Class A First-hand BFRO #26380

Couple has close encouter with a large bigfoot near Shady Spring

May 2009 Approx. 4:30 pm Shady Spring, Raleigh County, West Virginia 2 witnesses

Account

A couple riding an ATV over a small hill encountered a tall black creature standing beside the trail behind a narrow tree. The driver first mistook it for a stump, then realized its size as it turned its head toward them. The wife screamed upon seeing it, and they fled rapidly on the ATV without being followed.

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.

Sightings

Described appearance

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

Height src
approx.8 - 9 feet tall
Build src
much wider across the shoulders than the waist
Hair colour src
very shiny black
Face src
sparse hair on face
Eyes src
very dark eyes
Posture src
very erect posture
Other features src
head shape similar to Patterson-Gimlin film subject

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
May 2009
Stated BFRO report #26380 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month
Time of day
Approx. 4:30 pm
Stated BFRO report #26380 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
Shady Spring, Raleigh County, West Virginia
Stated BFRO report #26380 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Nearest Road
Map point
37.7016, -81.0920 (± 15 km)
Geocoded BFRO report #26380 · gazetteer:place · read with 50% confidence
Census 2023 Gazetteer centroid of Shady Spring CDP (GEOID 5473108), matched from nearest town 'Shady Spring'
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #26380 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
2
Stated BFRO report #26380 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Figures reported
1
Stated BFRO report #26380 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness was
riding an ATV
Stated BFRO report #26380 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
solid black creature
Stated BFRO report #26380 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class A
Stated BFRO report #26380 · 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
Russ Jones (BFRO)
Tree damage

The witness returned to the sighting area with three companions and found pushed-over trees and logs across the trail.

BFRO report, “Also Noticed” section
Other

The witness returned to the sighting area with three companions and found pushed-over trees and logs across the trail.

BFRO report, “Also Noticed” section
Follow-up

The witness returned to the sighting area with three companions and found pushed-over trees and logs across the trail.

BFRO report, “Also Noticed” section
Follow-up

An investigator spoke with the couple for about an hour and recorded additional descriptive 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 2009-08-05 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 Hash 35bbca3cb9c3
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization

The report refers to

  • “three other incidents on your site in this area in the past couple of years”
    Not in the Anomadex yet