BFRO #728: a close-range, daytime sighting by a 67-year-old Baptist minister
π Location
Ocala National Forest, Marion County, Florida, Fort McCoy, FL
Specific Location: Ocala National Forest, Fort McCoy area
Coordinates: 29.20000, -82.00000
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29.2000Β°, -82.0000Β°
π Description
Newspaper article: Evening Telegram, (Superior, Wisconsin), November 15, 1977 CREATURE SIGHTED OCALA, Fla. (UPI) - A 67-year-old Baptist minister who says he hasn't had a drink in 40 years tells how he stood eyeball-to-eyeball for 30 seconds with a great, hairy creature in the Ocala National Forest. The Rev. S. L. Whatley, pastor of the Fort McCoy Baptist Church, said he spotted the thing out of the corner of his eye while he was cutting wood with a chain saw three weeks ago. Whatley recalled Monday. "It was standing upright, in the middle of some palmetto bushes, and that sapsucker was at least 7 1/2, maybe 8 feet tall. The minister said the creature "had dark, lighter-than-black hair on its head and chest, not much on its arms, and none on its face. It had kind of a flat face, a flat nose, its eyes were sunk in its sockets." Whatley said he quickly went back to his truck to get an ax because "me and that creature was going to mix it up," but by the time he returned from the truck the creature had disappeared. He hastened to add that he hasn't had a drink in 40 years. Follow-up investigation report: From the files of Ron Schaffner (Ron@bfro.net) Explanation of the report classification system Submit a report for the sightings database Please send any comments or inquiries to ContactUs@BFRO.net Copyright Β© 2025 BFRO.net runLogo();
π Sources (1)
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Case Information
- Case ID
- cmiydgjrx00wq8fys13w961kr
- Primary Source
- BFRO
- Added to Map
- December 9, 2025
- Last Updated
- December 10, 2025