'Large, Thin Man' with 'Jet Black Eyes' Like a 'Praying Mantis' Reported in Chicago's Schiller Woods

*(Emily Wayland / Singular Fortean Society)*

Manuel Navarette of UFO Clearinghouse recently received a report from a couple who said they saw a “large, thin man appear out of [Schiller Woods]” in Chicago.

According to the report:

My boyfriend and I were at Schiller Woods on Sunday, December 23rd, we were doing a small Wiccan ritual in the woods when we saw a large, thin man appear out of the woods and start staring us down. The man was extremely tall, about 7 ½ – 8 feet tall and very, very thin. He was easily half the size of my boyfriend and his arms hung down toward his knees. At first, I was like “Holy Shit! It’s Slenderman!" but quickly realized that it did not look like any man I have ever seen. First off, his eyes were huge, almost looked like a praying mantis’ eyes, just jet black. He was wearing coveralls that were grey in color and he looked like he was carrying a wand of some sort in his right hand. My boyfriend and I didn’t feel scared, just a little shaken up. We stood there staring at each other for about a minute before it stepped behind some trees and disappeared. Once we lost sight of him, that is when the fear set in and we got out of those woods as quickly as we could. We were both sober, although we had smoked a little bud earlier as part of the ritual, it helps open our aura and allows us to channel energy better.

Navarette was able to contact the witness via telephone.

"I spoke with both witnesses via phone and obtained the location of the sighting and the details that lead up to the sighting," the investigator said. "The reporting witness is a 27-year-old female and the second witness is her 28-year-old boyfriend. Both witnesses are from nearby River Grove, Illinois, and both have been practicing Wicca for about four years. The witnesses have indicated that they have both been to Schiller Woods on multiple occasions to do rituals and have seen other practicing groups there before. When asked why they go there for ritual, the female witness said they can practice in relative peace with little to no disturbance from the outside world."

"When asked about the encounter, the female witness said they were there to do a Yule ritual for prosperity," he continued. "They were almost [done] with the ritual when they both said she heard a very high pitched sound that came out of nowhere. When she looked up, she saw the being attempting to hide behind a row of trees about 15 yards from them. The being she described as being between [seven and eight] feet tall, extremely thin and looked like he was wearing a grey jumpsuit. She said that the being’s arms were very long, hung to just above his knees, and looked like they had claws. I asked her to please describe this and she said they were long and just looked like they were tipped with claws or what looked like claws. She went further in describing the being as being smooth headed, no indication of hair and with eyes that were insect-like only jet black and took up most of its face."

The being didn't take any hostile action to the witnesses, and it's only after the event that they felt any fear.

"When asked if the being tried to move toward them, both indicated that it stayed behind the row of trees and would only move to conceal itself from them," Navarette said. "Both witnesses indicated that they were both in full view of the being and that the being must have been aware that they could see it as well. Both witnesses agreed that this went on for over a full minute before the entity stepped behind the row of trees and disappeared from view. Both witnesses said that once the being was gone they felt an overwhelming urgency to leave, the feeling bordered on fear and it was like someone had unleashed a pent up wall of fear that had somehow been held back during the encounter. Both witnesses gathered up their things and quickly left, got in their car, and drove away and out of Schiller Woods."

"When asked if they noticed anything out of the ordinary as they were leaving such as lights in the sky, or unusual mist, etc, the female witness said she did notice a lack of wildlife as they left," he added. “[She] indicated that those particular woods are teeming with deer and raccoons and other wildlife and at that time of the late afternoon/early evening, they were out in droves grazing and feeding. These deer are used to people and do not scatter unless directly approached and yet on the way out she saw no wildlife at all, no deer anywhere."

Navarette did question how the witnesses' relative sobriety might have influenced their experience, but they insisted the effects of any marijuana had worn off by the time of their sighting.

"When asked about the use of marijuana in their rituals, both indicated that they both did smoke marijuana prior to the ritual as a sort of ritual aid but that the sighting they had was not induced by or influenced by the marijuana," he said. "Both claim they were sober and clear-headed during the encounter."

"Both witnesses appeared to be sincere and both did not seem to be fabricating any part of the encounter. Both witnesses indicated that they will eventually go back to the woods for ritual and that they feel that their lives were not in any danger," explained Navarette.

The witnesses’ experience is similar to that of retired police officer David Ramos, who saw a “a very tall, skinny man” with wings near the North Branch of the Chicago River in 1971. Similar, too, is a report submitted by a woman in Rosemont who said that she witnessed a winged being accompanied by two strange humanoids last October.

The Des Plaines River, which itself has been the location of many anomalous creature sightings, runs through Schiller Woods. The woods themselves are approximately 10 miles west of Ramos’ 1971 sighting and bordered by both Rosemont and the O’Hare International Airport—another location which has seen a number of recent sightings.

Schiller Woods is also only just over a dozen miles west of Lake Michigan.

This is the latest news in a string of ‘Mothman’ sightings from within a few hundred mile radius surrounding Lake Michigan, including every state bordering the great lake. These sightings ostensibly began in the spring of 2017, but more historical accounts are being reported as more people become aware of the phenomenon. Sightings of weird winged beings around Lake Michigan have been reported at all hours, 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 avian being could explain some encounters. Sightings of anomalous avians, including thunderbirds and pterosaurs, are often reported in or near the same locations as those where witnesses have reported winged humanoids.

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.

To report your own encounter with the impossible, reach out to us directly at the Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

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