet, and hearing his grandmother screaming as the winged humanoid took off into the sky. He has no idea how long he was gone, but only remembers waking in his bed among his panicked parents and grandmother," he continued. "[Hancock] states that his grandmother witnessed the entire event and documented it. His living relatives concur with the account, since his grandmother recalled what had happened to each of them. His grandmother passed away in 1985."

The witness’ parents had apparently been put into some type of hypnotic trance during the abduction.

"[Hancock’s] parents woke after the abduction. It seems that they were somehow placed into an hypnotic state until the winged being left the premises with [him]," Strickler said. "After several minutes, they all heard scratching noises and a loud thud on the roof. [His] father immediately gained access to the roof where he saw [him] lying unconscious. They were able to quickly bring [him] into the trailer, dry him off and place him in his bed."

"They were reluctant to call the authorities or seek medical assistance because of the bizarre event," he added.

The effects of the abduction event had lifelong consequences, according to Strickler.

"[Hancock] recovered but has endured emotional problems his entire life which he attributes to the abduction," he said. "At the time of 'The Mothman Prophecies' film release, he had a mental breakdown after watching it in a theater. He literally had to leave during the scene where the Mothman caused the automobile crash and death. He has not attempted to watch the film since then."

Similarly to other witnesses, this man was prompted to come forward following the proliferation of sighting reports of flying humanoids in Indiana, and was reportedly relieved to discover he was not alone.

"I asked [Hancock] why he called me," Strickler said. "He stated that he had received a call from his cousin who was aware of the winged humanoid sightings in Indiana. That's when he was given my contact information.”

“I am in the process of contacting [his] relatives in order to corroborate his account,” Strickler continued. “[He] seemed very forthright, but quite nervous. He seemed relieved that there had been other eyewitnesses to a similar winged being.”

This article will be updated with any additional information as it is received.

Rolling Prairie, Indiana is approximately 160 miles northwest of the Prairie Creek Reservoir, which is the site of a slew of ‘Mothman’ and high strangeness reports. It’s also only around 40 miles east of Gary, Indiana, which itself has had several recently reported sightings of weird winged creatures. The township is just over 10 miles from Lake Michigan, which appears to be the epicenter of the phenomenon.

This is the latest in a string of flying creature sightings around Lake Michigan that ostensibly began in the spring of 2017, but more historical accounts are being reported as more people become aware of the phenomenon. Most of the sightings have taken place near the lakefront in Chicago within a few miles of Lake Michigan, although increasingly reports are coming from within a few hundred mile radius surrounding the great lake—including every state bordering it. The sightings generally take place in the evening or at night, often in or near a park, and around water. Witnesses consistently describe a large, gray-or-black bat or bird-like creature—although in a small number of cases the creature was described as insect-like—sometimes with glowing or reflective red, yellow, or orange eyes; and humanoid features such as arms and legs are often reported. Many of the sightings are also of something seen only briefly or are described only as a flying creature with few details, which leaves open the possibility that a large bird or bird-like being could explain some encounters.

To report a sighting reach out to us directly at The Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

You can view a timeline of the sightings so far here, and an interactive map here.

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