Man Reports Sighting of Winged Humanoid near Wheeler, Indiana

Investigator Lon Strickler recently published the following report to his website, Phantoms & Monsters.

Hello, Mr. Strickler. I recently watched Unsolved Mysteries 'The Mothman Revisited' and became interested in the sightings. I recalled an incident in the summer of 2005 that may fall under the category of this winged humanoid.
My brother and his family lived in a more rural setting than myself in Wheeler, Indiana at the end of North Street. Often times I would spend a Saturday evening with him and his family relaxing under the many stars I never saw being closer to the city. It was tranquil and quiet and the sky at night was lit up like fireworks with stars.
One evening in July 2005 as it was approaching 11 PM or so, we were talking and out of nowhere an enormous bird/owl/thing came off the roof of his three-car garage and flew over us. As I looked up to the starlit sky it was completely blacked out by this thing and the sound of wings in the air could be heard. The flapping sound was very loud, deep, and slow, unlike the sound of feathered wings. My sister-in-law ran into the house but I strained to see what it was. It had an enormous wingspan. Its full silhouette was just massive, maybe 15 or more feet across from wing tip to wing tip and the thin body was about six feet long. I remember thinking that's too big for a bird, even an owl. I didn't see legs, but there was a long thin tapered tail. There was an off-and-on reddish glow near the area of the head, even though there was no distinguishable head.
My brother came out asking what all the fuss was that his wife was yelling at him to go see. I explained what I saw and he knows I am not a fabricator. I say what I saw. He said and I quote, "Hell of a time for me to go to the head, huh? I missed it." My brother and sister-in-law no longer live at the location.
So, to this day, when I'm out at night, I look up a whole lot more. This world has unexplained events everywhere.

According to Strickler, the above report incorporates multiple emails received from the witness.

“Since this sighting was almost 20 years ago, the witness was a bit vague on his recall, but I did manage to get a decent amount of information through a few emails,” he said.

In addition, Strickler told me, the witness insisted that his sister-in-law also be interviewed. Strickler was able to speak with her, too, and added that she confirmed everything the man who initially contacted him stated about the incident but didn’t add any additional details.

Strickler provided both interviewees with my contact information, but I have yet to hear from either.

Because of its proximity to other sighting locations, the creature described in the above report could be related to the larger Lake Michigan Mothman phenomenon. Those sightings are commonly reported within a few-hundred-mile radius surrounding Lake Michigan, including every state bordering the great lake.

The 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 or natural area, and around water. Witnesses consistently describe a large gray, brown, or black, bat or bird-like creature, sometimes with glowing or reflective red, yellow, or orange eyes, and humanoid features such as an upright, bipedal posture 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 misidentified large bird—such as an owl, heron, or crane—or some type of anomalous avian species could explain some, although certainly not all, of the encounters. A number of associated high strangeness incidents have also occurred alongside the creature sightings. These include reports of UFOs, other anomalous flying creatures and mysterious humanoids, parapsychological phenomena, and bizarre events experienced by those investigating the sightings.

You can view a timeline of the sightings so far here.

A map of the sightings, compiled by Lon Strickler, is available here.