Reports from the Void: 'I Was Scared When I Saw It'

*(Tobias Wayland / Singular Fortean Society)*

The following report was sent to the Singular Fortean Society in an email on May 4th, 2020.

I was scared when I saw it. After a few minutes of reflection on the event I knew what I saw was real. Northern Ohio...small town surrounded by corn fields—I saw a black, bird-like or moth-like shadow swoop through the trees in my yard. It was at least six feet long. Couldn't tell wingspan because it was diving and the [creature] swooped up as fast as I saw it. It looked like a man in a wing suit, but at 11 pm on a Monday night. No one was using a wing suit just now. It was something else.

Lead investigator Tobias Wayland received no response from the witness to his request for an interview.

The world first heard of the Mothman in November of 1966, when a series of sightings of a large, black, flying creature with glowing red eyes took place in and around Point Pleasant, West Virginia—just across the Ohio River from the Buckeye State. Similar sightings have been reported by the dozens in the Great Lakes region surrounding Lake Michigan since then, beginning as early as 1969, and including Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana.

Because of the witness’s description of what they saw, the recency of their sighting, and the position of their sighting between Indiana and West Virginia, this report could represent a connection between the West Virginia sightings and the string of ‘Mothman’ sightings from within a few hundred mile radius surrounding Lake Michigan.

The Lake Michigan 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, green, 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, psychic and haunting 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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