WINGS OVER WEST VIRGINIA: From Cornstalk’s Curse to Mothman’s Warning — Dark Omens Over Point Pleasant

Chief Cornstalk’s dying curse on Point Pleasant in 1777 lay dormant for nearly two centuries until a bat-winged creature with burning red eyes emerged to terrorize the citizens and herald the town’s greatest tragedy.

The First Encounters

On November 12, 1966, five men working in a cemetery near Clendenin, West Virginia, witnessed something that would change their lives forever. As they prepared a grave for burial, a brown, human-like figure suddenly lifted off from nearby trees and flew directly over their heads. The men stood frozen, watching what appeared to be a man with wings soar through the sky above them. They described the creature as moving with an unnatural grace, its wings beating silently as it disappeared into the distance. None of the five men had ever seen anything like it before, and they struggled to find words to describe what they had witnessed.

The encounter left the gravediggers shaken and confused. They had been working in cemeteries for years and were accustomed to the peaceful, if sometimes eerie, atmosphere of burial grounds. This was different – something that challenged everything they thought they knew about the natural world. The creature they saw was clearly not a bird, yet it flew with ease and purpose. Its human-like appearance made the sighting even more disturbing, as if they had witnessed something that should not exist.

Three days later, on November 15, two young married couples – Roger and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette – were driving past an abandoned TNT plant near Point Pleasant, West Virginia, when they encountered something even more terrifying. The couples had been out for a late evening drive, exploring the back roads around Point Pleasant as young people often did in the small town. The abandoned munitions plant, left over from World War II, was a familiar landmark in the area, though most locals avoided it after dark due to its isolated and somewhat forbidding appearance.

In the late evening darkness, they spotted two large, glowing eyes attached to a creature that stood six or seven feet tall. The being had the shape of a man but was much larger and more imposing than any human. Its most striking feature was a pair of enormous wings folded against its back, giving it an appearance that was both magnificent and terrifying. The creature’s eyes seemed to pierce through the darkness, glowing with an inner light that cast an eerie red illumination on its surroundings.

When the creature moved toward the plant door, the couples panicked and sped away at over 100 miles per hour. Their car, a 1957 Chevrolet, was not built for such speeds on the winding country roads, but their terror drove them to push the vehicle to its limits. Behind them, the winged being rose into the air and began following their car down Highway 62. What made the pursuit even more frightening was the creature’s ability to keep pace with their vehicle effortlessly, its wings hardly seeming to move as it glided alongside them.

“That bird kept right up with us,” Roger Scarberry later told authorities, though he struggled with calling it a bird since it looked so distinctly human in shape. The creature followed them all the way to the Point Pleasant city limits before finally disappearing into the night. The couples drove directly to the Mason County Sheriff’s office, where they reported their encounter to Deputy Sheriff Millard Halstead. Their faces were pale, their hands shaking as they recounted what they had seen.

That same night, about 90 miles away in Salem, West Virginia, Newell Partridge was watching television in his living room when something extraordinary happened. Partridge, a local building contractor in his forties, was settled in for a quiet evening at home when his television screen suddenly went dark around 10:30 PM. A strange pattern filled the screen, unlike anything produced by normal broadcast interference. The pattern seemed to pulse and shift in ways that made him feel uneasy, as if something was trying to communicate through the static.

This was followed by a loud whining sound from outside that grew higher in pitch before stopping completely. Partridge described the sound as being similar to “a generator winding up,” but with an otherworldly quality that made his skin crawl. His dog, Bandit, a German Shepherd mix who had served as both hunting companion and guard dog for several years, began howling on the front porch with an intensity Partridge had never heard before.

When Partridge stepped outside to investigate, he found Bandit facing the hay barn about 150 yards away from the house. The dog’s posture was tense and alert, his hackles raised as he stared into the darkness. Following his dog’s gaze, Partridge shined his flashlight in that direction and spotted two red circles that looked like glowing eyes or bicycle reflectors. The sight frightened him so much that he immediately went back inside for his gun, but then found himself too scared to venture outside again.

The red orbs were unlike anything Partridge had ever seen. They seemed to pulse with their own internal light and were positioned too high off the ground to belong to any normal animal in the area. The way they reflected his flashlight beam suggested they were eyes, but no creature he knew of had eyes that large or that bright. The sight filled him with a deep, primal fear that he couldn’t explain or shake off.

Bandit, despite being an experienced hunting dog who was normally protective of his territory, shot off across the yard in pursuit of whatever was creating those glowing eyes. Partridge called desperately for him to stop, but the animal paid no attention to his owner’s commands. This behavior was completely out of character for the well-trained dog, who had always been obedient and responsive to Partridge’s voice. It was as if something had compelled the animal to investigate, overriding years of training and natural caution.

Partridge spent the night with his gun propped up next to his bed, listening for any sound that might indicate his dog’s return. The house seemed eerily quiet, and every small noise made him jump. He barely slept, constantly checking the windows and doors to make sure they were securely locked. When morning came, there was still no sign of Bandit anywhere on the property.

The next morning, and for days afterward, Partridge searched the surrounding area calling for his dog. He checked with neighbors, posted signs, and even offered a reward, but Bandit had simply vanished without a trace. Two days later, when Partridge read about the Point Pleasant sightings in the newspaper, one detail mentioned by the witnesses chilled him to the bone. Roger Scarberry had told reporters that as their group entered Point Pleasant that night, they had seen the body of a large dog lying on the side of the road. When they returned the same way just minutes later, the dog’s body had mysteriously vanished.

The coincidence was too much for Partridge to ignore. He immediately thought of Bandit and wondered if his beloved companion had somehow ended up in Point Pleasant that night. The timing matched perfectly – Bandit had disappeared on the same night the couples had their encounter, and they had seen a large dog’s body that mysteriously disappeared. Partridge never saw his dog again, and the loss haunted him for years to come.

The Investigation Begins

Deputy Sheriff Millard Halstead took the reports from the two couples seriously, despite the fantastic nature of their claims. Halstead was a veteran law enforcement officer who had worked in Mason County for over a decade. He had known Roger and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette their entire lives, having grown up in the same small community. These were not people prone to flights of fantasy or practical jokes, and their obvious terror convinced him that they had genuinely seen something extraordinary.

“They’ve never been in any trouble,” Halstead told the investigators and reporters who would later arrive to cover the story. “I’ve known these folks all their lives, and they’re as honest as the day is long. Whatever they saw out there, it scared them half to death.” The deputy’s endorsement carried significant weight in the tight-knit community, where personal reputations and family histories were well known to everyone.

Halstead immediately organized a search of the TNT plant area, bringing several other officers and volunteers to comb through the abandoned facility. The search team was equipped with powerful flashlights and search dogs, but they found no physical evidence of the creature the couples had described. The concrete bunkers and surrounding woods showed no signs of disturbance, and the search dogs seemed uneasy but failed to pick up any unusual scents or tracks.

A press conference was held at the county courthouse on November 16, where the four witnesses repeated their accounts to a room full of local and regional reporters. The story had already begun to spread through word of mouth in Point Pleasant, and news outlets from surrounding areas had caught wind of the unusual report. The witnesses stuck to their story despite the skeptical questions from some reporters, providing consistent details about their encounter.

Roger Scarberry described the creature’s eyes as being about six inches apart and perfectly round, glowing like red reflectors in a car’s headlights. Linda Scarberry added that the creature seemed to have no visible head, with the eyes appearing to be set into its shoulders. Steve Mallette emphasized the creature’s incredible size and the span of its wings, which he estimated to be at least ten feet from tip to tip. Mary Mallette spoke about the overwhelming sense of dread she had felt during the encounter, saying it was unlike any fear she had ever experienced.

The news spread rapidly beyond the local area, picked up by wire services and eventually making headlines around the world. The press dubbed the strange flying creature “Mothman,” after a character from the popular Batman television series that was currently airing. The name stuck, and within days, people across the country were talking about the West Virginia Mothman.

The abandoned TNT plant became the creature’s apparent home base, and it could not have picked a better place to hide. The facility had been constructed during World War II as part of the massive munitions manufacturing effort that had transformed much of West Virginia into an industrial powerhouse. The plant consisted of several hundred acres of woods and large concrete domes called “igloos” where high explosives had been stored. These igloo-shaped bunkers were designed to contain explosions and were built with walls several feet thick.

A complex network of tunnels connected many of the bunkers, originally designed to allow for the safe transport of explosive materials without exposing workers to the elements or potential threats. These tunnels created a labyrinthine underground system that honeycombed the entire area, providing perfect hiding places for something that didn’t want to be seen. The tunnels were dark, extensive, and largely unexplored by the general public, making them ideal refuge for any creature seeking to avoid human contact.

The McClintic Wildlife Station bordered the TNT plant and offered even more secluded territory. This heavily forested animal preserve covered thousands of additional acres and included artificial ponds, steep ridges, and dense woodlands. Much of the preserve was virtually inaccessible except on foot, with rough terrain that discouraged casual visitors. The combination of the abandoned military facility and the wildlife preserve created a vast area where something could remain hidden indefinitely.

Very few homes could be found in the region surrounding the TNT plant. The area had been largely cleared during the war for security reasons, and the few families who had lived there had been relocated when the government acquired the land. The isolation that had once been necessary for national security now provided perfect cover for whatever was lurking in the abandoned facility.

On November 16, the Ralph Thomas family, who lived in one of the few remaining homes near the plant, spotted a “funny red light” in the sky that moved and hovered above the TNT plant. Unlike a conventional aircraft, this light seemed to move with purpose and intelligence, stopping and starting in ways that defied normal flight patterns. Mrs. Thomas described it as being much brighter than any airplane light she had ever seen, with a deep red color that pulsed rhythmically.

Marcella Bennett, a friend of the Thomas family, arrived at their home shortly after the family had called to tell her about the strange light. Bennett was a young mother who lived in Point Pleasant and often visited the Thomas family. She arrived with her baby daughter, parking her car near the house just as darkness was falling completely over the area.

As Bennett got out of her car with her infant daughter in her arms, she suddenly became aware of a large figure near her automobile. The creature appeared to have been lying on the ground beside her car, hidden in the shadows until she arrived. Slowly, almost deliberately, it began to rise from the ground. Bennett described it as a big gray thing, much larger than any man, with terrible glowing eyes that seemed to bore into her soul.

The sight horrified her so much that she dropped her child in her shock and terror. The baby hit the ground but was fortunately unharmed, protected by her heavy winter clothing and the soft earth. Bennett quickly recovered from her momentary paralysis, scooped up her daughter, and ran toward the house as fast as she could manage. Behind her, she could hear a shuffling sound as the creature began to move.

The Thomas family, who had been watching from their windows, immediately let Bennett into the house and locked all the doors and windows. From inside, they watched in horror as the creature shuffled onto the porch and began peering through the windows. Its red eyes seemed to glow even brighter in the darkness, and its massive form blocked most of the light from the porch lamp. The family huddled together in the center of the house, afraid to go near any of the windows.

Mrs. Thomas called the police while the creature was still on the porch, but by the time Deputy Halstead and other officers arrived at the scene, the Mothman had vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared. The officers found no physical evidence of the creature’s presence, though they noted that the family members were clearly traumatized by their experience.

Marcella Bennett suffered the most severe psychological effects from the encounter. She was so shaken by what she had seen that she required medical attention to deal with her anxiety and panic attacks. For months afterward, she was tormented by frightening nightmares featuring the red-eyed creature. She told investigators that she believed the creature had visited her own home as well, saying she could often hear a keening sound, like a woman screaming, near her isolated house on the edge of Point Pleasant.

The Creature’s Characteristics

Author and researcher John Keel arrived in Point Pleasant in December 1966, drawn by the growing number of reports about the strange creature. Keel was already an established writer and investigator of unusual phenomena, having traveled extensively to research UFO sightings and other unexplained events. He had written for magazines and newspapers about mysterious occurrences around the world, but the Point Pleasant situation intrigued him because of the consistency of the witness reports and the credibility of many of the people involved.

Keel established himself in Point Pleasant for several months, conducting extensive interviews with witnesses and investigating the locations where sightings had occurred. He approached the investigation with both an open mind and a healthy skepticism, attempting to verify claims and separate genuine phenomena from misidentification or hoaxes. His research methods were thorough and systematic, treating each report as a potential piece of a larger puzzle.

According to Keel’s research, which he later documented in his book “The Mothman Prophecies,” at least 100 people claimed to have seen the creature between November 1966 and November 1967. These witnesses came from all walks of life and included farmers, factory workers, business owners, housewives, students, and even law enforcement officers. The consistency of their descriptions was remarkable, especially considering that many of the witnesses had not communicated with each other before making their reports.

The witnesses described a being that stood between five and seven feet tall and was considerably wider than a normal human being. Its body appeared to be powerfully built, with a broad chest and shoulders that suggested immense physical strength. The creature walked on human-like legs when on the ground, but its gait was described as somewhat awkward or shuffling, as if it was not entirely comfortable with terrestrial locomotion.

The most distinctive feature of the creature was its enormous wings, which witnesses consistently described as being bat-like in appearance rather than feathered like a bird’s wings. These wings were massive, with estimates of their span ranging from eight to fifteen feet from tip to tip. When the creature was at rest, the wings folded against its back, but when extended for flight, they created an imposing and terrifying silhouette against the sky.

What made the creature’s flight particularly unnerving to witnesses was that its wings appeared to glide rather than flap during most of its aerial movement. Traditional birds require constant wing movement to maintain flight, but the Mothman seemed to soar effortlessly through the air with minimal wing motion. Even stranger, multiple witnesses reported that the creature could ascend straight up like a helicopter, rising vertically without any apparent forward momentum or running start.

The Mothman’s most distinctive and frightening features were its eyes, which witnesses universally described as being set near the top of its shoulders rather than in a traditional head position. These eyes were enormous, roughly the size of dinner plates, and glowed with a bright red light that seemed to come from within the creature itself rather than reflecting external light sources. The eyes were described as hypnotic and intelligent, suggesting that whatever the creature was, it possessed a high level of awareness and possibly intelligence.

Witnesses who got close enough to observe details described the creature’s skin as appearing murky and rough-textured, with coloration that ranged from gray to brown depending on the lighting conditions and angle of observation. Some described the skin as having a leathery appearance, while others said it looked more like coarse fur or hair. The creature’s overall appearance was consistently described as being neither fully human nor fully animal, but something that seemed to combine characteristics of both.

The Mothman was apparently unable to produce normal speech, but it was not silent. Witnesses described hearing a variety of sounds associated with the creature, including a low humming noise when it flew and a high-pitched screeching sound that several people compared to a woman screaming. This screeching sound was particularly disturbing to those who heard it, causing physical reactions including nausea, dizziness, and overwhelming fear.

Mrs. Bennett, who had the closest encounter with the creature at the Thomas house, provided some of the most detailed descriptions of the sounds it made. She said the screeching was unlike anything she had ever heard before, combining elements of animal cries with something almost human. The sound seemed to penetrate not just her ears but her entire body, creating a feeling of dread that lingered long after the creature had disappeared.

Several witnesses reported that the creature seemed to possess an almost supernatural awareness of human presence. It would often appear when people were alone or in small groups, particularly in isolated areas around the TNT plant. Some witnesses felt that the creature was deliberately observing them, studying their behavior with an intelligence that was distinctly unsettling.

Strange Phenomena

John Keel’s investigation revealed that the Mothman sightings were accompanied by a wide range of other unexplained phenomena that seemed to increase in frequency during the creature’s active period. These additional occurrences suggested that whatever was happening in Point Pleasant involved more than just a single unknown creature, pointing to a more complex and widespread pattern of unusual activity.

Television sets throughout the Point Pleasant area began experiencing unprecedented interference starting in the fall of 1966. Residents reported that their televisions would suddenly go blank or display strange patterns that bore no resemblance to normal broadcast static. These patterns often appeared to move and shift in organized ways, as if they contained some form of coded information. The interference was so widespread and consistent that local television repair shops were overwhelmed with calls from frustrated residents.

Phone service in the area also became unreliable during this period. Residents reported receiving strange calls at all hours of the day and night, often consisting of nothing but electronic beeping sounds, mechanical voices speaking in unknown languages, or high-pitched tones that caused headaches and disorientation. Some people reported that their phones would ring constantly for hours at a time, but when they answered, they would hear only static or silence.

Even more disturbing were reports of phone conversations being interrupted by unknown voices that would break into ongoing calls. These voices sometimes seemed to know personal information about the people on the line, mentioning names, addresses, and private details that should not have been available to outsiders. The phone company investigated these reports but could find no technical explanation for the interference.

Mysterious lights began appearing in the skies over Point Pleasant and the surrounding area with increasing frequency. These lights were unlike conventional aircraft, moving in patterns that defied known flight capabilities. They would hover motionlessly for extended periods, then suddenly accelerate to incredible speeds, make sharp turns that would be impossible for normal aircraft, or simply vanish instantly as if they had never been there.

The lights appeared in various colors, including red, white, orange, and green, and often seemed to pulse or change intensity. Many witnesses reported that the lights appeared to be under intelligent control, responding to human presence by moving closer or farther away depending on the observers’ actions. Some people reported that shining flashlights or headlights at the mysterious objects would cause them to react by changing course or disappearing entirely.

Cars traveling along the roads near the TNT plant experienced unusual mechanical problems during this period. Vehicles that had been running perfectly would suddenly stall without explanation, often in the same locations where strange lights or the Mothman had been sighted. The engines would typically restart normally after a few minutes, but mechanics who examined the vehicles could find nothing wrong with them.

Several drivers reported that their car radios would produce strange sounds or voices while traveling through certain areas, even when the radio was turned off. These sounds ranged from mechanical beeping to what seemed like fragments of conversations in unknown languages. Some drivers reported hearing what sounded like their own voices coming from their radios, speaking words they had never said.

The electrical problems extended beyond vehicles and communication devices. Streetlights would flicker or go out entirely when the Mothman or strange lights were reported in an area. Home electrical systems experienced power surges and outages that could not be explained by weather conditions or problems with the electrical grid. Electronic devices would malfunction, turn on and off by themselves, or display readings that made no sense.

Several short-lived poltergeist cases occurred throughout the Ohio Valley area during the Mothman period. These incidents involved typical poltergeist phenomena such as locked doors opening and closing by themselves, objects moving without apparent cause, and strange thumping or knocking sounds heard both inside and outside homes. Unlike traditional poltergeist cases, which often center around a particular individual, these incidents seemed to be geographically centered around the TNT plant area.

Residents reported hearing inexplicable voices in and around their homes, sometimes speaking in recognizable words and sometimes in languages or sounds that seemed completely foreign. These voices would often call people by name, even when no one else was present. Some residents reported hearing conversations taking place in empty rooms or voices coming from appliances that were not turned on.

The James Lilly family, who lived just south of the TNT plant, experienced so many bizarre events that they eventually sold their home and moved to another neighborhood. The family reported that doors in their house would open and close on their own, often in sequence as if something was walking through the house. They heard footsteps in their attic and basement when no one was there, and voices that seemed to come from the walls themselves.

Objects in the Lilly house would move from their usual locations, sometimes appearing in completely different rooms with no explanation for how they had gotten there. The family’s pets behaved strangely, often staring at empty spaces as if they could see something the humans could not. Dogs in the neighborhood would howl incessantly during the night, particularly when other phenomena were reported in the area.

Mary Hyre, a reporter who served as the Point Pleasant correspondent for The Messenger newspaper in Athens, Ohio, documented many of these incidents as part of her coverage of the Mothman story. Hyre was a seasoned journalist who had covered local news for many years, and she approached the strange reports with professional skepticism while still taking them seriously enough to investigate thoroughly.

After one particularly active weekend in the fall of 1966, Hyre received over 500 phone calls from people reporting strange lights in the sky. The calls came from residents throughout Mason County and neighboring areas, describing lights that moved in impossible patterns, made no sound, and seemed to appear and disappear at will. The sheer volume of reports from unconnected witnesses convinced Hyre that something genuinely unusual was occurring in the area.

Hyre’s own experiences with the phenomena began to mirror those of the people she was interviewing. Her phone at the newspaper office would ring at all hours with calls from people claiming to have information about the Mothman, but when she answered, she would often hear only static, mechanical sounds, or silence. Some callers seemed to know details about her personal life that had never been published or discussed publicly.

Indrid Cold, the Grinning Man

While the Mothman was the most famous supernatural entity reported in the Point Pleasant area during 1966 and 1967, it was not the only mysterious being that residents encountered. Another figure, equally strange but very different in nature, became known as Indrid Cold – a being who claimed to be from another world and who made direct contact with several local residents through what can only be described as the most bizarre diplomatic mission in recorded history.

The Indrid Cold phenomenon began on November 2, 1966, just ten days before the first official Mothman sighting. Woodrow Derenberger, a 54-year-old appliance salesman, was driving home from Marietta, Ohio, to his home in Mineral Wells, West Virginia, when he encountered something that would change his life forever. Derenberger was traveling along Interstate 77 in his panel truck when he noticed a strange object following him in his rearview mirror.

The object appeared to be some kind of aircraft, but unlike any plane or helicopter Derenberger had ever seen. It was dark, metallic, and completely silent as it moved through the air behind his vehicle. As Derenberger watched nervously, the craft moved alongside his truck and then positioned itself directly in front of him, forcing him to slow down and eventually stop on the highway.

What happened next defied all conventional understanding of how contact with unknown beings might occur. From the craft emerged a man who appeared completely normal in every respect except for his unsettling demeanor and unusual knowledge. The being was about six feet tall, with dark hair and pleasant, almost handsome features. He was dressed in ordinary clothing that would not have attracted attention in any American town of the 1960s.

The most disturbing aspect of the entity’s appearance was his smile – a wide, perpetual grin that never seemed to change regardless of the topic of conversation. This unchanging expression earned him the nickname “The Grinning Man” among researchers, though he would later identify himself by the name Indrid Cold. The smile was not merely unusual; witnesses described it as fundamentally wrong, as if the being was mimicking human facial expressions without understanding their meaning.

Indrid Cold approached Derenberger’s truck and began speaking, but not through normal verbal communication. Instead, Derenberger heard the being’s voice directly in his mind, a form of telepathic contact that was both clear and deeply unsettling. The entity spoke in perfect English with what Derenberger described as a pleasant, friendly tone, despite the bizarre circumstances of their meeting.

Cold introduced himself and explained that he came from a place called Lanulos, which he described as being much like Earth but located in what he termed “the galaxy of Ganymede.” His mission, he claimed, was to observe human behavior and make peaceful contact with selected individuals. He assured Derenberger that he meant no harm and was simply interested in learning about human culture and society.

During their conversation, which lasted approximately ten minutes, Cold demonstrated knowledge of Derenberger’s personal life that should have been impossible for a stranger to possess. He knew Derenberger’s name, his occupation, details about his family, and other private information that had never been shared publicly. This intimate knowledge was both reassuring and terrifying to Derenberger, suggesting that he had been under observation for some time.

Cold told Derenberger that he would return for future meetings and that their contact was part of a larger program of peaceful interaction between his people and selected humans. He emphasized that Derenberger should not be afraid and that these meetings would continue as long as Derenberger was willing to participate. The being then returned to his craft, which rose silently into the air and disappeared into the night sky.

Derenberger arrived home badly shaken by his experience. Unlike many people who have unusual encounters and choose to keep them private, Derenberger felt compelled to report what had happened. He contacted local authorities and eventually agreed to appear on radio and television programs to describe his meeting with Indrid Cold. This public disclosure would have profound consequences for his life and his family.

The story of Derenberger’s encounter with Indrid Cold spread rapidly throughout the region and eventually gained national attention. Many people were skeptical of his claims, but others came forward with their own reports of similar encounters. Several residents of the Point Pleasant area reported meeting a grinning man who matched Cold’s description and who demonstrated the same telepathic abilities and unsettling knowledge of private information.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the Indrid Cold phenomenon was the being’s apparent ability to appear anywhere at any time without the use of his craft. Witnesses reported encountering him walking along roads, standing in fields, or simply appearing in locations where no normal person should have been able to reach. Unlike the Mothman, which seemed to avoid direct human contact, Cold actively sought out interactions with local residents.

Cold’s conversations with various witnesses followed similar patterns. He would identify himself, explain his peaceful intentions, and demonstrate knowledge of the person’s private life. He often asked questions about human emotions, relationships, and social customs, as if he was conducting a systematic study of human behavior. His questions sometimes revealed a fundamental misunderstanding of basic human concepts, suggesting that despite his human appearance, he was genuinely alien in nature.

The being’s persistent grin became one of his most recognizable and disturbing characteristics. Witnesses consistently reported that Cold’s facial expression never changed, regardless of the topic of conversation or the emotional context of their interaction. Even when discussing serious or tragic subjects, the wide smile remained fixed in place, creating an deeply unsettling effect that left witnesses feeling manipulated and violated.

Derenberger continued to have regular contact with Indrid Cold for several years after their initial meeting. Cold would appear to him at various locations, sometimes in the presence of witnesses and sometimes when Derenberger was alone. These ongoing encounters provided a detailed picture of the being’s claimed background and his alleged reasons for visiting Earth.

According to Cold, his home world of Lanulos was populated by beings who had evolved beyond the need for physical conflict and who were dedicated to peaceful exploration and contact with other civilizations. He claimed that Earth was being studied as part of a larger survey of inhabited worlds, with different teams of observers assigned to different regions and cultures. The Point Pleasant area, he suggested, had been selected as a contact point because of its relatively isolated location and the receptive nature of some of its residents.

Cold also claimed that his people possessed advanced technology that allowed them to travel between worlds and to manipulate matter and energy in ways that would seem impossible to humans. However, he was always vague about the specific details of this technology, saying only that it was based on principles that humans had not yet discovered. His craft, when witnessed by observers, appeared to operate silently and could apparently become invisible at will.

The psychological impact of prolonged contact with Indrid Cold was severe for Derenberger and his family. While Cold claimed to be benevolent, his presence brought unwanted attention and scrutiny to their lives. Skeptics and believers alike sought out Derenberger for interviews, investigations, and confrontations. The family received threatening phone calls, experienced strange phenomena around their home, and found themselves at the center of a controversy they had never sought.

Derenberger’s wife and children reported their own encounters with Cold and other similar beings. These family members described feeling constantly watched and manipulated, as if they were subjects in an ongoing experiment. The stress of these experiences, combined with the public attention and ridicule, eventually contributed to the breakdown of Derenberger’s marriage and the dissolution of his normal life.

The Indrid Cold encounters provided a stark contrast to the Mothman sightings that were occurring in the same area during the same time period. While the Mothman appeared to be a creature of instinct and emotion, inspiring fear and awe in those who encountered it, Cold presented himself as a rational, intelligent being who sought communication and understanding. Yet many witnesses found their interactions with Cold to be more disturbing than brief encounters with the Mothman.

The being’s apparent humanity made his alien nature more unsettling than if he had appeared as an obviously non-human creature. His perfect mimicry of human appearance and behavior, combined with subtle wrongness in his expressions and responses, created what researchers call the “uncanny valley” effect – the deep discomfort humans feel when encountering something that appears almost, but not quite, human.

John Keel, who investigated both the Mothman and Indrid Cold phenomena, noted that the two types of encounters seemed to represent different aspects of the same underlying phenomenon. While the Mothman appeared to be a harbinger or warning system, Cold seemed to represent a more direct attempt at communication and contact. Keel theorized that both entities might originate from the same source – whether extraterrestrial, interdimensional, or something else entirely.

The timing of Cold’s appearances often coincided with periods of increased Mothman activity and other unusual phenomena in the Point Pleasant area. Witnesses reported that encounters with Cold were frequently followed by equipment malfunctions, strange phone calls, and visits from the mysterious Men in Black. This pattern suggested that Cold’s presence was part of the larger web of unusual activity that plagued the region during 1966 and 1967.

Unlike the Mothman, whose appearances ended abruptly after the Silver Bridge disaster, Indrid Cold continued to maintain contact with Derenberger and others for several years. However, the nature of these contacts gradually changed, becoming less frequent and more abstract. Cold claimed that his mission was nearing completion and that his people were preparing to move on to other areas of study.

The legacy of the Indrid Cold encounters extends beyond their immediate impact on the witnesses involved. The detailed nature of Derenberger’s accounts, combined with corroborating testimony from other witnesses, provided researchers with one of the most comprehensive records of alleged alien contact ever documented. Whether genuine or not, the Cold phenomenon offered insights into the psychology of contact experiences and the ways in which such encounters affect both individuals and communities.

The Men in Black

In January 1967, Mary Hyre was working late in her office at the county courthouse, trying to catch up on the backlog of stories generated by the ongoing Mothman sightings, when she had an encounter that would haunt her for years to come. The courthouse was largely empty at that hour, with most of the offices closed and the hallways dimly lit. Hyre was accustomed to working alone in the building and found the quiet atmosphere conducive to writing.

Around nine o’clock in the evening, a man walked through the door of her office without knocking or announcing himself. This was unusual, as most people who visited her office during regular hours would knock and wait for permission to enter. The man was very short, probably no more than five feet tall, and had an overall appearance that immediately made Hyre uncomfortable.

The stranger wore thick glasses that completely obscured his eyes, making it impossible to see his facial expression or determine where he was looking. His long black hair was cut in a perfect bowl shape that looked artificial, as if it might be a wig rather than natural hair. When he spoke, his voice was low and halting, with an odd cadence that suggested English might not be his native language, though she couldn’t identify any specific accent.

The man asked for directions to Welsh, West Virginia, a small town about an hour’s drive from Point Pleasant. This seemed like an innocent enough request, but something about the man’s manner and appearance filled Hyre with an inexplicable sense of dread. He seemed to have difficulty with basic speech patterns, pausing between words as if he had to think carefully about each one before speaking.

What made the encounter even more unsettling was the way the man moved closer and closer to Hyre as they talked. He would take small steps toward her desk while maintaining what she described as an unnaturally intense stare through his thick glasses. His eyes, what little she could see of them behind the lenses, seemed to be studying her with an almost predatory focus that made her skin crawl.

“He kept getting closer and closer to me,” Hyre later told investigators, “and his funny eyes were staring at me almost hypnotically.” The man’s behavior was clearly making her uncomfortable, but he seemed either unaware of or unconcerned by her obvious distress. There was something about his presence that felt fundamentally wrong, as if he didn’t belong in the normal world of human interaction.

Feeling increasingly threatened, Hyre summoned the newspaper’s circulation manager to her office for support. When the circulation manager arrived, he too seemed uneasy around the strange visitor, though he couldn’t explain exactly why. The three of them continued talking, with the mysterious man asking more questions about directions and local geography that seemed unnecessarily detailed for someone simply trying to reach Welsh.

During their conversation, Hyre’s telephone rang, and she answered it as she normally would. While she was talking on the phone, she noticed the strange man pick up a pen from her desk and examine it with apparent fascination. He held the pen close to his face, turning it over in his hands as if he had never seen such an object before. His intense interest in such a mundane item struck both Hyre and the circulation manager as extremely odd.

After studying the pen for several moments, the man suddenly laughed loudly – a sound that was harsh and artificial, unlike normal human laughter. Then, without warning or explanation, he grabbed the pen and ran out of the building with it. The entire encounter had lasted about fifteen minutes, but it felt much longer to Hyre, who found herself shaking after the man left.

Several weeks later, Hyre had another encounter with the same individual. She was crossing the street near her office during the day when she spotted him on the sidewalk. When he realized that she was watching him, his reaction was immediate and dramatic. He quickly turned away and began running toward a large black car that suddenly appeared around the corner. The timing of the car’s arrival seemed too convenient to be coincidental, as if the driver had been waiting for a signal.

The mysterious man climbed into the black car, which immediately drove away at high speed. Hyre got only a brief glimpse of the vehicle, but she noted that it appeared to be a large, expensive sedan with tinted windows that made it impossible to see inside. The car had no visible license plates, and its surface seemed to have an unusually deep, almost mirror-like shine that she had never seen on any normal vehicle.

This pattern of encounters with strange, threatening individuals became a recurring theme in the Point Pleasant area during the Mothman period. These visitors, who became known as “Men in Black” due to their typical attire, appeared to be conducting some sort of systematic investigation or surveillance of people who had reported unusual phenomena.

The Men in Black were consistently described as having several unusual characteristics that set them apart from normal people. They were often unusually short or tall, with pale skin that seemed almost artificial. Their clothing was typically expensive-looking but somehow wrong in its details – suits that were too new, ties that were knotted too perfectly, shoes that showed no signs of wear despite appearing to be leather.

Many of the Men in Black seemed to have difficulty with basic human interactions, as if they were following a script but didn’t fully understand the context. They would ask questions that seemed designed to elicit specific information about UFO sightings or encounters with unusual creatures, but they would phrase these questions in ways that normal investigators or reporters would not.

The Men in Black often displayed an unsettling knowledge of personal details about the people they visited. They would mention names, addresses, phone numbers, and other private information that should not have been available to strangers. This knowledge seemed designed to intimidate witnesses and discourage them from talking publicly about their experiences.

The Silver Bridge Disaster

By late 1967, the frequency of Mothman sightings had begun to decline significantly. The creature that had been seen regularly throughout the Point Pleasant area for over a year seemed to be withdrawing from public view. Many residents hoped that whatever had been happening was finally coming to an end, and life in the small town might return to normal. However, the story of Point Pleasant was far from over, and the most tragic chapter was yet to be written.

December 15, 1967, was a Friday evening during the Christmas shopping season. The Silver Bridge, which connected Point Pleasant, West Virginia, to Gallipolis, Ohio, was filled with rush-hour traffic as workers headed home for the weekend and holiday shoppers traveled between the two towns. The bridge was a vital transportation link for the region, carrying thousands of vehicles each day across the Ohio River.

The Silver Bridge was a suspension bridge that had been constructed in 1928 and was named for its distinctive silver-colored paint. At 700 feet long, it was an impressive engineering structure for its time, designed to accommodate the traffic needs of the growing Ohio Valley region. The bridge had been considered a marvel of modern engineering when it was built, connecting communities that had previously been separated by the river.

At approximately 5:00 PM, during the height of the evening rush hour, the unthinkable happened. Without warning, the Silver Bridge suddenly collapsed, sending dozens of vehicles and their occupants plunging into the dark, icy waters of the Ohio River below. The collapse occurred so quickly that drivers had no time to react or escape. One moment, they were traveling across what they believed to be a safe and reliable bridge; the next, they were falling through the air toward the river.

Witnesses on both sides of the river described hearing a loud cracking sound followed by what seemed like an explosion as the bridge structure gave way. The main span of the bridge, along with the approaches on both sides, crumpled and fell into the river in a matter of seconds. Cars, trucks, and their occupants were crushed under the weight of the falling steel and concrete or trapped beneath the water when they hit the surface.

The frigid December water made rescue efforts extremely difficult and dangerous. The Ohio River was near its winter low point, but it was still deep enough and cold enough to be deadly to anyone who survived the initial impact. Local emergency responders, including police, firefighters, and paramedics from both West Virginia and Ohio, responded immediately to the disaster, but their efforts were hampered by the darkness, cold, and the massive amount of debris in the water.

Rescue boats were launched from both sides of the river, and divers were brought in to search for survivors trapped in submerged vehicles. The rescue operation continued through the night and into the following days, but the hope of finding additional survivors diminished rapidly. The combination of the impact, the freezing water, and the debris field made survival extremely unlikely for most of the people who had been on the bridge when it collapsed.

The final death toll from the Silver Bridge collapse was 46 people, making it one of the deadliest bridge disasters in American history. Two bodies were never recovered from the river, presumably swept away by the current or trapped under debris. The other 44 victims were eventually found and were buried together in a special section of a cemetery in Gallipolis, Ohio, creating a permanent memorial to the tragedy.

The disaster sent shockwaves through both communities and the entire region. Point Pleasant and Gallipolis were small towns where everyone knew everyone else, and virtually every family in both communities was affected either directly or indirectly by the tragedy. The bridge had been such a integral part of daily life that its sudden destruction felt almost surreal, as if a fundamental piece of reality had been torn away.

Investigation into the cause of the bridge collapse began immediately, with federal transportation officials, engineers, and safety experts descending on Point Pleasant to examine the wreckage and determine what had gone wrong. The investigation would eventually reveal that the collapse was caused by the failure of a single eyebar in the suspension chain, a critical component that had developed a crack over time and finally gave way under the stress of normal traffic loads.

The technical explanation for the disaster was straightforward: a manufacturing flaw in one of the eyebars had created a weak point that gradually worsened over the decades until it could no longer support the weight of the bridge and its traffic. However, for many residents of Point Pleasant, the timing of the collapse seemed too coincidental to ignore. The bridge had failed just as the Mothman sightings were ending, creating an eerie connection between the mysterious creature and the tragic event.

On that same tragic night, the James Lilly family, who still lived near the TNT plant despite their previous strange experiences, witnessed something that deepened the mystery surrounding the disaster. From their home, they counted more than 12 eerie lights flashing above their property before disappearing into the forest. The lights appeared shortly after news of the bridge collapse began to spread, as if something was reacting to or perhaps departing because of the tragedy.

The lights were unlike anything the family had seen before, even during the height of the Mothman period. They moved in complex patterns, sometimes appearing to communicate with each other through synchronized flashing. The family watched the display for over an hour before the lights finally vanished, leaving them to wonder if they had witnessed the departure of whatever forces had been active in the area for the past year.

During Christmas week, as the community was still reeling from the bridge disaster and trying to cope with the loss of so many friends and neighbors, Mary Hyre had another encounter with a mysterious stranger. This visitor was different from the strange man who had taken her pen months earlier, but he shared many of the same unsettling characteristics that had marked him as unusual.

The new visitor was short and dark-skinned, dressed in an expensive black suit with a black tie that looked as if it had never been worn before. His appearance suggested that he might be of Asian or Middle Eastern descent, with high cheekbones, narrow eyes, and features that seemed somehow artificial or mask-like. When he spoke, it was with an unidentified accent that Hyre couldn’t place, though she had heard many different regional accents in her years as a journalist.

What made this encounter particularly strange was the man’s apparent lack of interest in the bridge disaster that was dominating every conversation in Point Pleasant. Instead of asking about the tragedy that had just claimed 46 lives, he wanted to know about local UFO sightings and other unusual phenomena. His questions were specific and detailed, suggesting that he had extensive knowledge of the reports that had been made over the past year.

Hyre was too busy covering the bridge disaster to spend much time with the mysterious visitor. The tragedy had generated an enormous amount of work for the small newspaper, and reporters from around the country were calling constantly for information and interviews. She tried to give the man a file of press clippings about the UFO sightings and other phenomena, thinking this would satisfy his curiosity and allow her to return to her work.

However, the man was not interested in the written reports. He insisted on speaking with Hyre personally, asking questions about specific witnesses and particular incidents that had been reported over the past year. His knowledge of details that had not been published in any newspaper suggested that he had access to information from other sources, possibly including direct contact with witnesses.

When Hyre finally dismissed him from her office, explaining that she was too busy to continue the conversation, the man left without argument. However, his visit was not the end of his activities in Point Pleasant. That same night, several witnesses who had reported UFO sightings or other unusual phenomena received visits from an identically described man who asked similar questions about their experiences.

These visits made all of the witnesses extremely uncomfortable. The mysterious visitor would appear at their homes without invitation, often seeming to know personal details about their lives and families. He claimed to be a reporter from Cambridge, Ohio, but his questions and behavior were unlike those of any legitimate journalist. Most tellingly, he inadvertently revealed that he didn’t know where Columbus, Ohio was located, even though Cambridge and Columbus are only a few miles apart and any real reporter from the area would certainly know the location of the state capital.

The pattern of visits by the Men in Black continued for several weeks after the bridge disaster, but then stopped as abruptly as it had begun. The mysterious visitors disappeared from the Point Pleasant area, just as the Mothman sightings had ended and the strange phenomena had ceased. For many residents, this timing suggested that all of these unusual events had been connected in some way, part of a larger pattern that had reached its conclusion with the tragedy of the Silver Bridge.

Theories and Explanations

In the aftermath of the Mothman sightings and the Silver Bridge disaster, researchers, scientists, and investigators proposed numerous theories to explain what had occurred in Point Pleasant. These explanations ranged from completely conventional to wildly speculative, reflecting the difficulty of finding rational explanations for the unusual events that had been reported.

The most commonly suggested conventional explanation was that the Mothman sightings were cases of mistaken identity involving known animals, particularly large birds that had been misperceived under poor lighting conditions. Sandhill cranes were frequently mentioned as possible candidates, since these birds can stand up to five feet tall and have impressive wingspans that can reach seven feet. Cranes are not native to the Point Pleasant area, but they could theoretically have migrated south from their normal range in Canada.

However, this explanation was firmly rejected by most of the witnesses who had actually seen the creature. Roger Scarberry, who had one of the closest and longest encounters with the Mothman, stated emphatically that what he saw looked nothing like any crane or other bird he had ever encountered. The creature’s human-like proportions, its method of flight, and particularly its glowing red eyes were unlike anything found in the natural world, according to the witnesses.

Some skeptics suggested that the witnesses might have seen large owls flying along country roads at night, with their eyes reflecting the headlights of passing cars to create the illusion of glowing red orbs. Great horned owls, which are found in the Point Pleasant area, can have impressive wingspans and might appear much larger than they actually are when seen in poor lighting conditions. The owls’ ability to fly silently could also account for the eerie quality of the Mothman’s flight.

Even John Keel, who became convinced that the Mothman was a genuine unknown entity, acknowledged that some of the reported sightings might have involved people who were influenced by the publicity surrounding the initial encounters and misidentified normal animals as the mysterious creature. In the atmosphere of heightened awareness and fear that developed in Point Pleasant, it was certainly possible that some witnesses might have interpreted ordinary sights and sounds as evidence of the Mothman’s presence.

However, Keel argued that the core sightings – particularly those involving multiple witnesses who had extended observations of the creature – could not be explained away as misidentification. The consistency of the descriptions, the behavior of the creature as reported by witnesses, and the associated phenomena such as electrical interference suggested that something genuinely unusual had been occurring in the area.

Weather-related explanations were also proposed for some of the unusual phenomena. Temperature inversions in the Ohio River valley could theoretically create optical illusions that might account for some of the strange lights reported in the sky. Atmospheric conditions can sometimes cause distant lights to appear much closer than they actually are, or to seem to move in impossible patterns due to refraction effects.

However, meteorologists who studied the weather conditions during the Mothman period found no unusual atmospheric phenomena that could account for the range and consistency of the reported sightings. The lights and other aerial phenomena were reported under a variety of weather conditions, including clear skies with good visibility, which would not be conducive to atmospheric illusions.

Psychological explanations focused on the possibility that the sightings were the result of mass hysteria or suggestion, particularly after the initial reports received widespread publicity. In small, close-knit communities like Point Pleasant, unusual events can sometimes trigger a cascade of related reports as people become sensitized to unusual sights and sounds that they might normally ignore.

The role of the media in amplifying and possibly distorting the Mothman story was also considered. Once the initial reports were publicized and the creature was given the catchy name “Mothman,” there was certainly an incentive for attention-seekers to report their own sightings, whether real or imagined. The media attention brought reporters, investigators, and curiosity-seekers to Point Pleasant, creating an atmosphere where unusual reports were actively solicited and encouraged.

However, the psychological explanation faced significant challenges when applied to the Point Pleasant case. Many of the most credible sightings occurred before the story received widespread publicity, eliminating the possibility that media coverage had influenced the witnesses. Additionally, many of the witnesses were people with strong reputations in the community who had no apparent motive for fabricating stories or seeking attention.

More exotic explanations proposed that the Mothman might be a previously unknown species of animal, possibly a surviving prehistoric creature or an evolutionary offshoot that had remained hidden in the remote areas of West Virginia. The Appalachian Mountains contain many isolated valleys and unexplored regions where a small population of unusual animals might theoretically survive without detection.

This cryptozoological explanation gained some support from the fact that new species of animals are still being discovered regularly, particularly in remote or inaccessible areas. However, the Mothman’s reported characteristics – particularly its size, intelligence, and unusual flight capabilities – made it difficult to fit into any known biological category. No known animal combines the size and strength attributed to the Mothman with the ability to fly, especially with the creature’s reported capability for vertical takeoff and sustained high-speed flight.

Extraterrestrial explanations were also proposed, suggesting that the Mothman might be an alien visitor or perhaps a biological creation of alien intelligence. This theory gained support from the UFO sightings that occurred in the Point Pleasant area during the same period, as well as the reports of strange lights and electromagnetic interference that are often associated with UFO encounters.

Proponents of the extraterrestrial theory pointed to the advanced flight capabilities attributed to the Mothman, its apparent intelligence and awareness of human activities, and its sudden appearance and disappearance as evidence that it was not a natural Earth creature. The timing of its departure, coinciding with the Silver Bridge disaster, was interpreted by some as evidence that the creature or its creators had some foreknowledge of the tragedy.

However, the extraterrestrial explanation also faced significant challenges. If the Mothman was an alien visitor, its behavior seemed oddly passive and observational rather than purposeful. The creature never attempted to communicate directly with humans or demonstrate any advanced technology beyond its own physical capabilities. Its apparent interest in observing humans seemed inconsistent with the goals that most people would expect from an advanced alien intelligence.

Interdimensional theories proposed that the Mothman and the associated phenomena might originate from parallel dimensions or alternate realities that occasionally intersect with our own. This explanation attempted to account for the creature’s ability to appear and disappear without trace, as well as the wide range of unusual phenomena that accompanied its presence.

John Keel became a proponent of this type of explanation, suggesting that Point Pleasant might be what he called a “window area” – a location where the barriers between different dimensions or realities were temporarily weakened. According to this theory, the Mothman and other unusual entities could cross into our reality for brief periods before returning to their own dimensional realm.

The interdimensional theory offered explanations for many of the puzzling aspects of the Point Pleasant events. The electrical interference could be explained as a side effect of dimensional boundaries being crossed. The Men in Black could be interdimensional beings attempting to monitor and control human awareness of the incursions. The variety of phenomena – from the Mothman to UFO sightings to poltergeist activity – could all be different manifestations of the same underlying dimensional instability.

Worldwide Sightings

The Mothman phenomenon was not confined to Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Reports of creatures matching the Mothman’s description have occurred around the world over many decades, often in association with disasters or tragic events. These global sightings suggest that whatever the Mothman represents, it is not a localized phenomenon but rather part of a worldwide pattern that researchers are still trying to understand.

One of the most significant international Mothman encounters occurred on September 10, 1978, in Freiburg, Germany. A group of miners was arriving for their shift at a coal mine when they encountered a creature that closely matched the Point Pleasant descriptions. The miners were walking toward the mine entrance in the early morning darkness when they saw what they initially thought was a man in a long coat standing in their path.

As they approached, however, they realized that what they had taken for a coat was actually a pair of massive black wings folded around the creature’s body. The being appeared to be headless, with glowing red eyes positioned where its chest should be. The miners stopped in their tracks, uncertain how to proceed, and the creature remained motionless for several minutes, as if studying them.

Suddenly, the creature let out a blood-curdling screech that sent the miners scrambling backward in terror. The sound was unlike anything they had ever heard – a combination of animal cry and something almost electronic that seemed to penetrate their entire bodies. Some of the miners described feeling physically sick from the sound, while others reported temporary hearing loss and disorientation.

The creature remained at the mine entrance for several more minutes after the miners had retreated, then slowly unfolded its wings and took flight. The miners watched as it circled the mine area several times before disappearing into the distance. Shaken by their experience, they reported the incident to their supervisors and local authorities, though they were initially met with skepticism and ridicule.

About an hour later, the miners felt a seismic rumble and witnessed a plume of dust shoot from the mine entrance as a section of the tunnel system collapsed. Mine safety officials later determined that if the miners had entered the mine as scheduled, most of them would have been in the section that collapsed and would likely have been killed. The creature that had blocked their path had, whether intentionally or not, saved their lives.

This incident earned the creature the local nickname “The Freiburg Shrieker” and established a pattern that would be repeated in Mothman sightings around the world – the creature’s appearance seemed to coincide with impending disasters, leading some researchers to speculate that it might serve as some kind of harbinger or warning system.

In the 1980s, workers at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine began reporting sightings of a large, black, bird-like creature with a human body flying around the facility. The sightings began in 1985, more than a year before the nuclear accident that would make Chernobyl infamous worldwide. The creature was described in terms very similar to the Point Pleasant Mothman – massive black wings, glowing red eyes, and an unsettling human-like appearance.

Those who witnessed what became known as the “Black Bird of Chernobyl” also reported a series of disturbing secondary phenomena. Many experienced strange, harassing phone calls with electronic sounds or voices speaking in unknown languages. Workers reported having vivid nightmares featuring the creature, often accompanied by visions of destruction and death that seemed prophetic in hindsight.

On April 26, 1986, the day of the Chernobyl accident, several people reported seeing the huge black bird flying through the smoke and flames after the reactor explosion. Witnesses in the nearby town of Pripyat, which was later evacuated due to radiation exposure, also claimed to have seen the creature in the days leading up to the disaster. The consistency of these reports from different locations and different groups of people suggested that the sightings were not simply the result of suggestion or mass hysteria.

The Mothman was allegedly present during one of the most tragic events in modern American history. During the days leading up to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, several witnesses reported sightings of a black-winged creature flying near the Twin Towers in New York City. These reports were initially dismissed as urban legends or hoaxes, but the number and consistency of the accounts suggest that something unusual may have been observed.

During the actual attacks, as the second plane struck the South Tower, some eyewitnesses reported seeing a creature flying parallel to the aircraft. Video footage of the event has been analyzed by researchers, though the quality and distance of the images make definitive identification impossible. In the days following the attacks, those who reported seeing the creature were allegedly approached by mysterious individuals who warned them to stop talking about their experiences.

The I-35 West Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, provides another example of the apparent connection between Mothman sightings and structural disasters. The bridge had been opened for traffic in 1967, the same year as the Silver Bridge collapse in Point Pleasant. Beginning in June 2007, witnesses began reporting sightings of a large, winged humanoid creature in the Minneapolis area, particularly around the I-35 West Bridge.

On June 27, 2007, an Illinois woman driving near Stewardville, Minnesota, reported seeing a massive winged creature with human characteristics. She called the popular radio show “Coast to Coast AM” to report her sighting, describing the creature as having wings “about the width of a Ford” automobile. Other callers to the show reported similar sightings in the Minneapolis area throughout July 2007.

On August 1, 2007, exactly one month and five days after the first reported sighting, the I-35 West Bridge collapsed during evening rush hour. The disaster killed 13 people and injured 145 others, making it one of the deadliest bridge failures in modern American history. The timing of the collapse, coming so soon after the Mothman sightings began, seemed to reinforce the pattern that had been established in Point Pleasant forty years earlier.

A more recent incident occurred in 2006 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, involving Awa Holly, a Cherokee man, and his son. They were driving down an isolated stretch of road at night when they encountered a creature that matched classic Mothman descriptions. The creature flew alongside their vehicle and then directly in front of their windshield, close enough that they could see details of its appearance.

Holly described the creature as bat-like and fleshy, with sparse hair covering its body and red eyes the size of road reflectors. What made this encounter particularly significant was the creature’s vocalization – it produced a high-pitched screech that caused both men to feel physically ill. Holly’s son was so affected by the sound that he had to pull over and vomit on the side of the road.

The physical effects of the Mothman’s screech have been reported consistently across different encounters and different locations. Witnesses frequently describe feelings of nausea, dizziness, disorientation, and overwhelming dread when they hear the creature’s vocalizations. These symptoms suggest that the sound may operate on frequencies or in ways that directly affect human physiology and psychology.

International sightings have continued into the modern era. In 2009, residents of La Junta, Mexico, began reporting encounters with a large, hairy, red-eyed creature that many believed was the legendary Mothman. The sightings occurred during the period leading up to the 2009 swine flu outbreak that began in Mexico and eventually spread worldwide.

Two witnesses, Angela Mendez and Viviana Ledizma, reported hearing the creature’s distinctive screeches emanating from an apple orchard near Manyaka Cemetery. A student who requested anonymity claimed that the creature chased him for fifteen minutes on the night of March 6, 2009. Despite efforts by local authorities to investigate and possibly capture the entity, no physical evidence was ever found.

In January 1926, a region in southeastern China was plagued with sightings of a figure that resembled the Mothman. Local residents dubbed it the “Man-Dragon” and reported seeing the shadowy, ominous figure hovering above the Xiao Te Dam. The sightings were followed by a catastrophic dam failure that released 40 billion gallons of water, destroying surrounding farming villages and killing approximately 15,000 people.

These worldwide sightings suggest that the Mothman phenomenon is not unique to American culture or geography. The consistency of the descriptions across different countries, cultures, and time periods indicates that whatever is being observed, it represents something more than local folklore or cultural mythology. The repeated association with disasters and tragedies has led some researchers to propose that the creatures serve as harbingers of doom, appearing to warn of impending catastrophes or perhaps drawn to locations where tragedy is about to unfold.

Modern Point Pleasant

Today, Point Pleasant has embraced its unique place in the annals of paranormal history while working to balance its Mothman legacy with its identity as a normal American small town. The community has found ways to honor the unusual events of 1966-1967 while continuing to serve the needs of its residents and maintain its role as a regional center for commerce and government.

The town’s population has remained relatively stable at around 4,350 people according to the 2010 census, though this number fluctuates somewhat due to economic factors affecting the broader Ohio Valley region. Point Pleasant continues to serve as the county seat of Mason County and maintains its historic role as a transportation hub, though the loss of the Silver Bridge required significant adjustments to regional traffic patterns.

In 2003, the town commissioned artist and sculptor Bob Roach to create a permanent monument to the Mothman phenomenon. The resulting 12-foot stainless steel statue depicts the creature with outstretched wings and muscular human-like torso, positioned in a small park in the downtown area. The statue has become a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from around the world who want to see a representation of the legendary creature.

The Mothman statue serves multiple purposes for the community. It provides a focal point for tourism related to the paranormal events, helping to support local businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and gift shops. At the same time, it represents the town’s decision to acknowledge and preserve its unusual history rather than attempting to deny or minimize the events that made Point Pleasant famous.

Adjacent to the statue, the town has established the Mothman Museum, which houses artifacts, photographs, newspaper clippings, and other materials related to the 1966-1967 sightings. The museum provides visitors with detailed information about the eyewitness accounts, the investigation conducted by John Keel and others, and the broader context of the events. It also houses materials related to the Silver Bridge disaster, helping visitors understand the full scope of the tragic events that affected the community.

The annual Mothman Festival, held each September, has become a significant event for the town and the region. The festival features speakers, vendors, tours of significant locations related to the Mothman sightings, and various forms of entertainment related to paranormal themes. The event typically draws thousands of visitors to Point Pleasant, providing an important economic boost to local businesses.

However, the Mothman phenomenon has not ended with the establishment of tourist attractions and festivals. Sightings of winged humanoid creatures have continued to be reported in various locations, including the Point Pleasant area itself. While these modern reports are less frequent and receive less attention than the original 1966-1967 wave, they suggest that whatever was responsible for the initial sightings may still be active.

As recently as 2017, the Chicago Reader published an article documenting a significant increase in flying humanoid sightings over Chicago, Illinois. The article reported 29 separate encounters with winged creatures that closely matched Mothman descriptions. Witnesses reported seeing these beings near various Chicago landmarks, including leaping off the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and flying around the Adler Planetarium.

The Chicago sightings have reignited interest in the Mothman phenomenon and raised questions about whether the creature has expanded its range or whether multiple entities of the same type exist in different locations. Some researchers have suggested that major urban areas might be particularly attractive to whatever intelligence or force is responsible for the Mothman appearances.

The geographic expansion of reported sightings has led to speculation about the creature’s nature and purposes. If the Mothman is a single entity, its apparent ability to travel great distances and appear in widely separated locations suggests capabilities that go beyond those of any known biological creature. If multiple entities exist, this raises questions about their origins, their relationship to each other, and their apparent interest in human activities and population centers.

Modern technology has had mixed effects on Mothman research and investigation. While digital cameras and video recording devices are now ubiquitous, providing the potential for better documentation of unusual phenomena, the ease of digital manipulation has also made it more difficult to evaluate the authenticity of photographic and video evidence. Social media and internet communication have made it easier for witnesses to report sightings and for researchers to collect and analyze reports, but they have also facilitated the spread of hoaxes and misinformation.

The internet has also allowed for more sophisticated analysis of historical reports and the discovery of previously unknown accounts of similar creatures from earlier time periods. Researchers have been able to identify patterns and connections that might not have been apparent when information was limited to local sources and traditional media coverage.

Climate change and environmental degradation have introduced new variables into the discussion of unusual animal sightings. Some researchers have suggested that environmental pressures might be forcing unknown species out of their traditional habitats, leading to increased encounters with humans. While this explanation might account for some unusual animal sightings, it does not address the specific characteristics attributed to the Mothman that seem to go beyond conventional biology.

The Point Pleasant area has undergone significant environmental changes since the 1960s. The abandoned TNT plant that served as the apparent focal point for Mothman activity has been partially cleaned up and converted into a wildlife management area. While the concrete bunkers and some of the tunnel systems remain, much of the area has been restored to a more natural state. Whether these environmental changes have affected the potential for unusual phenomena in the area remains an open question.

Earlier Encounters

While the Point Pleasant sightings of 1966-1967 brought the Mothman to international attention, research has revealed that similar creatures had been reported in various locations around the world for many decades before the West Virginia encounters. These earlier sightings suggest that the Mothman phenomenon has a much longer history than was initially realized and may represent something that has been interacting with human civilization for centuries.

One of the most significant pre-Point Pleasant encounters occurred in Sandling Park, Hythe, Kent, England, on November 16, 1963. This incident was investigated by Neil Arnold, a respected cryptozoologist and author who has written extensively about mystery animals in the British Isles. Arnold’s research into this case has revealed details that closely parallel the later Point Pleasant encounters, suggesting a possible connection between the events.

The witnesses in the Hythe case were four teenage friends returning from a local Friday night dance. John Flaxton, aged 17, was accompanied by 18-year-old Mervyn Hutchinson and two other friends whose names were not recorded in the initial reports. They were walking along a lane that ran beside Sandling Park when they first noticed a bright object moving overhead.

Initially, the teenagers thought they were observing nothing more unusual than a bright star or planet. However, their assessment changed quickly as they watched the object hover and then drop out of sight behind a group of trees. The behavior was unlike that of any celestial body or conventional aircraft, moving with apparent intelligence and purpose.

When the object reappeared, it hovered approximately 10 feet from the ground at a distance of about 200 feet from the witnesses. The teenagers described it as “a bright and gold oval” that seemed to respond to their movements. “When we moved, it moved,” one of the boys reported. “When we stopped, it stopped.” This interactive behavior suggested that whatever they were observing was aware of their presence and was deliberately monitoring their actions.

The situation became much more frightening when the witnesses heard the snapping of twigs from a nearby thicket. From the wooded area, a creature emerged that matched many of the characteristics later attributed to the Point Pleasant Mothman. Mervyn Hutchinson described it as being the size of a human but apparently headless. Most distinctively, it had wings on its back that resembled those of a bat.

The teenagers fled immediately, not wanting to remain in the area to observe the creature more closely. Their terror was genuine and lasting – John Flaxton later recalled, “I felt cold all over,” a reaction that paralleled the deep fear reported by many Point Pleasant witnesses. The psychological impact of the encounter stayed with the witnesses for years, just as it would with their American counterparts three years later.

The Hythe incident did not end with the initial sighting. Five nights later, Keith Croucher witnessed an unusual object floating across a nearby football field. Two days after that, John McGoldrick and a friend investigated the location and discovered unusual impressions in the ground that suggested something large and heavy had landed there.

Neil Arnold noted that local UFO experts initially dismissed the case as a misinterpretation of natural phenomena, but the physical evidence and the consistency of the witness accounts suggested that something genuinely unusual had occurred. Newspaper reporters who visited the site on December 11 found that the woods were illuminated by an eerie, unexplained glowing light, though no one was willing to investigate the phenomenon more closely.

Research by investigator Alison Jornlund has uncovered additional details about the Hythe case that were not widely known at the time. A newspaper clipping from the Sydney Morning Herald, dated December 1, 1963, provided information that had not appeared in local British coverage of the incident. The article revealed that a local rector was investigating reports of a black magic circle that residents blamed for the supernatural terror in the area.

The Reverend E. Stanton of Saltwood was quoted as saying that several young people in the village had come to him reporting ghost sightings. He suspected that a group practicing black magic was operating somewhere in the vicinity and was “determined to get to the bottom of this business because it’s disrupting village life.” This connection between the creature sightings and allegations of occult activity added another layer of mystery to the case.

The newspaper also mentioned that the creature was believed by some to be the ghost of William Turney Turney, an eccentric landowner who had died in 1903 and been buried with his dog and horse on an island in a local lake. This folkloric explanation reflected a local tradition of interpreting unusual phenomena in terms of spirits returning from the dead, a perspective that would later be echoed in some explanations for the Point Pleasant events.

Elliot O’Donnell, a prominent early 20th-century researcher of supernatural phenomena, documented several cases of ghostly birds that shared characteristics with later Mothman reports. In his extensive writings on paranormal subjects, O’Donnell described encounters with large, black birds that appeared in haunted locations and seemed to possess intelligence beyond that of normal animals.

One of O’Donnell’s most detailed accounts involved Captain Morgan, who encountered a huge black bird with fiery red eyes while staying in a London hotel in 1841. The creature appeared in Morgan’s room, perched on the rail of his four-poster bed, and attempted to attack him. After a struggle, the creature simply crumbled into nothingness, leading O’Donnell to conclude that it was some form of supernatural entity rather than a physical animal.

O’Donnell theorized that such creatures might be “the earthbound spirit of the criminal or viciously inclined person who had once lived there.” This interpretation suggested that human spirits could return to the physical world in the form of monstrous animals, an idea that would later be applied by some researchers to the Mothman phenomenon.

Similar creatures had been reported in various parts of the world throughout recorded history. In Norse mythology, giant wolves were said to chase the sun and moon across the sky, occasionally catching their prey and causing eclipses. While these mythological accounts were clearly allegorical, they suggested that the concept of large, winged creatures associated with omens and disasters was deeply embedded in human cultural memory.

Chinese folklore included accounts of dragons that would attempt to devour celestial bodies, and Vietnamese stories told of giant frogs that ate the moon during eclipses. Korean mythology featured fire dogs that constantly tried to steal the sun or moon, causing eclipses when they took a bite. These cultural traditions suggested that the association between winged or unusual creatures and cosmic or terrestrial disasters was a widespread human archetype.

More recent historical accounts have documented creature sightings that closely parallel modern Mothman reports. During World War II, Allied pilots flying missions over Germany reported encounters with large, dark objects that followed their aircraft and seemed to observe their activities. These “foo fighters” were never satisfactorily explained, though they were generally assumed to be some form of experimental German aircraft.

Some of the foo fighter reports, however, described entities that seemed more biological than mechanical. Pilots reported seeing large, winged shapes that moved in ways that seemed impossible for any known aircraft. These creatures appeared to be observing the aircraft rather than attempting to attack them, a behavior pattern that would later be noted in Mothman encounters.

The Flyaway

The mystery of what stalked the hills and abandoned bunkers around Point Pleasant during those thirteen months remains unsolved. Whether the red-eyed creature was a misidentified animal, an unknown species, a visitor from another dimension, or something else entirely, the Mothman phenomenon affected everyone who claimed to encounter it. The timing of the creature’s disappearance with the collapse of the Silver Bridge continues to generate debate about whether the sightings were connected to the tragedy or represented an unrelated series of events. In Point Pleasant, witnesses maintain their accounts despite decades of skepticism, and reports of similar creatures continue to emerge from locations around the world. The statue that now stands in the town center represents the community’s decision to acknowledge events that defied conventional explanation, while the questions raised by those thirteen months in 1966 and 1967 remain unanswered.

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SOURCES:
http://www.destinationamerica.com/thehauntist/the-story-of-the-point-pleasant-mothman/
https://www.prairieghosts.com/moth.html
https://www.prairieghosts.com/cornstalk.html
https://www.ranker.com/list/true-mothman-stories/lyra-radford
https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2013/07/did-mothman-visit-the-uk-in-1963/
https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/06/an-update-on-a-sinister-winged-monster/

NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is not an AI voice. (AI Policy)

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