The Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp
Changing a flat tyre near a swamp at 2 am, a teenager said a tall, green, scaly figure came running at his car.
What was reported
Late on 29 June 1988, 17-year-old Christopher Davis was changing a flat tyre near Scape Ore Swamp outside Bishopville when, he said, a figure about two metres tall, with green scaly skin, three-fingered hands and red eyes, ran towards him. He jumped in the car and drove off, and said it grabbed at the roof.
Over the next weeks, other residents reported sightings and scratches on cars. The local sheriff took the reports seriously, and the 'Lizard Man' became a national news story and a local tourist attraction.
Explanations offered
Investigators found no physical evidence of an unknown animal. Suggestions include a bear, a person in a costume, and a story that grew with attention. Davis passed a lie-detector test and stood by his account.
- When
- Summer 1988
- Where
- Bishopville, South Carolina, USA
- Witnesses
- A teenager and other residents
- 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.