Reports from the Void: 'Bat-Like Creature Spotted'

The Singular Fortean Society received the following email from a witness last February 8th, 2019, in response to the article titled 'Bat-Like' Flying Humanoid with 'an Obvious Face' Reported near Indiana's Prairie Creek Reservoir, which had been published less than two weeks prior.

I'm sorry for the short, shaky message. I live in Alexandria, near Muncie, Indiana, and two years ago while driving to Muncie I saw a very similar thing. I was driving between the two cities and I saw it, it was crouched down with its wings around itself like it was eating or looking at something. It slowly rose as it extended its leathery, almost shiny, wings.
If you are interested in more details, please contact me. I just asked my mom if she remembered me telling her of this and she lit up. I showed her the article and gasped. I am trembling so hard.
Thank you for reading my message. I hope to hear back.

Investigator Tobias Wayland responded to the witness, writing "I know how powerful these experiences can be, so no need to apologize. I'd love to talk more about your experience. I'm free most evenings to talk over the phone, or we can correspond via email—whatever works best for you. Just let me know."

The witness never responded to that correspondence.

This report came a week after another in which the witness claimed they saw “a large dark winged creature come up from out of a drainage ditch and fly directly over my car” near Roanoke, Indiana.

That report also ended up in Reports from the Void after no response was received from the witness following a request for an interview.

Three officially published sightings of weird, winged humanoids have so far been reported near Muncie, Indiana; one each in 2007, 2011, and 2018.

These sightings all centered around the Prairie Creek Reservoir, which is around two miles southeast of Muncie, Indiana, and approximately 140 miles southeast of Lake Michigan. Less than five miles to its south is Summit Lake State Park. Gary, Indiana—a city on the southern shore of Lake Michigan—has also seen a recent spate of flying creature reports, and is the same distance from this sighting location as the great lake, ~140 miles.

A man near the Prairie Creek Reservoir has also spoken to the Singular Fortean Society about a series of glowing orb sightings from 1981 to 2020 that could be related to the Lake Michigan Mothman phenomenon.

The sighting location mentioned in the email—Roanoke, Indiana—is just over 60 miles north of the reservoir.

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. They 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. Some witnesses have reported feeling intense fear and an aura of evil emanating from the creature they encountered. 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—although certainly not all—of the encounters. A number of associated high strangeness incidents have also occurred alongside the creature sightings; including reports of UFOs, other anomalous flying creatures and mysterious humanoids, parapsychological phenomena, and bizarre events experienced by those investigating the sightings.

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.

Reports from the Void is a repository to share those stories for which we do not have enough information to make a full report. This is usually because of little or no communication from the witness following their initial submission. The Singular Fortean Society will always provide as much information as possible regarding any correspondence during our attempts to speak with those involved.

This series is meant only to present you with the full breadth of the information sent to us, and makes no judgments towards the veracity of any stories shared within it.

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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