Class A First-hand BFRO #23018

Woman recounts childhood sighting behind her house near Lake Charles

15 September 1971 about 9pm at night Lake Charles -Westlake Area, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana 3 witnesses

Account

The witness was playing on the back screen door at home in the evening while food was cooking inside. From about 50 feet away under a bright light, the witness watched a tall reddish-haired biped rip open a metal trash can and dig through garbage for about 20 minutes. A parent then pulled the children inside and shut the door, and the next morning trash was scattered and the lid was bent.

Summary drafted by AI from the source report and checked by code before I publish it. The witness's own words remain with the publisher — read the original report .

What was reported

Every kind of observation in the account. Select one to find other encounters with it.

Described appearance

In the source's own words, field by field. Hover a field's marker to see where it was read.

Height src
7 1/2 ft
Build src
muscular with barrel chest and slim hips, approx 350lbs
Hair colour src
reddish, orangey-rust
Face src
tan face
Arms src
longer than a human's
Hands src
long hands with long fingers
Legs src
longer than a human's
Gait src
very smooth and fluid-like, like skiing
Posture src
bipedal
Apparent sex src
young male (witness impression)
Age / size src
young (witness impression of young male)
Other features src
head pointed at top, tips of hair with silvery sheen

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
15 September 1971
Stated BFRO report #23018 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month, Date
Time of day
about 9pm at night
Stated BFRO report #23018 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Place
Lake Charles -Westlake Area, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
Stated BFRO report #23018 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Location Details, Nearest Road
Map point
30.2296, -93.3580 (± 30 km)
Geocoded BFRO report #23018 · gazetteer:county · read with 30% confidence
Census 2023 Gazetteer centroid of Calcasieu Parish (GEOID 22019); the report gives only the county
Account type
First-hand
Derived BFRO report #23018 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
3
Stated BFRO report #23018 · BFRO report, “Other Witnesses” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #23018 · BFRO report, “Observed” section · read with 85% confidence
Witness was
playing on back screen door at home
Stated BFRO report #23018 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
Tony the tiger
Stated BFRO report #23018 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class A
Stated BFRO report #23018 · BFRO classification label

Evidence & investigation

What the source says was found or done. Claimed evidence is listed as claimed; the Anomadex has not examined it.

Investigated by
Cathy Betz (BFRO)
Photograph

Photos of the sighting area showing the tree and of the witness and a relative standing where creature was seen

BFRO report, “Also Noticed” section
Other

Trash strewn about and metal trash-can lid bent seen the next day

Measurements: up to 10ft or so

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Follow-up

An investigator spoke with the witness by phone for over an hour to collect additional details.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section

Source timeline

Every record this entry is built from, earliest known first. Records are versioned and never edited in place.

  1. Published 2008-01-27 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 Hash 7bad8e10cd50
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization