The Flatwoods Monster
A group of boys saw a bright light land on a hill, climbed up to look, and met a tall figure with glowing eyes.
What was reported
On the evening of 12 September 1952, a group of boys in Flatwoods saw a bright object cross the sky and seem to land on a farm hill. They went up the hill with Kathleen May, the mother of two of them, and a young National Guardsman, Eugene Lemon.
At the top, they said, they saw a pulsing red light and a tall figure, about 3 metres high, with a glowing face, a spade-shaped hood and a hissing sound, surrounded by a choking mist. They ran. Several of the group said they felt ill afterwards.
Explanations offered
Investigator Joe Nickell argued that the bright object was a meteor seen across several states that night, the pulsing red light was an aircraft beacon, and the figure was a barn owl perched on a branch, its face lit by a torch. Some witnesses' families still reject that explanation.
- When
- 12 September 1952
- Where
- Flatwoods, Braxton County, West Virginia, USA
- Witnesses
- A group of local boys, a mother and a National Guardsman
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.