Monsters and Mysteries in America

IT LOOKED LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN A MAN AND AN ALIEN

WITH WINGS AND RED EYES.

IT SCARED ME MORE THAN ANYTHING

THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.

IT WAS BIG... TOO BIG TO BE A PERSON.

IT STOOD AT LEAST NINE FOOT TALL.

I MEAN, IT WAS... MASSIVE.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU SEEN SOMETHING FLOATING ON TOP OF THE GROUND,

WOULDN'T YOU, LIKE, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE?

GUYS, GET THE GUNS.

I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE.

I KNOW IT'S A... IT'S A BEAST.

NEITHER ONE OF US WERE SURE IF WE WERE GONNA MAKE IT OUT ALIVE.

THE APPALACHIANS...

SOME OF THE OLDEST MOUNTAINS ON EARTH.

WITHIN THESE DARK HOLLOWS AND DENSE FORESTS,

AN ANCIENT SPIRIT PREVAILS.

EVEN SINCE THE SETTLERS CAME HERE,

THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN STRANGE OCCURRENCES.

BEING OUT HERE IN THE COUNTRY AROUND ALL OF THE WOODS...

THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

IT'S THE SURPRISE AROUND A TREE.

OTHER FORMS OF LIFE THAT WE MAYBE DON'T SEE.

YOU KNOW, GROWING UP,

PEOPLE KIND OF HAVE A NATURAL FEAR OF THE WOODS,

OF NOT KNOWING WHAT'S IN THE WOODS.

ALONG MUCH OF THE EASTERN U.S.

ARE THE DARK INLAND FORESTS OF APPALACHIA.

ON ITS WESTERN EDGE WITHIN BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY, KENTUCKY,

THE HILLS ARE THICK WITH RUMORS ABOUT A BIZARRE MUTANT BEAST,

A CROSSOVER BETWEEN MUTTON AND MAN...

A GIANT SHEEP THAT'S GONE SAVAGE.

YES, IN THIS APPALACHIAN PART OF THE COUNTRY,

IT'S BEEN SEEN A LOT.

I WOULDN'T HAVE BELIEVED IT IF I HADN'T SEEN IT.

IT WAS HUGE. IT WAS HUGE.

THEY'VE GOT WOOLY HAIR...

IT'S USUALLY WHITE OR DIRTY WHITE...

HUGE JAWS AND FANGS,

AND A TAIL THAT USUALLY HAS NO FUR ON IT.

WE HAD TO GO DOWN TO THE PUMP HOUSE BY THE RIVER,

AND WE'D FIND DEAD DOGS, WOLVES,

ALL KINDS OF FISH THAT HAD BEEN ATE ON

AND THE BONES LEFT.

WE HAD ALWAYS HEARD NOISES THAT WE JUST COULD NEVER EXPLAIN,

LIKE A GROWL ALMOST,

BUT YOU COULD HEAR THEM FROM LONG DISTANCES.

THE WOODS ARE MYSTERIOUS.

PEOPLE STILL WON'T GO OUT REALLY AT NIGHT INTO THE WOODS.

IT'S ONE OF THE FEW THINGS THAT PEOPLE AROUND HERE

WON'T REALLY TALK ABOUT,

BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING OUT THERE

THAT KEEPS THEM ALL INSIDE.

THAT "SOMETHING" IS A CREATURE

THAT'S KNOWN TO LOCALS AS "SHEEPSQUATCH."

THE LEGEND MAY HAVE STARTED LONG AGO...

...SHEEP HERDERS IMMIGRATING TO APPALACHIA FROM BRITAIN,

BRINGING STORIES OF DEMONS WEARING SHEEP HIDES AND HORNS.

BUT TO THIS VERY DAY, THE BELIEF REMAINS IN FORCE.

SHEEPSQUATCH IS PREDOMINANTLY IN THE WOODS.

I FEEL LIKE THAT IT HAS BEEN VERY GOOD AT ELUDING.

IT'S HAD TO BE.

IT DOES KNOW THAT WE'RE LOOKING,

AND I THINK IT JUST WANTS TO BE LEFT ALONE.

SOME CLAIM TO HAVE CAUGHT A GLIMPSE,

AND RECENTLY, TWO ADVENTUROUS BRECKINRIDGE BOYS,

RICKY JOYCE AND DAKOTA CHEEKS,

HAD A SHOWDOWN WITH A SHEEPSQUATCH.

THEY'LL NEVER FORGET IT.

WELL, WHEN I TELL MOST PEOPLE I SEEN IT,

THEY JUST TELL ME I'M CRAZY, I'M A CRACKPOT.

BUT THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE THAT BELIEVE IN IT.

MAINLY THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE AROUND HERE

ARE THE ONES THAT DON'T CALL ME CRAZY.

IT DIDN'T MATTER WHAT ANYBODY THOUGHT ABOUT US.

YOU KNOW, WE KNEW, WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, WHAT WE SAW.

AT 13, DAKOTA MET RICKY JOYCE IN SCHOOL.

THE PAIR HAVE BEEN CLOSE EVER SINCE.

THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN A FORM OF TRUST BETWEEN ME AND RICKY,

ESPECIALLY THE OLDER WE GET.

YOU KNOW, HE'S RIGHT THERE WITH YOU TILL THE VERY END.

WE'RE MORE BROTHERS THAN WE ARE FRIENDS.

HE'S TRUSTWORTHY. HE'S LOYAL.

I'VE NEVER HAD A FRIEND THAT HAD MY BACK LIKE HIM.

THAT BOND WOULD BE TESTED ON A WARM SUMMER WEEKEND

IN JULY OF 2004.

ON A HUNTING TRIP,

DAKOTA AND RICKY VENTURED

INTO SOME KENTUCKY'S MORE REMOTE TRACKS OF WILDERNESS.

ALL I REALLY NEED IS THIS.

WE GO HUNTING A LOT, BUT THIS TIME, IT WAS A LOT DIFFERENT.

COME ON, LILY.

THIS WAS A NIGHT THAT WOULD CHANGE OUR LIVES FOREVER.

BASE CAMP FOR THE DEER HUNT...

RICKY'S GRANDPARENTS' CABIN

AT THE FOOT OF A HUNDRED ACRES OF DENSE TIMBER.

BUT THE FIRST MORNING,

SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH ONE OF RICKY'S DOGS.

AND WE CALLED FOR HER, AND SHE JUST DIDN'T COME.

WHEN WE NOTICED THAT THE DOG WAS LAYING IN A DITCH,

WE WALKED OVER, AND THAT'S WHEN WE FOUND HER.

IT APPEARED THAT SOMETHING HAD TWISTED ITS HEAD

ALMOST COMPLETELY AROUND.

IT WAS... IT WAS QUITE A SIGHT.

IT JUST SEEMED KIND OF STRANGE, THOUGH,

THAT SOMETHING JUST HANDLED IT LIKE IT DID.

THERE'S NO ANIMAL UP HERE

THAT CAN GRAB AN ANIMAL

BY ITS CHIN AND THE BACK OF ITS HEAD

AND TWIST IT.

YOU KNOW, NO COYOTE CAN DO IT.

THERE'S NO BEAR AS FAR AS I KNOW UP HERE.

IT BECAME VERY APPARENT THAT WE HAD TO FIND OUT,

YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENED.

WHAT GOT HER, AND WHY?

ARE THERE CREATURES CAPABLE OF SUCH VIOLENCE

ROAMING THE BACKWOODS OF APPALACHIA?

THE WHITE THINGS.

I HEARD IT WAS HALF MAN AND HALF SHEEP.

IF YOU JUST LOOK AT THE FACT THAT IT HAS CLAWS.

IT HAS HORNS.

LOOK AT THE SHEER SIZE.

YOU KNOW, IT COULD POTENTIALLY

REALLY BE A VERY DANGEROUS THING.

BEFORE THE DOG INCIDENT,

FOR MONTHS, WE'D BEEN HEARING NOISES

COMING FROM THE TOP OF THE HILL...

...OR GROWLS AND SCREAMS...

THINGS THAT WE JUST DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT.

WE WENT LOOKING,

TO SEE IF WE COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED,

SEE IF WE COULD FIND TRACKS OF ANYTHING BIG,

ANYTHING THAT COULD HAVE KILLED A 150-POUND DOG LIKE IT DID.

WE DECIDED WE WERE GONNA HOP ON THE FOUR-WHEELERS

AND STAKE OUT THE HILLTOP.

WE ENDED UP GOING TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE PROPERTY...

DUDE, I'M TELLING YOU, IT CAME FROM RIGHT OVER HERE.

...WHERE NOBODY REALLY GOES.

THERE'S NO TRAILS.

WE MAKE A COUPLE LAPS AROUND THE FIELD.

THAT WAY, WE CAN BOTH EASILY SEE WHERE THE FOUR-WHEELER HAS BEEN

SO WE KNOW WHERE TO LOOK.

I WAS CONCERNED

BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DEALING WITH,

IF THERE WAS POTENTIALLY HARM FOR THEM OUT THERE.

THEY SEARCHED THE AREA FOR HOURS, BUT NO CLUES TURNED UP.

EXHAUSTED, THEY RETREATED TO THE FAMILY'S HUNTING CAMPER

SET WITHIN THE HILLSIDE.

WE ENDED UP STAYING IN THE CAMPER,

AND WE STARTED HEARING ALL SORTS OF WEIRD NOISES,

THINGS WALKING AROUND.

WE KNEW A CREATURE WAS CLOSE.

00 A.M. IN THE MORNING,

THE DOGS START BARKING,

AND THEY TAKE OFF RUNNING DOWN THE HILL.

WELL, ME AND RICKY SIT THERE

AND A LITTLE HESITANT TO GO OUTSIDE

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER DOGS ARE NOW GONE.

THE CAMPER THAT SEEMED A SAFE HAVEN

WAS SUDDENLY UNDER ATTACK.

SOMETHING ACTUALLY RAN INTO THE TRAILER.

IT KIND OF SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME.

IT LITERALLY SOUNDED LIKE ALL HELL WAS BREAKING LOOSE.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE YOU CAN HEAR SOMETHING

PRESSING UP AGAINST THE SIDE

AND YOU CAN KIND OF HEAR THE TENTS START TO BEND.

IT'S JUST THAT WEIRD, EERIE METAL SOUND.

AND THEN IT WAS JUST FREE FALL.

IT WAS LIKE IT LET GO, AND THEN WE HIT.

I WAS TERRIFIED.

I MEAN, THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANYTHING OUT HERE

STRONG ENOUGH TO PUSH A CAMPER LIKE THAT.

WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?!

WHEN IT ACTUALLY MOVED AND TIPPED,

I WASN'T SURE WHAT IT WAS.

BUT WE KNEW, WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT,

THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING THERE.

THEY HAD STARTED THE DAY AS HUNTERS.

NOW DAKOTA AND RICKY WERE FEELING

THEY WERE THE ONES BEING TRACKED.

NEITHER ONE OF US WERE SURE IF WE WERE GONNA MAKE IT OUT ALIVE.

IN JULY OF 2004,

DAKOTA CHEEKS AND RICKY JOYCE

WERE ON A HUNTING TRIP IN THE WOODS OF KENTUCKY.

BUT IT TOOK A HORRIBLE TURN.

ONE OF RICKY'S DOGS WAS MYSTERIOUSLY MANGLED.

THEN THEIR CAMPER CAME UNDER ATTACK.

EVERYTHING POINTED

TO APPALACHIA'S BIZARRE HYBRID BEAST...

SHEEPSQUATCH.

ANYTHING THAT AGGRESSIVE DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE HERE.

IF IT CAN'T COEXIST, IT NEEDS TO GO.

AT RICKY'S GRANDPARENTS' CABIN,

THEY GATHER MORE AMMUNITION.

I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE.

THIS THING KILLED MY DOG, MAN.

I KNOW IT'S A... IT'S A BEAST.

WHATEVER IT WAS, IT HAD TO BE HUGE.

WE WERE DETERMINED.

TO FIND SOMETHING HAVING THAT MUCH STRENGTH,