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Category: Paranormal Reader Stories

  • The Beast of Bray Road — Elkhorn, WI (1980s–90s)

    Cryptid Historical case When: Reports from the 1980s and 1990s (an earlier 1936 report is also cited)  ·  Where: Elkhorn, Walworth County, Wisconsin

    Status: Explained (probably) — skeptics suggest gray wolves, large dogs or a bear with mange, plus hoaxes and hysteria.

    About the pin: Pinned in Elkhorn; reports are spread across the county.

    The Beast of Bray Road is a wolf-like creature reported in and near Elkhorn, Walworth County, Wisconsin. Witnesses describe it as six to seven feet tall, covered in hair, with a wolf-like head and glowing eyes, and say it moved both on four legs and upright.

    Reports in the 1980s and 1990s led a local paper, the Walworth County Week, to assign reporter Linda Godfrey to the story. She was skeptical at first but came to believe many witnesses were sincere, and she wrote a series of articles that became a book. Witnesses have claimed the creature scratched cars, chased people on foot and ate animals killed on the road.

    Skeptics say it is most likely a misidentified gray wolf or a big dog. Others suggest a black bear with mange, or a mix of hoaxes and hysteria. The legend is now part of Wisconsin folklore, with books, documentaries and a 2005 horror film.

    Sources: Wikipedia: Beast of Bray Road

    Historical case. This is a summary written by the Department from the published sources listed above, in our own words. It is a historical case added to the map for context, not a reader submission. Reports are claims or findings as described in those sources; they are not proof of anything, and where an official or widely accepted explanation exists we say so. For entertainment and curiosity only. Spotted a mistake, or know more? Add a verification note below, or email paranormaldepartment1@gmail.com.

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  • The Sallie House — Atchison, KS (1990s)

    Ghost / Haunting Historical case When: Mid-1800s house; best-known reports from the 1990s  ·  Where: Atchison, Kansas

    Status: Unverified — there is no physical evidence that a girl named Sallie ever lived or died there, and one version says the story was a publicity stunt.

    About the pin: Pinned in the middle of Atchison, not at the house.

    The Sallie House in Atchison, Kansas dates from the mid-1800s and was built for the Finney family. According to the legend, a child named Sallie was brought to Dr. Charles Finney with severe stomach pain, and he began emergency surgery before the anaesthetic took effect. She is said to have died in the house.

    There is no physical evidence that a girl named Sallie lived or died there, and it has been said that the story was made up to attract visitors to the town. Former tenants have still reported strange activity, and men in particular have said they were scratched, which led to the nickname “man-hating ghost.”

    The house has been featured on several television shows, listed for sale in 2016 and 2017, and is a private property. Please do not trespass.

    Sources: Wikipedia: Sallie House

    Historical case. This is a summary written by the Department from the published sources listed above, in our own words. It is a historical case added to the map for context, not a reader submission. Reports are claims or findings as described in those sources; they are not proof of anything, and where an official or widely accepted explanation exists we say so. For entertainment and curiosity only. Spotted a mistake, or know more? Add a verification note below, or email paranormaldepartment1@gmail.com.

    📍 See this case on the map. Were you there, or can you explain it? Add a verification note below — notes are read by a person before they appear.

  • The Chupacabra — Puerto Rico (1995)

    Cryptid Historical case When: March–August 1995 (first widely publicised reports)  ·  Where: Puerto Rico

    Status: Explained (mostly) — animals found in Texas and elsewhere were identified by DNA testing as coyotes (or coyote hybrids) with mange.

    About the pin: Island-wide; the pin is near the middle of Puerto Rico.

    The chupacabra, Spanish for “goat-sucker,” is a legendary creature said to kill livestock and drain their blood. The first widely publicised reports came from Puerto Rico in 1995. In March of that year, eight sheep were reportedly found dead, each with three puncture wounds and supposedly drained of blood, and the name was credited to the comedian Silverio Pérez, who used it on his radio show.

    In August 1995 a resident, Madelyne Tolentino, reported seeing the creature, and she described it as a reptilian figure with spines down its back. Over 200 reports were logged in Puerto Rico that year. Later reports spread to Mexico, the southwestern United States and beyond, and descriptions changed to a hairless, dog-like animal with fangs.

    Where bodies have been tested, the animals turned out to be ordinary: a creature killed near San Antonio, Texas, called the Elmendorf Beast, was identified by the University of California, Davis as a coyote with sarcoptic mange. The Puerto Rican descriptions remain anecdotal and unsupported by physical evidence.

    Sources: Wikipedia: Chupacabra

    Historical case. This is a summary written by the Department from the published sources listed above, in our own words. It is a historical case added to the map for context, not a reader submission. Reports are claims or findings as described in those sources; they are not proof of anything, and where an official or widely accepted explanation exists we say so. For entertainment and curiosity only. Spotted a mistake, or know more? Add a verification note below, or email paranormaldepartment1@gmail.com.

    📍 See this case on the map. Were you there, or can you explain it? Add a verification note below — notes are read by a person before they appear.

  • The Fresno Nightcrawler — Fresno, CA (2007)

    Cryptid Historical case When: Security-camera video, 2007; more footage in 2011  ·  Where: Fresno, California

    Status: Unverified — popular as a joke-legend and called an urban legend by a skeptic; an investigation of the footage by a TV show was inconclusive.

    About the pin: Pinned in south Fresno; no exact location is public.

    The Fresno nightcrawler is a cryptid said to come from Fresno, California. It is described as semi-humanoid, white, long-legged and usually seen in pairs, and it has been compared to “walking pairs of pants.”

    It was popularised by CCTV footage shot in 2007 by a man in south Fresno and shown on the television network Univision. The video appears to show a pair of white legs without a torso walking across the screen, followed by a second. Similar footage said to be from Yosemite Lakes Park followed in 2011, and the SyFy programme Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files, which coined the name “nightcrawlers,” said its attempt to check whether it was a hoax was inconclusive.

    The skeptic Brian Dunning calls it an urban legend that few people really believe in. It has become a local icon, with merchandise and fans around the world.

    Sources: Wikipedia: Fresno nightcrawler

    Historical case. This is a summary written by the Department from the published sources listed above, in our own words. It is a historical case added to the map for context, not a reader submission. Reports are claims or findings as described in those sources; they are not proof of anything, and where an official or widely accepted explanation exists we say so. For entertainment and curiosity only. Spotted a mistake, or know more? Add a verification note below, or email paranormaldepartment1@gmail.com.

    📍 See this case on the map. Were you there, or can you explain it? Add a verification note below — notes are read by a person before they appear.